You would have seen my recent review of the latest Shaw & Smith releases here on my blog. Recently I caught up with Matthew Hill-Smith as he presented me his first two wines made following his departure from the long-standing Shaw & Smith partnership with his older brother Michael Hill-Smith and cousin Martin Shaw.
The two wines are both sourced exclusively from the vineyard formerly known as the M3 Vineyard, planted by Shaw & Smith in 1994 in the Woodside area of the Adelaide Hills. The 28-hectare vineyard has been an historic source of quality sauvignon blanc and chardonnay for Shaw & Smith for years, and is still recognized by name on the label of their flagship chardonnay offering, the M3.
With Martin and Michael plunging headlong into a new Tasmanian adventure via their purchase of the Tolpuddle Vineyard, Matthew sought to exit the business and pursue an independent involvement in winemaking, along with his daughter, Christobel. The exit and settlement gave him control of the former M3 Vineyard property where he is building a new residence and the Marko’s Vineyard brand.
The Marko’s Vineyard name honors Matthew and Michael’s late father, Mark Hill-Smith, who worked as both chairman and managing director of Yalumba in the era prior to Robert and Sam Hill-Smith assuming full ownership. Matthew tells of his father’s involvement in both Pewsey Vale and Heggies Vineyard as a cool-climate heritage of sorts, also crediting his involvement in the establishment of the M3 Vineyard for Shaw & Smith.
There’s another link to more recent history via the winemaker Matthew has engaged to make the Marko’s Vineyard wines, one Darryl Catlin. Catlin was a long-time employee at Shaw & Smith with considerable winemaking responsibilities and is now making award-winning wine in the Adelaide Hills, most notably for Sidewood and now Marko’s Vineyard. These early wines are good and Marko’s is certainly a name to watch.
The 2015 Marko’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is one very appealing wine. It oozes equal parts freshness and ripeness with very strong passion friut and lime citrus aromas, some nectarine-like stone fruits too. The palate is fleshy and smooth-honed with plenty of flavorsome tropical fruits and great depth. This hits the bullseye of attractive, upbeat sauvignon blanc, offering instant appeal and backed by arguably the best Adelaide Hills vintage on record. 94 points, drink now.
The 2015 Marko’s Vineyard Oakless Chardonnay says a lot about the pedigree of the vineyard as a source of quality chardonnay. It has a nose of cool pear and white peach fruits, the palate adds lemon and lime, a straight-shooting, pure-fruited style that has power and finesse. 92 points, drink now.
Contributing Editor Nick Stock is a renowned Australian wine writer, author, presenter and filmmaker who reports on his worldwide wine tasting experiences for JamesSuckling.com.
