2025 M3 Chardonnay, Shaw + Smith
£130 per 6 bottle case in bond
Consistently lovely
Erin Larkin, robertparker.com
It simply gets everything right
Simon Larkin MW, atlasfinewines.com
No other members of the Larkin family were available for comment! I should stress that is a joke, I am not related to Erin. Leaving attempts at humour aside, some wines simply impress because every single component is exactly where it should be. The 2025 M3 Chardonnay from Shaw + Smith falls firmly into the latter category.
I have written about M3 repeatedly over the years and, if anything, my admiration for it has grown. Since we first offered the 2018 vintage, it has become increasingly clear just how much work, refinement and skill has gone into arriving at the style we see today. This is not a wine that has happened by chance. The team at Shaw + Smith has spent years honing its approach to Chardonnay, drawing fruit principally from the high-altitude Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills, where cooler conditions preserve the freshness and acidity that underpin the wine's character.
The result in 2025 is, in my view, close to perfect at this price point.
Pure, enticing citrus fruit. Bright acidity. Just enough creamy, lees-derived texture through the mid-palate to lend breadth without sacrificing energy. Fine persistence. Nothing jars. Nothing dominates. Everything is in proportion.
This is not a wine that shouts. It simply gets everything right. Harmony.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, I continue to believe M3 is comfortably one of the finest Chardonnays available at this price from anywhere in the world. The fact that it comes from Australia rather than Burgundy should not distract from the quality in the glass. For all the attention paid to increasingly expensive white Burgundy, wines like M3 serve as a useful reminder that world-class Chardonnay can still be bought for sensible money.
What particularly impresses me about the 2025 is its focus. There is an extra degree of precision to the fruit profile, a clarity that makes the wine especially compelling. The vintage undoubtedly played its part. The 2025 growing season was both exceptionally early and exceptionally dry, reportedly the earliest and driest in more than fifty years. Following two comparatively cool vintages, the small crop delivered excellent concentration. Equally important was the marked diurnal variation between warm daytime temperatures and cool nights, which helped preserve acidity and freshness despite the dry conditions.
The alcohol level tells its own story. At just 13%, this remains unmistakably a cool-climate Chardonnay. There is none of the heaviness that can afflict richer styles. Instead, everything feels measured, poised and beautifully controlled. Harmony.
Despite its immediate appeal, this is also a wine capable of ageing. Erin Larkin suggests a drinking window through to 2035 and I see no reason to disagree. Personally, my record for resisting a few bottles from a case of M3 is three years, but I suspect the more disciplined among you will be rewarded over the course of a decade.
Erin Larkin awarded the 2025 M3 Chardonnay 94 points in The Wine Advocate:
2025 M3 Chardonnay, Shaw + Smith
£130 per 6 bottle case in bond
94 points, Erin Larkin, robertparker.com
The 2025 M3 Chardonnay is lean and citrus-driven initially, before moving into a creamy, textural middle palate. This is routinely the game plan for this wine, and the consistency and quality of it is reassuring. It's worked (presumably extended time on the lees and malolactic fermentation, etc.), and this brings with it the creaminess we see on the palate, while the bright fruit is typical of the Adelaide Hills region, almost always on the white/yellow end of the spectrum. This is an elegant, lovely wine. It is consistently lovely.
Drink 2026-2035. 13% alcohol. Sealed under screwcap.
There are undoubtedly more famous Chardonnays. There are certainly more expensive Chardonnays. But when quality, consistency, drinkability and value are considered together, I think the 2025 M3 Chardonnay stands as one of the finest Chardonnays available at this level from either hemisphere.
I have no hesitation in recommending the 2025. If you have enjoyed previous vintages, this is one to replenish stocks. If you have yet to discover M3, this is as good a place to start as any.
Please let us know of your interest.
Simon