Editors notes
The Lenswood Chardonnay is the top white wine in the esteemed Shaw + Smith stable.
Sourced from their higher-altitude single vineyard in the Lenswood sub-region of the Adelaide Hills, this wine presents a more focused and linear style of Chardonnay than the more opulent M3. The quality of fruit here is simply outstanding, as is the care taken during the winemaking process.
If classy, cool-climate Chardonnay is your thing, this is a beautiful Australian example that will find a very happy place in your cellar.
Details
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Wine Type
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Oak Type
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Apple
- Lemon
- Nectarine
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Palate
- Apple
- Cream
- Peach
Food Pairings
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Critic Scores & reviews
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James Halliday
98"All four Bernard clones 76, 95, 96 and 277, then the usual winemaking techniques, but the quality of this wine is anything but usual. For the record, chilled overnight, whole-bunch pressed to new and used French puncheons. This is an utterly brilliant wine, elegant and intense, the fruit flavours reflecting the glorious vintage."
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Ned Goodwin MW
96"From a propitiously situated vineyard at 500m, this plays a ‘cool handed Luke’ of reductive gun flint tension, a faint whiff of apricot and nectarine, alongside a rivet of creamed cashew and nougat. Tight and febrile of energy, yet far from severe. This is a streamlined Chardonnay of the finest pedigree."
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Decanter
95"Long, lithe and stretching seductively across the palate, the fruit from this Adelaide Hills site still produces a more fleshy model than many cool-climate Chardonnays. Its extended flavour trail carries threads of lemon pith, nectarine, ginger and grapefruit, bound by gentle acidity that leaves a soft, talc-like finish. Sublime!"
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
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- Variety Chardonnay
- Vintage 2019
- Brand Shaw and Smith
- Cellaring 5-10 Years
- Wine Type White
- Alcohol Percentage 13.0% Alcohol
Shaw And Smith Lenswood Vineyard Chardonnay 2019-
James Halliday95 points
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Decanter97 points
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Mike Bennie95 points
$79.99
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
Australia
Australia's wine industry is a thriving part of the country's economy, contributing significantly to employment, production, export, and tourism. In fact, the industry is the fourth-largest wine exporter in the world, shipping out 760 million liters of wine to countries including France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. One of the key factors contributing to Australia's success as a "New World" wine producer is the formal export and marketing of its wines through Wine Australia.
Australia's wine regions are scattered across the south and southeast, with almost every state boasting its own vineyards. Victoria, for example, is home to an impressive 21 wine regions. Some of the most famous wine regions in Australia include Margaret River, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley, and local regions to New South Wales such as Cowra, Southern Highlands, and Mudgee.
Australian winemakers are known for producing a diverse range of grape varieties, with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir being among the most popular. They tend to focus on producing wines that are ripe, fruit-forward, and easy to drink, using modern winemaking techniques and equipment such as stainless steel tanks and temperature-controlled fermentation.
With its bold, fruit-driven flavors and reputation for quality and diversity, Australian wine has become a popular choice for wine lovers around the world. And with such a broad range of wine regions and grape varieties, there's something for every palate to enjoy.
South Australia
If you like Australian wine, then you probably like South Australia wine. The rich reds produced there put Australia on the wine-making map of the world. With over 40% of the country's vineyards, South Australia can rightfully call itself the wine state.
Wines are produced in several regions throughout the state, though many are naturally grouped together, like Barossa and Eden Valleys, only 15 minutes apart. They include such regions as Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, The Limestone Coast, McLaren Vale and Wrattonbully to name but a few!
Barossa Valley boasts some of the oldest vines in Australia dating back to 1843 and produces some of the world's finest Shiraz, whilst the 'terra rossa' soils of Coonawarra is most suited to producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons. If you're a fan of Riesling, Clare Valley is a great place to explore and for a Maritime climate not dissimilar to parts of the Italian coastline, seek out the wines from McLaren Vale.
Adelaide Hills
Famous for their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir, the viticulture of this region was re-established in 1979 but grapes were planted locally as early as 1839. During the last three decades, Adelaide Hills has emerged as one of Australia’s most exciting cool climate wine region, being known to produce elegant, distinct, sophisticated wines. Located in the Mount Lofty Ranges and only a 30 minute drive from Adelaide, this region is home not only to over 90 wine labels and 48 cellar doors, but also to multiple forests, beef and dairy farms, apple and pear orchards.
Known to be one of the largest geographical wine regions in Australia, the Adelaide Hills are made up of two registered sub regions: Lenswood and Piccadilly Valley. These narrow band of hills stretch across to be approximately 70 km long and 30 km wide and border Barossa and Eden Valleys to the North and McLaren Vale to the South.
The climate of this region is considerably cooler compared to other wine regions in the summer, due to the altitudes of the vineyards being 400-700 meters high. The cooler drier climate produces grapes with ideal fruit composition, creating the perfect balance of flavour and acidity.
About the brand Shaw and Smith
Shaw + Smith was established in 1989 by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill-Smith MW after having a long held dream of making wine together. It was identified as a leading producer of Sauvignon Blanc by the time they acquired a 42ha property at Woodside, in the Adelaide Hills region. In 1999, Martin and Michael bought a 36ha property in Balhannah, building the attractive winery in 2000 and planting more Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Riesling.
Shaw + Smith's winery is considered as the benchmark for winery improvements in Adelaide Hills. In 2002, a new bottling line was set up, guaranteeing full control of every aspect of production - from grape berry to bottle.
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