Chardonnay

37.5cl * Practising Organic & Biodynamic * Vegan * 13.0% ABV * Adelaide, Australia

The dynamic partnership of cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW began in 1989 when they decided to realise their dream of making wine together. A talent for wine runs in this family, with Martin honing his craft at the University of Bordeaux, and Michael being the first Australian to pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine exams in 1988.

Although the original M3 vineyard was sold, as new clones and improved vineyard technology had left it a relic of an earlier period. Subsequently, the grapes for this wine are now a selection of the estates best fruit, a great deal of which now comes from Lenswood, a high-elevation vineyard purchased in 2012. This is one of the reasons why M3 Chardonnay has taken such a leap forward in quality over the past decade.

Grapes are hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, and then transferred to French oak barrels, a third of which were new, to undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. The fermented wine was matured in oak for nine months, with some lees stirring, then blended in stainless steel vats and finally bottled. The resulting wine opens with intense aromas of white flowers, nectarine and citrus. Elegant and restraint with fantastic ability to age, this has bright acidity and wonderful generosity of flavour.

This half bottle is perfect for the epicurean looking to pair a small glass with a meal or as a delightful addition to the picnic basket.