First Drop Wines ‘Mother’s Milk’ Barossa Shiraz
WHY WE LOVE IT
- This Barossa Shiraz is soft, textured, and refreshingly easy to drink, with fruit-laden and savory notes that invite another sip!
- Sourced from vineyards in the Barossa and Eden Valley, including Seppeltsfield, Kalimna, and Eden Valley, each location boasts its unique terroir and soils.
- Seppeltsfield, located in the west of the Barossa, sits at an elevation of 285 meters above sea level and features soil made up of clay over limestone.
- Kalimna is in the north and is positioned at 312 meters above sea level and its soil consists of red clay mixed with sand and ironstone.
- Eden Valley in the east rises to 460 meters above sea level, with soil composed of clay over ironstone and quartz.
- Drink now, but it will also improve with age over the next 5 to 8 years.
Varietals: 100% Shiraz
Elaboration: The fruit is crushed, destemmed, and fermented at 20 to 23°C for 8 days, with skins in contact. Techniques like aerative pump-overs and drain-and-returns help extract color, flavor, and tannins. After fermentation, the wine is drained, pressed, and moved to 3- and 4-year-old French oak hogsheads for malolactic fermentation (MLF). Following MLF, sulfur dioxide is added, and the wine matures sur lie for 10 months.
Tasting Notes: The wine is garnet red color with purple. Its bouquet offers a complex nose characterized by dark cherry and blackberry aromas, with hints of forest floor and spice. On the palate, it presents vibrant flavors of dark cherry and blackberry, a hint of ‘wombat rolled in all spice.’ This is all balanced by an even, textural palate and soft, supple tannins.
PRESS
2020 – 94 James Haliday | 94 James Suckling
2021 – 94 James Haliday | 92 James Suckling
2022 – 92 James Suckling | 92 James Haliday | 90 Vinous
2023 – 92 Wine Spectator
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
First Drop Wines is a modern Australian winery, founded in 2004 by John Retsas and Matt Gant in the Barossa Valley. Known as the “Home of the Brave,” the winery focuses on creating exciting and easy-to-drink wines while blending innovation with traditional techniques. They source grapes from the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley and McLaren Vale, producing bold and characterful wines with playful labeling and a reputation for quality, earning them numerous awards.