First Drop Mother’s Milk Barossa Shiraz 2022
Not a sledgehammer style, this Barossa Shiraz is made for drinking! Soft, slurpy and textured it is balanced with good acidity, which refreshes the palate and makes you go back for a second / third glass. Sourced from 3 unique vineyards, it is fruit laden, savoury and dangerously easy to drink! It is matured for 12 months in French oak hogsheads to allow the fruit to express itself.
Colour: Garnet red with purple hues
Nose: A complex nose of dark cherry and blackberry aromas with a hint of forest floor and spice
Palate: Vibrant dark cherry and blackberry with a hint of ‘wombat rolled in all spice’ balanced with an even, textural palate with soft, supple tannins
Yangarra Estate High Sands Grenache 2018
VINTAGE SUMMARY
2018 was a text book growing season, with good winter rains, and favourable weather conditions during a very mild spring. We had a generally dry summer, which led to earlier expected picking dates, especially with lower than average yields. By the end of February and early march the Autumnal nights got quite cool, which really slowed down the ripening process.
WINEMAKING
Hand-picked and mechanically sorted. 100% Destemmed, with 50% whole berries. Cold soak. Open fermenters. Plunged. Wild yeast ferment. No pressings are used in this wine. Kept on lees in 100% older French oak for 11 months. We have selected individual barrels that showcase the pedigree of the deep sand, with lifted fragrance, intense fruit expression and fine, gritty long tannin structure. Not fined.
"So rich, complex and intense with a wealth of very ripe, powerful fruit on offer. Blood-orange and pomegranate notes, together with stony aromas, providing a very complex feel. The palate is super powerful and juicy. So very long, so rich and so well defined, showing mouthwatering tannins and a very sleek, long and juicy drive of red-fruit flavor. This has immense power and carries rich, ripe red and blue fruit. Wow. So intense. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - 98 points, James Suckling
“Intense ruby colour, bright and clear throughout the glass. Wine gums, dry earth and wakame on the nose. The palate is medium in weight but full in power. Fruit sits with depth, but the tannin profile is something special in its intensity and grip. Great length, it lingers very long. Time in the cellar is highly recommended as this will age very well. If you're a classical Châteauneuf-du-Pape fan, then this is a wine to note.” - Stuart Knox, The Real Review
BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Los Arboles, a terroir with very stony soil from the surface with intermixed layers of loose, high-draining sand.
It is an outstanding wine with lingering flavours of currant, cassis and plum combined with a hint of spice and juicy acidity. Good structure, firm tannins and a persistent finish.
BenMarco Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect with red meat, pasta with mushroom-based sauce or Bolognese.
"Blackcurrant, blackberry, bark and iodine on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Juicy and creamy. Drink now." - James Suckling
Yangarra GSM 2022
Our Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre blend is inspired by the traditional estate blends of the southern Rhône. The Grenache is sourced from a combination of young and old bush vines. We select the most elegant and perfumed Shiraz and add Mourvèdre for fragrance and solid tannin structure.
"Ferrous, nicely reductive and very savory, boasting grilled meats, camphor, iodine and cloves. A very earthy GSM, far from the fruitier Aussie norm. Plenty to like. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap." - 92 points, James Suckling
Que Bonito Cacareaba 2021
Barrel-fermented white that not only stands out for its sonorous name. It is a wine like few others are made ; Powerful, meaty and notable for its creaminess and perfect acidity point. It is made with white Garnacha, Viura and Malvasía from seven plots. A great white, elegant and durable.
Nose: It is a fine and elegant wine. With citrus aromas, notes of wild flowers and aromatic herbs, as well as hints of stone fruits (apricot, plum), and very mineral. The contribution of very fine oak promises good integration.
Palate: Very fresh, fine and with good skeleton and volume. A great balance of maturity, acid and freshness has been achieved by harvesting each variety at its time. Long life.
