Description

First Drop Mothers Milk is the OG from the winery and the biggest production run. And if someone asked what Barossa Shiraz tastes like, I’d sell them a bottle of this First Drop Mothers Milk. I’d like to say it is a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel any guilt from loving First Drop Mothers Milk.

First Drop Mothers Milk tastes of raspberry jam and pepper. The palate is creamy, long and silkily slides down without any trouble.

Drink First Drop Mothers Milk from now and over the next 7 years. Serve First Drop Mothers Milk with some cheddar or steak.

First Drop Mothers Milk Shiraz Barossa Valley 2020, and all wines are eligible for at least 5% off any six bottles. And 10% off any 12 bottles. Some wines will be at a more significant discount and not subject to further discounts.

Two friends, Matt ‘Gantos’ Gant and John ‘JR’ Retsas, brought First Drop into being in 2004. First Drop makes wines to drink rather than pontificate upon. Their base is the ‘Home of the Brave’ in the heart of the Barossa Valley. The house style of First Drop is silky, textural, drinkable wines with a hint of funk and a lot of interest. They source an eclectic range of varieties and produce a diversity of wine styles. The fruit comes from vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Barossa. The packaging completes the wines, engaging and often humorous labels and stories behind them.

First Drop Mothers Milk Shiraz Barossa Valley 2020 Winery Notes

“Darren’s vineyard is to the north of Seppeltsfield in the west of the Barossa – 285m above sea level on clay over limestone. Matthew and Jono’s vineyard is to the north of Kalimna in the north of the Barossa – 312m above sea level on red clay with sand and ironstone. Milton’s vineyard is to the east of Eden Valley in the east of the Barossa – 460m above sea level on clay over ironstone and quartz.
VINTAGE 2020: Below average rainfall over winter followed by a very dry spring; with high winds and cold nights in November disrupting flowering; and hot, dry conditions in December and early January reducing bunch and berry size; resulted in yields at least 50% below the 10-year average. Thankfully a cooler February and March led to slower ripening despite the low yields. Whilst variability within vineyards, caused by the earlier extremes in the season, meant for tricky picking decisions, the low yields have seen intense flavours in whites, and reds that show great depth and structure. 2020 was yet another challenging vintage, to rival 2019, but again it’s delivered one of which to be proud, with Garnacha, Monastrell and Eden Valley Syrah showing particularly well. A harvest that will be remembered for the challenges posed by bush fires, difficult picking decisions, and a global pandemic, but one that presented a thrilling rollercoaster ride! Hands in the air!
Drink up, but also a 5-8 year proposition.”

Barossa Valley

One of the major wine regions of Australia. Known for making great Shiraz by any standard as well as Grenache, Mataro, Semillon and much more. There has been a lot of work finding the sub-regions that excel for each style and variety planted.

Shiraz/Syrah

A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on the terroir and/or winemaker influence. The Syrah-based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere, while the Shiraz of Barossa is rich and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.

Australian Wine

The invasion of “Sunshine in a bottle” put Australian wine on the map.  The fruity, easy-going, somewhat samey wines were endearing for a short time. Then the next big thing knocked them off their perch.

This forced producers to increase quality and emphasise the special terroirs of Australia. Of which, there are many. And many more yet to be discovered.

Wine

Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.

The wine grape is special. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.

Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.

The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.

Red Wine

Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.

By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannins and flavours. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.

Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.

The Wine Depository

I, Phil, have been running The Wine Depository since 2011. The Wine Depository exists to make sure you are drinking the good wines. You can browse and pick what is interesting to you. Or you can make contact with me. I’ll make sure you get what you want, to your palate, to your budget and to your door.