Shaw + Smith has added a new range to its growing portfolio, releasing its first McLaren Vale wines under the MMAD Vineyard label.
‘MMAD’ is an acronym of the first initials of Martin Shaw, Michael Hill-Smith, Adam Wadewitz and David LeMire of Adelaide Hills winery Shaw + Smith.
The new imprint joins Tolpuddle of Tasmania and South Australia-based The Other Wine Co under the Shaw +Smith umbrella.
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MMAD is a homecoming for Wadewitz, who is originally from McLaren Vale. The quartet of winemakers acquired a vineyard in the Blewitt Springs sub-region planted to grenache, chenin and shiraz.
“It was a chance to really unearth a very special patch,” Wadewitz told Drinks Adventures.
The MMAD Vineyard was first planted in 1939 and the oldest shiraz blocks date from 1941.
The 18ha vineyard has fine maslin sands and is exposed to the fresh sea breezes from the south-west. Below the sand is a layer of ironstone pebbles, and this combination of sand, ironstone and cooling winds gives both perfume and structure to the wines.
Wadewitz argues Blewitt Springs is best suited to the hedonistic kind of grenache he’s out to produce and a crunchy, high-acid style of chenin.
“The time is now for chenin,” he says. “It’s never been a more exciting variety, I would say. Its texture, its vibrancy… age-ability. It’s incredible.”
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All three wines are from the 2021 vintage. Fruit was hand-picked, with a preference for whole-bunch fermentation, a bit of skin contact and maturation in older oak. For Wadewitz, they’re about reflecting the unique terroir of Blewitt Springs and the rare old vines that thrive there.
“The expression itself when it ends up in the winery, it’s pretty exciting,” he says of the MMAD grenache.
“It has a vibrancy and lift that comes from the sands, and it has a fatness and a generosity to the mid-palate.
“We think there’s not too many places in the world where you can grow grenache like that.”
The 2021 MMAD Vineyard Chenin Blanc ($48), 2021 MMAD Vineyard Grenache ($75) and 2021 MMAD Vineyard Shiraz ($75) are available now from select wine shops and online.
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