Shaw and Smith, Vineyard Pinot Noir, Lenswood 2021 - 75cl

Lenswood sits in the cool upper reaches of the Adelaide Hills, and the vineyard Shaw and Smith draw on here was planted back in 1999. Two decades of vine age tells in the glass: this is Pinot with structure and grip rather than easy fruit, the kind of site expression the estate has spent years coaxing out.

Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw built their name on white wines, but the Lenswood Pinot has become one of the more serious cool-climate reds in the country. The 2021 vintage gave them the slow ripening they want, and the wine wears it well at a restrained 13% under screw cap. It arrives fully formed, complex and a little brooding, without the confected sweetness that trips up warmer-climate Pinot.

The nose layers dark cherry and strawberry over forest floor, bracken and a woodsy, spiced edge, with cedar and a whisper of leather sitting behind. The palate is glossy and textural, medium-bodied with real tension running through it: pomegranate, star anise and a green-olive savouriness, bright acidity holding the line. It closes long, with a minty, pithy grip that keeps the wine honest. Approachable now, though a few years in the cellar will reward patience through the late 2020s.

How to Serve

Serve cool, 14-15°C, in a wide Burgundy bowl. No need to decant; half an hour open in the glass is plenty to let the savoury notes unfurl.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot, Bloomsbury - a wine list that lives for exactly this kind of cool-climate Pinot.
The Wolseley, Piccadilly - grand-cafe cooking that suits a bright, savoury red.
Dandy, Maltby Street - small plates and a crowd who care what's in the glass.

Food Pairings

Roast duck breast, pink in the middle, with a sharp cherry sauce - the wine's acidity and the fruit meet the bird exactly where they should.