Description
MMAD Vineyard Shiraz is a real highlight wine. While it is initially quite simple (enjoyably simple, might I add), it has depth and concentration, and, most importantly, balance. All of which point to this being a great wine to age for the long-term. Plus this vintage received 97 points from Campbell Mattinson, Huon Hooke, and Marcus Ellis. Such universal consensus can only point to one outcome – this is a great wine.
MMAD is a partnership of four. Famously Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW who started Shaw + Smith together in 1989, along with winemaker Adam Wadewitz and Sales + Marketing head David LeMire MW. They have acquired a vineyard in the higher, cooler part of McLaren Vale; Blewitt Springs. The highlight of the vineyard is Grenache, planted in 1939, Chenin Blanc, planted in 1964, and Shiraz, planted in 1941. This is a recipe for great wines and of the range I have tasted to date, I have greatly enjoyed them all.
MMAD Vineyard Blewitt Springs McLaren Vale Shiraz 2022 Wine Review
Marcus Ellis
97 Points
James Halliday Wine Companion 2025
7 August, 2024
“This is a seriously impressive release, showcasing winemaker Adam Wadewitz’s learnings from the first vintage and the bounty of full viticultural control. The old-vine fruit could easily handle about one-third whole bunch, a Wadewitz favourite. And that impact is profoundly positive, weaving in spicy, smoky notes and complexing tannins to provide exceptional tension without greenness. Red and blue fruits, violet and dusky red florals, coal dust, anise, cacao and roasted coffee bean. Intensity on the palate at moderate alcohol and no heavy mid-palate sweetness nor new oak. Rather, it is poised throughout, with fruit intensity seamlessly meshed into a silky, supple but aptly assertive structure, a ferrous nori/kelp mineral note underpinning. For a site purchased prizing grenache, this is a revelation.“
Blewitt Springs
There are a lot of people who believe that the sandy, ironstone-rich soils of Blewitt Springs are the best place in Australia for Grenache. Some would argue it rivals the best places in the world. With the modern style of Grenache being made from old vines, it is hard to argue the point. The aromatics, texture and complexity are evident and I am looking forward to trying more and more of the mature wines from Blewitt Springs.
McLaren Vale
The maritime climate and sandy soils of McLaren Vale make it a great place for growing grapes. Reds in particular excel here. Shiraz of course, but the Spanish varieties Grenache and Tempranillo seem well suited too. The maritime climate helps mitigate some of the heat from the SA summers and the sandy soils mean that phylloxera could not survive and so they have some of the oldest vines in the world.
Shiraz/Syrah
A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on terroir and/or wine maker influence. The Syrah based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere while the Shiraz of Barossa is rich and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.
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