Got my pack of First Creek Cab Merlot 2010 a few days back and thought I'd pass on my comments now I've made a few forays into it. I haven't got a photo to excite your visual senses so you'll have to make do with one I've gleaned on-line (not that it's exactly a knockout piece of merchandising-it's understated to the point of being "no frills" and the astute amongst you will point out that the image is of the 2011 vintage-best I could do!)
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The colour is heading towards dark garnet red with nuances of brick, possibly a hint of its bottle age, it certainly doesn't bear the stamp of a heavyweight wine. This is borne out in the nose, which is lifted and fresh though still a little closed, I'm getting notes of eucalyptus and menthol with perhaps a touch of maraschino cherry. The palate is decidedly mid-weight and lifting Beefarmer's scale I'd give it around the 7.2 mark. There is again that fresh acid lift, a modicum of astringency, there's a flavour that I have difficulty describing but it is quite subtle and floral perhaps honeysuckle or frangipani (and yes I know it's a Cab Merlot but that's what I'm getting 
) cherries but more the Kentish than Stella variety. There's the faintest suggestion of cigar box dust or ancient pencil shavings and then a moderately long finish but tailing off more quickly than I would have liked. A pleasant wine and for a tenner great value, not sure I would have been quite as chuffed parting with $20 for it but wouldn't have felt cheated either! My W&D rating is 90 but may go in either direction as it ages (if it hangs around for that long...).
