First Drop The Matador Garnacha Barossa Valley 2021

First Drop The Matador Garnacha is a silky, seductive drink. They have taken all the classics flavours of Garnacha (Grenache), raspberries, florals, spice, Turkish delight, strawberries. Then they've given First Drop The Matador this beautifully soft and textural palate. There is a lot to love about First Drop The Matador; it reminds me of the wines from Rolf Binder that I have loved for many, many years. The 2020 First Drop The Matador is ready to drink right now. I am sure First Drop The Matador will evolve to be more silky and savoury with 18 months to 7 years in the bottle. But it's perfect right now. Pair First Drop The Matador with paella. 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 The Matador Garnacha Barossa Valley 2020 Winery Notes "Matthew and Jono’s vineyard is at Ebenezer in the north of the Barossa - 300m above sea level on deep red clay. 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."