Wine
Handpicked Regional Selection Chardonnay 2019
Our fruit was harvested by hand at the end of February then whole-bunch pressed and settled in tank before transfer to tank and barrel for fermentation. The wine underwent a partial malolactic fermentation and was aged for 10 months – part in stainless steel tank to retain fresh fruit flavours, part in barrel for added complexity. We used a mix of old and new French oak barrels.
Crisp & Refreshing, White, Medium-bodied wine. Great with river trout, Asian style dishes, roast chicken.
Handpicked Regional Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Tasting Notes
- A mouth-watering combination of juicy fruits, passionfruit, bright acidity and herbal lift. Pure Marlborough.
Season
- It was a warm and dry season in Marlborough with low yields as a result of unsettled weather around flowering in spring coupled with very dry weather after Christmas. There are advantages to such a season – low disease pressure and excellent fruit intensity among them.
Winemaking
Region
- This wine is made to preserve and highlight its fresh fruit flavours and refreshing acidity. The fruit is pressed to a temperature-controlled stainless-steel tank and the juice is vinified at low temperatures over a long fermentation. It is bottled within months of harvest and is best enjoyed when youthful and fresh.
- This wine is from select vineyards in Marlborough, where warm daytime temperatures, high sunshine hours, low rainfall and cool nights encourage the development of the intense aromas and flavours that are the hallmark of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The wine region is centred on two river valleys in the north east of New Zealand’s South Island – the Wairau River and the Awatere River valleys. Soils are alluvial and free draining silty shingles intermingled with stones and rocks. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is an internationally recognised wine style and accounts for about two thirds of the total vineyard in New Zealand, more than 70% of the country’s wine production and about 85% of its wine exports.
- Green salads, Asian-style salads, and slaws, goats' cheese, fried calamari seasoned with pepper or chilli.
- Crisp & Refreshing
Gralyn Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2018
A single vineyard wine showing great depth of flavour and finesse. Bright straw-green in colour, with complex aromas of peach, nectarine and citrus. Wild yeast fermentation and maturation in French oak barriques has produced a finely textured palate with a refreshing minerality.
Matured in French oak barriques for 12 months.
“Super-pungent in style, with an alluring perfume augmented by gunflint, coriander and bay leaf, couched in explosive citrus, guava and glossy exotic fruit. Silky and fine, with a salty texture.” - Gold Medal, 95 points. Decanter World Wine Awards, 2021
"This has that striking, Margaret River nose of intense lemon with nectarine and yellow peach. Really mouthwatering fruit aromas here. The palate delivers a very vibrant, rich and tangy fusion of citrus and peach flavors and gentle oak handling. Good balance, too. Drink or hold. Screw cap." - 94 points, James Suckling
Handpicked Regional Selection Rosé 2020
The colour is a clear light salmon. The nose has vibrant red fruit and spice aromas, and the palate has juicy fruit flavours and savoury notes. This wine is perfect for sipping on its own and will pair handsomely with a range of foods. A youthful wine made to drink while young and fresh.
Food Pairing: Pan fried rainbow trout with new potatoes, smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches, sushi, vegetarian frittata, antipasto.
Wine Style: Crisp & Refreshing, Soft & Fruity
Recommended Serving Temperature: 8-12°C
First Drop Cold Sweat Eden Valley Syrah – Moculta (Single Vineyard) 2014
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.
"A more conventional syrah, but that doesn’t make it any less attractive as it’s impressively well made. Fresh blackberry compote, fresh herbs, dark licorice, hot stones and cassis. Full-bodied with a lovely line of acidity that runs all the way through the layers of black fruit and right up to the chewy finish. Drink in 2022." - 95 points, James Suckling
Handpicked Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Margaret River, Australia
This is a complex wine with aromas of black berry fruits, chocolate, and cedar with berry highlights. On the palate it has layers of interest starting with rich dark berry fruit flavours, deft oak treatment, and plush tannins. It is ready to drink and will age beautifully over the long term.
This fruit was hand harvested in late March in a selection of our vineyards; the majority was from the Wilyabrup sub-region and there was a parcel from Carbunup. The wine was aged in French oak barriques, 30 per cent new, for 15 months.
First Drop Mother’s Milk Barossa Shiraz 2021
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 Roux Beaute Roussanne 2019
The 2019 growing season was very dry, which resulted in incredibly low yields. We had a relatively warm lead up to the ripening period, which produced a very condensed and fast harvest. With Roussanne being a late ripening variety, it faired very well in a season like this, giving rise to concentration, freshness of flavor and marked natural acidity.
Hand-picked from Block 6 (1.0 ha) on March 16th, our oldest Roussanne planting which is now 15 years old. 50% is destemmed, crushed, and filled to 675L ceramic eggs, where it is fermented and remains on the skins for 193 days. The other 50% is pressed into ceramic eggs and fermented off of the skins. The final blend was 40% extended skin batch and 60% without skin contact. The final blend was 40% extended skin batch and 60% without skin contact. Bottled November 2019.
“This is a rich white, showing impressive structure and plenty of ripe lemon, pear, peach and mangosteen with some savory pastry-like notes, too. The palate has a tangy edge and smooth-toned phenolics carrying plenty of flavor. From organically grown grapes. Drink over the next six years.” – 94 points, Nick Stock at James Suckling
Yangarra Old Vine Grenache (MLV) 2022
Handpicked Capella Vineyard Chardonnay 2018
Mornington Peninsula, Australia
This wine has wonderful complexity on the nose with aromas of flowers, ripe melon and guava and generous barrel ferment character. It is a full-bodied Chardonnay with citrus fruits on the palate, some lanolin and well-integrated oak.
Whole bunch pressing, barrel fermentation and regular lees stirring over 11 months in French oak add to the complexity of this full-bodied Chardonnay
Two Eights Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Scented with dark berries and toasty vanilla oak, the palate unfolds with ripe fruit flavours, oak complexity and satisfying tannin. A full-bodied wine with great depth of flavour, it will complement a range of meat dishes. Ready to drink now but can be cellared over the medium term.
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
First Drop ‘Real Time’ 2022 Chardonnay
Long mild mornings & days as well as bitterly cold nights slowly ripen, pristine chardonnay fruit allowing it to develop elegant flavours & tight texture. Delicate & minimal handling in the winery has seen us produce an outstanding Chardonnay from an excellent vintage.
Colour: Pale Straw
Nose: Apples, yellow peach & pear blossoms with hints of toasted hazelnuts
Palate: Nectarine & white peaches with yellow grapefruit. Fresh lemon curd & hints of brioche, on a tightly textured palate.