https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/orchestracms/eosportal/pdf/tasting-notes/ashton-hills-gamay-2022.pdf

he ‘ol boy has done it again. Despite a difficult start to the season, Dad made some very astute calls in the vineyard during spring which meant we were able to take advantage of perfect conditions during the summer and autumn. This meant our fruit arrived at our winemaker’s with full flavour development and balance of acid and tannins. Our trademark blueberry, spice and eucalyptus are on show. This wine will see improvement up to and beyond 10 years in the cellar.

Another very attractive release from the hugely dynamic Zonte's Footstep. An Adelaide Hills Shiraz with TWO Double Golds "...offering excellent drinking. 92pts” (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit). He adds that it is: “Sweetly fruited with complexity, the wine exhibits aromas of black and blueberry, star anise, floral notes, and hazelnut on the nose. The palate is equally satisfying with a plump mouthfeel backed by fleshy texture and supple tannins, offering excellent drinking. 92pts” (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit).

Savour a very appealing silky, elegant, Gold medal, 93pt Pinot Noir from vineyards in the Adelaide Hills. “Combining ripe fruit notes with savoury nuances, the wine shows dark berry, bay leaf, cured meat and toasted almond characters on the nose. The palate displays elegant weight and fine flow, well supported by silky texture and polished tannins, finishing persistent and complex.93pts” (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit).

A Riesling that is both delicate and textural. The 219 is expressive and more overt than other years, with wonderful flavours. The grapes were all hand picked. Half were whole bunch pressed and half were crushed and pressed, each fermented separately. The wine was blended and then spent four months on lees prior to bottling. Riesling Shaw + Smith own two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, totalling 55 hectares. The vineyards are planted to varieties that perform particularly well in the region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Shaw + Smith was established in 1989 by cousins Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw. They make wines exclusively from the Adelaide Hills, from varieties that suit the cooler climate: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Shaw + Smith own two vineyards, in Lenswood and Balhannah. Balhannah is also home to the winery where the Tasting Room is open daily. Shaw + Smiths first vintage was in 1990, and the early vintages were made at Wirra Wirra and Petaluma. In 1999 they purchased a property at Balhannah, where they planted vines, and built the winery and tasting room in time for the 2000 vintage. In 2012 they purchased an established 20 hectare vineyard in Lenswood. As the business has grown Michael and Martin have built a formidable team to continue the evolution of Shaw + Smith, including Master of Wine David LeMire, Senior Winemaker Adam Wadewitz, Business Manager Grant Lovelock and Group Viticulturist Murray Leake.

Campbell Mattinson Meaty and spicy with black cherry and plum flavours rumbling throughout. The tannin feels dry and sturdy, the fruit brooding and dark, but the floral and sweet meat characters here lend it both a prettiness and a touch of the exotic.

Red cherries and strawberries along with notes of undergrowth and preserved lemon. Bright and juicy red fruit characters with a savoury back half of earth, leather and subtle dried herbs. The palate is of medium weight with graceful, fine tannins that lend it a plush quality throughout. Grapes were handpicked, keeping individual clones separate in small open fermenters. Some whole bunch fruit was added to ferments, enhancing aromatics and structural complexity. Fermentation was initiated by indigenous yeast (wild ferment). Each clonal parcel was basket pressed and filled to seasoned French oak barrels with full solids. All barrels were kept on lees to build palate, body and complexity. They were racked and blended just prior to bottling. Stephen Georges three hectare, dry-grown, Ashton Hills vineyard lies in the Piccadilly Valley sub region of the Adelaide Hills on a ridge just below the summit of Mount Lofty. Planted in 1982, its a quality site that, thanks to the humility and integrity of its gifted farmer, has been the source of some of South Australias most intriguing cool-climate wines, and certainly its most authentic and fascinating Pinot Noir. You dont need to spend much time in the Piccadilly Valley to realise why this area was granted sub-regional statusit is totally different to the rest of the Hills. In short, its much colder and wetter. Georges Estate vineyard lies at 570 metres above sea level and the vines shudder through some of the coolest vintage conditions in the country. Meanwhile, rainfall is a whopping 1200mm a year, well over double that of the Barossa. Whether its the lifted perfumes, elegant structure and Alpine freshness of the Pinot Noirs or the icy purity of the Riesling, Piccadilly Valleys bona-fide cool-climate imprint is never far away. A healthy portion of old-vines and the vineyards south-facing aspect afford George the luxury of late harvesting that plays a significant role in the personality of these wines. Terroir is one thing, how its worked is another, and Stephen George clearly has an intuitive touch and the drive to continually evolve. Most recently this evolution has resulted in George grubbing out all varieties except for Pinot Noir, and a little bit of Riesling, focusing his Pinot Noir on four specific clones selected from a line-up of 25 that he had tested. The Ashton Hills winery is incredibly basic, with an earth floor and next to no equipment whatsoever. The Pinot fruit is destemmed via a small, customised, gentle destemmer that keeps as many whole berries as possible. The fruit is then basket pressed, and the wine is made without any sulphur additions until bottling. Some whole bunches are included, and the percentage varies according to the style of the vintage. The red wines are mostly raised in aged, neutral French hogshead barrels. Having already cemented his living-legend status amongst his peers and compiled a storied CV that includes his role at Wendouree (since the 1980s) and twenty five vintages at the helm of Ashton Hills, you could forgive this reclusive winemaker for taking his foot off the gas. Not a bit of it. Stephen George is in fact making the best wines of his career.