First Drop Full Fat Red 2017

Cellar for up to 5 years. No need to decant before serving.

The First Drop label was founded by two friends, Matt ‘Gantos’ Gant and John ‘JR’ Retsas, who wanted to make fun, irreverent wines with top quality fruit from Australia’s finest wine regions. The duo carefully select their grapes from prime vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley, working with French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish grape varieties to create their delicious cuvees.

This powerful red lives up to its name with a punchy blend of Touriga Nacional, Shiraz, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Monastrell grapes grown in Australia’s legendary Barossa Valley. The two dominant varieties, Montepulciano and Barbera, give plenty of freshness, elegance and bright berry flavours, while the Shiraz and Nebbiolo add plenty of tannins and a generous full body.

To add extra complexity and polish the young wine ages for 17 months in French oak barrels before it is finally bottled and released. This helps create a heady, full-bodied red that’s bursting with ripe cassis, crushed cherries and hints of spice and woodsmoke on the long finish. The bold flavour profile makes this a great partner for hearty red meat dishes such as barbecued ribs, roast beef, or rich game stews.