97 Punkte James Halliday

From central and southern (the latter warmer) parts of the Adelaide Hills, hand-picked, part destemmed, part whole bunch, open-fermented with gentle plunging. The colour is bright, the bouquet full of red fruits, darker fruit notes and delicious pepper and spice nuances. These characters flow through to the medium-bodied palate of Shaw + Smith's most consistently outstanding wine, the '15 vintage making it seem so easy.





 

Verkostungsnotiz von James Suckling am Dienstag, 6. Oktober 2018:

What a nose of chalk, crushed stones, slate, vanilla, spices, honeysuckle, sliced apples, quince, dried sage, thyme and a ton of freshly squeezed lemons and limes. The palate’s very edgy with a taut line of acidity, but it fits in so well the stone fruit and flora undertones. Clarity, precision and focus that matches up to any top Grand Cru Burgundy. Not for the faint of heart but the fearless. Drink now or hold.









 

Verkostungsnotiz von James Suckling 10.06.2018:

This 6th release of Tolpuddle Vineyard pinot noir is the finest work to date, as it shows refinement and true vineyard expression. The fruit aromas are wildly alluring with red and dark cherries, red plums, strawberries, pink grapefruit, blood oranges, peaches and pomegranate. Some light peppery notes and an array of freshly ground, hard brown spices, stony and sappy elements, crushed roses and violets. Very complex. The palate is just as impressive with a strikingly resolved mix of power and elegance. Flavors of red and dark cherries, persimmon, plums and blackberries are encased in a sleeve of helix-like tannins, which also carry long and emanate waves of fresh fruit flavor. Intense red cherries and red plums hold the finish long and pure. This is something special. Drink or hold. ght when the Tolpuddle partners saw the vineyard. It comes flying through the weather of the vintage that trapped others with a highly perfumed red flower bouquet and into a layered palate reflecting the whole bunch/whole berry fermentation, spicy, savoury, foresty notes form a laurel wreath on the fruit, the oak integrated. And into the murky depths we travel. That lightness, that insistence, that riot of spice. It puts its cards on the table in take-it-or-leave-it fashion. It’s a wily, wiry wine, smoky and herbal, spun with tannin, fleshed with cranberry and red cherry, long through the finish. There’s a glimpse of jellied sweetness but blink and you miss it – before you know it, ash and dry twig notes have wrestled back control. This is an immensely cellarable style of pinot noir though, equally, it is an openly polarising one.”


98 Punkte James Halliday

November 2018:
“Deepish red/purple colour with a spicy, slightly foresty bouquet with complexity and depth. The palate is soft and round, easy and harmonious, with soft fine tannins and lovely drinkability. Whole-bunch has been effectively, sensitively employed. Moderately long persistence; clean, slightly firm finish. Very good pinot.”


 

The 2018 vintage has a concentrated core of red berry fruits including raspberries and cherries. It is vibrant and more opulent than other years.

Outstanding quality from a growing season that threatened, at times, to be tricky. After some heat in January, the moderate, dry and sunny months of February and March delivered beautifully balanced fruit. Crop levels were slightly below average, enhancing flavour and intensity.

Pinot Noir is the most temperamental of varieties and remains a challenge for site, season and winemaking - Shaw + Smith has joined the quest albeit in a ‘small batch’ way. First produced experimentally in 2004 and commercially in 2007. Site selection, the right clonal mix, minuscule yields and fastidious vineyard management are essential to success.


 

Verkostungsnotiz von James Suckling vom 26. Juni 2019:

An exceptional chardonnay with a wealth of very fresh and slightly flinty lemon, grapefruit, white-peach and grilled-hazelnut aromas. The palate has such grace and well-defined, pure lemon and grapefruit, as well as white and yellow peaches. The toasted-hazelnut afterglow is stunning. Hints of praline, too. So elegant, pristine and pure. Exceptional. Drink or hold. Screw cap.