First Drop Nacional McLaren Vale Touriga Nacional 2022

First Drop Nacional is quite a drink! It is rich and obvious, but there is a lot of flavour underneath the bravado. First Drop Nacional tastes of damson plums, cherries, violets, smoke, woody, cola. It sits just on the verge of jamminess. The palate walks the line of thick vs silk. First Drop Nacional has a pronounced drying finish with a fairy floss lift. Pomegranate, a hint of schist, soft tannins. In other words, First Drop Nacional is delicious. And despite the big, bold flavours, it is only 13% alcohol. It is delicious right now; it gets better with air, so a decant would not go astray. Nacional is known to improve with age, so you can put the First Drop Nacional away for the long haul. The team say to pair First Drop Nacional with hot wings. First Drop Nacional McLaren Vale Touriga Nacional 2019 Winery Notes "Joch’s vineyard is in the Willunga foothills in the south of the McLaren Vale - 130m above sea level on deep alluvial stony clay loam. VINTAGE 2019: A very dry winter and spring, with frost events in September and November disrupting budburst and owering, resulted in the lightest crops in the past decade. January and February were warm and dry, and in conjunction with the low yields, ripening was rapid. Quick decision making and early picking resulted in whites with great aromatics, and reds with great intensity and structure thanks also to the light crops and early tannin maturity. 2019 was a challenging vintage, but one of the most rewarding, with our alternative varieties showing particularly well. The overall quality is a tribute to our growers and their perseverance in a dicult growing season. We salute you!" 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.