Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz 2020

SHAW + SMITH

Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz
2020

  • Organic
  • Vegan

$102.74*

* Suggested retail price

10 case(s) available

Product code
208377
Format
6 x 750ml
Listing type
Speculative
Status
Available
Type of product
Still wine
Country
Australia
Regulated designation
Table wine
Region
South Australia
Subregion
Adelaide
Classification
Estate bottled
Varietal(s)
Shiraz 100 %
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Closure type
Metal screw cap
Producer's website

About this winery

Shaw + Smith winery was founded in 1989 by Michael Hill Smith and Martin Shaw with the goal of producing elegant, refined, world class wines from the cool climate Adelaide hills region of Australia. That Shaw + Smith have succeeded in spades should come as no surprise given the resumes of the winery's two founders. Michael Hill Smith was born into wine, a member of the Yalumba family. A Cordon Bleu trained chef, wine writer, wine judge, and Australia's first Master of Wine he relished the...

See the SHAW + SMITH detail page for more information on this brand

Press reviews

James Halliday (Australian Wine Companion)

- 95 points -

Ned Goodwin MW, July 2023 (Vintage 2020)

From a relatively close-planted plot on clay, ironstone, quartzite and shale. Whole bunches fermented wild in open tops with minimal agitation. A headily aromatic shiraz with notes of lavender and green olive and an underbelly of verdant herb and mezcal, the legacy of whole bunches in the ferment. Notes of damson plum, red cherry, violet and sarsaparilla trail across a raft of peppery tannins, a bit drying due to the low-yielding year. A whiff of iodine, peat and smoked meat lingers. This will benefit from some patience.

See detailed press review
Wine Advocate

93+ Points

Erin Larkin, August 2023 (Vintage 2020)

The fruit for this 2020 Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz is, as the name suggests, from the Balhannah vineyard, which was planted in 2005. Balhannah, for those who have not yet had the pleasure of visiting the Adelaide Hills region, is an area within the Adelaide Hills GI, north of Hahndorf. The vineyard is at 380 meters above sea level and is north facing. When I was there in 2022, the vineyard was undergoing layering (a method to increase the density of the plantings of vines. In the mouth, the wine speaks clearly of its whole bunches, which bring an exoticism and chalkiness to the wine. These notes will subdue over time and ensure that the wine remains detailed and complex as it ages. It smells of light fruitcake (the dense, spicy kind), and it is textural, chalky and lingering. The tannins hold the fruit in stasis and encourage it to pace itself out over the long finish. There are notes of clove, star anise, cinnamon, orange peel, sultana, vanilla pod, black tea, cassis and blueberry compote. There is plenty of fruit here in the short term, but I wager this will be at its apogee some time in the future. I'd consider it from 2025 onward. If you are restless in the meantime, try the estate Shiraz. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

See detailed press review