Recommended Serving Temperature: Between 9 and 12 ºC.
Varietals: 60% Viura, 25% white Grenache, 15% Malvasia
Luce 2020
Intense ruby red in color, Luce 2020 stands out on the nose for its complexity and elegance, characterized by ripe black fruits, particularly blackberry and mulberry, which are joined by hints of cocoa and sweet spices. On the palate it is harmonious, lively, with excellent structure, balanced by vibrant acidity and soft, silky tannins that give an elegant finish with great persistence.
Food Pairing: Beef, Lamb, Veal, Poultry, Cured Meat "Very pretty orange peel with currants and blue berries. Flowers, too. Medium to full body with firm and velvety tannins that are polished and impressive. Fresh fruit at the end. Serious structure and brightness." - 95 points, James Suckling "The nose is dense and powerful, exhibiting lush black fruits and chocolate, and it became more perfumed with aeration. The attack is zesty and vigorous, spicy and assertive, but there's no excessive extraction and the tannins are polished. Despite a hint of tar and liquorice, the black fruits dominate. Well balanced, with both grip and texture, and a very long finish, this will age well." - 95 points, Decanter
Coup de Foudre Pinot Noir 2021
Situated at the top of Kings Ridge Road along the Sonoma Coast, the Pinot Noir Vineyard overlooks the Pacific ocean and basks in ample sun and fog at a 2000 feet elevation. The coastal fog keeps it cool in the mornings, but the ridge exposure allows for ample ripening. Strawberry preserve, anise, and spicy notes leap out of the glass. While fresh red fruit and hints of cherry are enveloped by subtle warm toasty oak nuances.
The firm acidity and smooth tannin profile are perfectly balanced.
Only 8 barrels.
Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2020
Made with the same passion and attention to detail as Ornellaia, Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia is a true “second vin”. A blend of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), Cabernet Franc (18%) & Petit Verdot (17%), it combines approachability and a depth of flavour with proven ageing potential.
Characterized by a lively ruby red colour, Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia 2018 is a wine of great aromatic complexity, a distinctive feature of this vintage. In the glass, aromas of berries, blackberry, raspberry and red cherry are accompanied by floral hints of wild rose and spicy notes of pink pepper and liquorice. On tasting, the wine has a good tannic structure, enveloping and balanced, with a crisp and savoury finish.
First Drop Cold Sweat Eden Valley Syrah – Moculta (Single Vineyard) 2015
Eden Valley is the perfect backdrop for us to further push our vinous boundaries. At a higher elevation than the Barossa Valley below, we embrace the funk to make even more diverse expressions of Syrah that speak of their unique sites. It’s all about the one. Give the drummer some! With this Eden Valley project we are looking for the ultimate expressions of three cooler climate sites and working hard to find them, utilising all our experience. Syrah from a single vineyard in Moculta.
Colour: Garnet red with purple hues
Nose: A complex nose of dark cherry, savoury and spice aromas
Palate: A brooding palate of grainy tannins support complex dark cherry, earthy and savoury flavours.
Cellaring: Drink up, but also 8-10 years proposition.
"Deep and decadent on the nose with plum, dried-meat and leather aromas. Some tar. Full-bodied yet fresh. Round and silky tannins. Juicy finish. Tangy acidity. Drink now. " - 95 points, James Suckling
VINTAGE 2015: A condensed vintage with full fat flavour! A warmer than usual spring led to an early, yet even flowering and fruit set. Together with a dry season, this led to an early start to vintage despite mild conditions and welcome rainfall in January. With harvest progressing quickly, it was clear that yields were variable, but the wines showed full flavours. Low yielding Barossa Valley Shiraz was rich (reminiscent of 2005). Yields were up in Eden Valley Shiraz, and thus looked less primary, more savoury, with good acid (reminiscent of 2002). So the upshot is we’ve almost got two vintages in one, with some diverse, full flavoured wines. Lap it up!