The excellent Shaw & Smith Shiraz 2022 + new 2024 Riesling

Shaw & Smith Shiraz has such a rich legacy now that I’d probably be more intrigued if it wasn’t great. This 2022 iteration is different, though. It’s an Adelaide Hills Shiraz that speaks in a different, spicier accent – you could call it Syrah, and no one would be upset. Masterful winemaking, too – a shitload of flavour for a 13.5% red. It’s purple-coloured and smells of purple things – violets, blueberry, and peppery blackberry jam. There’s a bit of Syrah pan juices and pepper steak, but again, there is loads of purple fruit on the medium-weight, gently grippy, perfectly ripe palate. Classy, medium weight but not shy, it’s maybe a bit dark and spicy rather than glossy this year, but that just makes it a great wine. I like.

Best drinking: now to ten years easy. 18.5/20, 94/100. 13.5%, $58. Would I buy it? Oh yes.

Also on the blocks from Shaw & Smith:

Shaw & Smith Riesling 2024

Riesling is the quiet wine in the S & S lineup. It doesn’t always work (it can look a bit too green), but recent vintages have seen it look fleshier and ever more drinkable. This 2024 has a bit of the juicy melon softness you see in ripe modern German Riesling too (and it works). Lightly floral, This Riesling is a green fruited wine, with estery banana and then flicks of melon and stonefruit. Achingly young, it tastes of green banana and even some pineapple, but this is a linear rather than a fruity wine. Fragrant, pretty, easy-but-not-flabby, it has a slightly sweet and sour melon element that makes it so approachable. A nice drink, without being a superstar.

Best drinking: now, no need to wait. 17.7/20, 92/100. 12.5%, $37. Would I buy it? A few glasses.