First Creek Shiraz 2017 | Exclusive: Australia’s Best-Kept 97pt Secret
First Creek Shiraz 2017 pours a deep ruby-purple in hue, with medium viscosity. Vibrant red plum, blackberry, and pomegranate fruit are highlighted by delicate and complex hints of vanilla, peppercorn, and flint. Focused on the palate, there is an energetic muscularity to the flavors of black cherry and allspice, plus notions of licorice. Long and brilliantly structured to hold and improve over the coming years. Drink now – 2029.
97JH | A medium-bodied wine that captures the great vintage and frames it with a delicate framework or French oak. First Creek Shiraz 2017 delivers red fruit notes along with black, and fine, faintly earthy tannins adding to the texture of what will be a near-endless future.
Only five Hunter Valley wines scored higher in 2017!
While watching the kangaroos graze upon First Creek’s sandy vineyard soils, we got a feel for Hunter Valley’s coastal cloud humidity—terroir that Liz credits for the elegant complexity of her Shiraz. After sharing a few laughs about our mutual wine acquaintances, she started to loosen up.
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We took in all that succulent red plum, blackberry, and pomegranate character, threaded with complex vanilla, peppercorn, and minerally flint. Focused and vibrant on the palate, there is an energetic muscularity to the black cherry, allspice, and savory licorice. Long and brilliantly structured, this 2017 First Creek Shiraz has all the stuffing for the “near-endless future” predicted in Halliday’s 97-point review.
Winemaker Liz Silkman
Liz began her career in 1999 as a Lab Technician at Brokenwood Wines. Of course, just after completing her Bachelor of Science degree at Newcastle University. In 2002, she accepted an Assistant Winemaker position at Tempus Two. There spending 6 years while completing her Graduate Diploma in Oenology from the University of Adelaide.
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So, in 2006, Liz was awarded Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial. Later described by James Halliday as the “most exclusive wine school in the world”. In 2007, Liz was a finalist for ‘Young Winemaker of the Year. And then in 2008, Liz was appointed to her current role, Chief Winemaker at First Creek Wines.
