Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz 2017

Fox Creek Wines was established in 1984 when Helen and Dr Jim Watts purchased a 32 hectare property on Malpas Road in McLaren Vale. The Short Row Shiraz is the baby brother of the famous Reserve Shiraz and was added to the range in 1999 and positioned at a more affordable price than the much sort after Reserve Shiraz. The 'Short Row' refers to the rows of vines that are adjacent to the cellar door. The wine is selected from Shiraz parcels that are sourced from the best vineyard blocks.

"A palate-staining wine, offering a complex array of dark fruit flavours, chocolate, vanilla, mocha and beautifully ripe tannins; finishing smooth and long. The gloriously full-bodied palate is generous and rich, yet thanks to the cool 2017 vintage, maintains freshness and energy from start to finish. Will age beautifully."  Nick Munday 

"Fresh aromas of plums, black cherry, spit-roasted meats, supported by clove and dark chocolate intertwined with cinnamon, nutmeg and roasted chestnut. The rich and vibrant fruit driven front palate is jam-packed with plums, mulberries and black cherries. The mid palate is full of strawberries and cream with hints of dark chocolate. Fruit richness and luscious mid-palate is the hallmark of this wine style, with sympathetic and balanced oak completing the traditional Shiraz flavour and structural profile. The youthful grape tannins provide a firm tannin texture and length that will soften and integrate with age. Peak drinking: 2020 - 2032.

Fermentation on skins was for 8 - 11 days, with 90% of the wine completing fermentation in barrel for added texture and to advance the integration of oak and grape tannins. During maturation, the wine from each vineyard batch is targeted with appropriate oak styles to produce an array of base wines for us to use in blending. Our oak barrels are sourced from coopers in France, USA and Australia and are predominately seasoned for 3 years. Maturation was for 20 months in both new, one and two-year old oak barrels."  Fox Creek

Expert reviews

"A palate-staining wine, offering a complex array of dark fruit flavours, chocolate, vanilla, mocha and beautifully ripe tannins; finishing smooth and long. The gloriously full-bodied palate is generous and rich, yet thanks to the cool 2017 vintage, maintains freshness and energy from start to finish. Will age beautifully."  Nick Munday, Canterbury Wines - 96 points and Special Value Wine  ★ 

"Fermented on skins for 8-11 days, 90% completing fermentation in new and used barrels coopered in France, Australia and/or the US, predominantly dried for 3 years, matured for 20 months. The savoury, spicy palate has the indelible stamp of the '17 vintage from the opening sniff to the last taste. Drink by 2037."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points.

Awards

Special Value Wine – Canterbury Wines  ★

About the winery

Fox Creek Wines is a winery located in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. McLaren Vale is a highly regarded wine region known for its rich history, Mediterranean climate, and abundant sunshine, which provide ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of grapes.

Fox Creek Wines was established in 1984 when Helen and Dr Jim Watts purchased a 32 hectare property on Malpas Road in McLaren Vale. Going against popular advise at the time, they planted vines in the black clay soils that had previously been used for growing barley. A decade later their flagship shiraz won the Trophy for the best wine at the McLaren Vale Wine Show.  They won this award again in 1998 and 2003 and their Reserve Shiraz achieved international acclaim. Subsequently many of their wines have won trophies and medals at national and international wine shows.

Early in 2021 Helen Watts (at the tender age of 86) sold Fox Creek Wines to Ben Gibson, Jock Harvey and Dim Georgiadis, who are long-time friends and industry colleagues. The winemaker is Ben Tanzer.