First Drop, Cold Sweat, Craneford Vineyard Syrah 2015

In 2016 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 BV Shiraz was rich, ‘modern classical’. The vineyard is up at Craneford in Eden Valley – 450m above sea level on clay over sandstone and quartz. The fruit is crushed/destemmed (with 10 percent whole bunch) and fermented at temperatures between 20 and 25°C for 9 days on skins. The ferment is managed by a variety of techniques, including ‘aerative pump overs’ and ‘drain and returns’, which assist in extracting colour, flavour and tannin from the grapes. At the end of fermentation, it is drained/pressed, and transferred to 50 percent new French oak puncheons to undergo malolactic conversion. Post malo, sulphur dioxide is added, and the wines mature sur lie for 16 months. Assemblage takes place at the end of this maturation period. This wine was bottled unfiltered in August 2016.

First Drop was born in 2004. Conceived by two friends, Matt ‘Gantos’ Gant and John ‘JR’ Retsas, with a desire to make wines to drink, not just appreciate. Based at the ‘Home of the Brave’ in the Barossa, First Drop is making wines with flavour, texture and a splash of funk; from fruit sourced from unique vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Eden Valley and Barossa to bring you a diverse, deliciously exciting and thought provoking line up of flavours. Seriously fun!