The
wines of
Fox Creek, McLaren Vale, Australia
PO Box 321, McLaren Vale SA 5171, Australia
Tel: 08 8556 2403 Fax: 08 8556 2104
E-mail: sales@foxcreekwines.com
Website: http://www.foxcreekwines.com
The Fox Creek story is a recent one. Although the project
began in 1984, when Jim and Helen Watts bought this 32 hectare McLaren
Vale property, the first wine released was the 1994 Shiraz, which
instantly put them on the map.
Part of the reason behind the success of this and subsequent
releases was the winemaking talent of Sparky and Sarah Marquis (Sarah
is the daughter of Jim and Helen Watts). A few years back Sparky and
Sarah left for their own projects, and it seems that quality has been
maintained under the guidance of new winemaking team Dan Hills and
Tony Walker.
Although they also make some whites, I’m just reviewing the
reds here. [Aside: on the back of some high Parker scores, the Reserve
Shiraz used to be just about impossible to get hold of a few years
back; now it seems the hype has died down a bit. UK availability: Noel
Young Wines.]
Fox Creek ‘Duet’ Cabernet/Merlot 2000
Forward, appealing nose with ripe fruit and creamy, minty notes.
The palate is ripe and savoury with some tannic structure and spicy
oak. Quite refined and with lots of character. Very good+
Fox Creek ‘JSM’ Shiraz/Cabernet Franc 2000
Opaque colour. Beguiling nose shows minty, leafy and spicy
character with gushing ripe berry and blackcurrant fruit. Good
concentration on the palate which displays rich, ripe, liquoricey
fruit. Very good/excellent
Fox Creek Reserve Merlot 2000
Brilliantly ripe, intense nose with a tarry, spicy edge and classy
oak. The palate shows firm, ripe, concentrated black fruits with a
spicy finish and a slight chalky, leafy edge hiding under the fruit.
Very Australian. Very good/excellent
Fox Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Wonderfully opulent yet balanced nose, showing a minty, sweetly
spiced edge to the blackcurrant fruit. Firm, tannic and savoury spiced
palate with great concentration. Very good/excellent
Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz 2000
Rich, complex, exotic nose, with lots of spicy notes, ripe fruit
and some coffee-ish notes. Concentrated, spicy fruit on the palate
with good acidity and a structured, spicy finish. Needs a bit of time
to integrate. Very good/excellent
Fox Creek ’Vixen’ Sparkling Shiraz/Cabernet Franc NV
It’s surprising to see such a dark wine fizzing. This is
actually extremely elegant with a lovely tangy edge to the firm berry
and black fruits. Not at all sweet, with nice balance. Very
good/excellent
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