First Creek are really winning over a lot of new fans, especially wine drinkers who may have previously not given the Hunter Valley its fair dues. In the glass: Deep garnet to purple. On the nose: Black and blueberry fruit, and spice. On the palate: Medium to full-bodied with luscious texture and soft tannins. Showing black cherry, blueberry and vanilla alongside red liquorice notes. Long and moreish.

The fruit for the 2016 Vat 9 Shiraz was sourced from Tyrrells super premium vineyards on the Ashmans property with an average vine age of 50 years. Predominately from the Weinkeller and Short Flat vineyards. Winemaking The blocks were all hand picked and sorted in the vineyard before arriving at the winery. All the fruit was then destemmed but not crushed, followed by fermentation in traditional open top concrete vats. After fermentation the wiens were matured in newer 2700L French oak casks for ten months.

Deep crimson in colour, this medium bodied Merlot exhibits plum and berry characters, with a subtle tannin...

This is a rich red wine displaying layers of red and blue fruits that are well complemented by sweetness ands tructure from the oak barrels. The presence of fine tannins and spicy notes contributes to the seamless palate, delivering a wine of greater character, intensity and balance. The wine is ready for immediate drinking but also has excellent potential for careful cellaring up to 10+ years.

Vintage in Orange was cold, with temperatures never rising above 29degrees. As a result, the harvest was pushed back to April which meant lessstress on the vines and sunburn to the grapes. The slow ripening of grapesduring autumn added wonderful aromas and flavours to the wines. The Cabernet Sauvignon produced by Cael's Gate is aged in new premiumFrench oak barrels. Offering purity and finesse, this wine is beautifullyfragrant on the nose with cassis, blueberry, violet, thyme and toasted nutaromas that lead to a succulent palate displaying excellent weight and persistency. Wonderfully structured by beautifully infused chalky tannins, finishing sturdy and lingering on the palate.

The Riverina region was largely unafected by the heavy rainfall experiencedby other parts of New South Wales and this allowed Cael’s Gate to continueproducing their highly sought-after single vineyard wines. The cool night and warm days were the perfect growing environment for ripening grapes and thelack of disease and high sugar content contributed to a perfect harvest. The Cabernet Sauvignon produced by Cael’s Gate is aged in new premiumFrench oak barrels. The wine is beautifully fruited with a complexity of favoursdisplaying black currant, spiced cherry, thyme and cedar notes to tantalise thenose. The palate delivers a succulent fruit intensity and a supple mouthfeelthat is well supported by chalky tannins. The finishing notes are persistent andabundantly flavoursome.