JM 1ST APPROACH

... Sweet cherries and raspberries with a hint of tart cranberry on the back palate. But it’s not all about fruit; dried oregano, earth and tea leaf add to the savoury profile that eventually defines the wine. It’s a spicy minx too. All that nimble energy leads to fine, slightly chewy tannin. Lots of evolution in the space of twenty-four hours – if you can make it last that long. Very Good – Excellent Wine Will Eat Itself

The wine displays fresh green tinges on a pale straw colour. The nose exhibits aromas of fresh cut pear and honey dew melon with some zesty citric notes. There are no overt woody or buttery aromas with the primary fruit characters expressed with clarity and definition. The palate is fresh and lively with clean crisp acidity complementing the vibrant fruity flavours. The palate has very good extension and ends clean and bright. This is a restrained style of Australian Chardonnay and highlights how far we have come with this style of wine over the last decade.

Winner of the Aust. Wine Guild Trophy for the Best Red Wine in Commercial Classes at the 2012 Royal Brisbane Wine Show

...  pretty much pitch perfect for a Coonawarra red. Medium-weight but strong and robust. Blackcurrant all the way, with (overt) eucalypt and bay leaf and integrated smoky oak. It’s perfumed and fleshy and yet taut and controlled. Noticeable acidity but excellent balance as a whole.
A top vintage of Majella cabernet – for the long haul.94 points Campbell Mattinson Winefront

Like the 2008 before it – perhaps more so – the 2009 is as sexy as shiraz gets at the price – beautifully, sweetly aromatic with a vibrant, fruity palate to match. Chris Shanahan

Bright crimson; a fragrant bouquet encompasses spice, plum, black cherry and blackberry aromas that flow through to the medium-bodied palate, there picked up quality oak, and finishing with polished tannins. Great bargain. 96 points  James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion

Sheer texture. Cherry-plum, mint, sourness and spiciness. It’s not a sweet crowd-pleaser and yet it’s not challenging; it’s just good pinot, straight up. For now or for later, though preferably a bit more for later. Good kick of flavour as you swallow. Crying out to be left alone for a bit. But really good.” – 92+ Points Campbell Mattinson

There’s concentration plus on the finish but it all feels quite restrained making for one of Australia’s best Chardonnay experiences. It’s an absolute belter." 95+ points Patrick Haddock, Wining Pom,
Wine Will Eat Itself 94+ points - "The 2012 is a winner. It’s precise and incisive. Purity of fruit, adroit use of oak, a wonderfully mineral backbone and real persistence.
... Shaw and Smith M3 chardonnay has come a long way over the past ten years and is now a far finer example of the variety... Grapefruit and peach essence, flint and funk. Toasty oak. Pear and milk through the finish. Quality is very high here. Had me salivating. Rated : 95+ Points Winefront