Tasting Profile
November 2022
This single-block wine is sourced from just 0.7 ha of 23-year-old gently sloping Chardonnay vines within the 2.76 ha Farrago block. The mottled appearance of the clay soil in the Farrago block is caused by a high percentage of ironstone pebbles, much like the Ferrous vineyard. This siliceous influence helps infuse the resulting wines with linearity and minerality. The fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed directly into French oak barriques (20% of which were new), and fermentation commenced spontaneously with ambient yeasts. Following fermentation, the wine was aged on lees (without battonage) for 11 months and the wine was racked only once, directly prior to bottling. The wine was bottled without fining and with minimal filtration.
The 2021 Farrago delivers its classic aroma set – mandarin, pink grapefruit, flint, and savoury grains – with purity and elegance. Well-defined flavours in the citrus spectrum – with a touch of something more exotic – are delivered in a beautifully-weighted palate. A precise spine of fine acid runs long, culminating with a pithy grapefruit-powered finish. This wine will significantly benefit from time in the cellar.
13.5%
Tasting Profile 2021
Tasting Profile 2020
Tasting Profile 2019
Reviews
The Real Review, June 2023
Aaron Brasher
Pure and lifted aromas of jasmine, grapefruit pith, wet stone, melon skin and just-ripe nectarine. Really pretty and alluring. Beautiful line and length on the palate, all pithy citrus, melon and nutty minerality. The acid has real drive and purpose and the length and mouth-feel are super impressive. A very complete and compelling chardonnay.
96 points
The WineFront, July 2023
Campbell Mattinson
This is the pick of the latest Kooyong chardonnay bunch. It’s driven by grapefruit, peach, and steel and it feels pure and convincing throughout. No hesitation here. It’s a wine of power, control, and command. This falls into the ‘in a heartbeat’ category for me.
94+ points
Wine Pilot, June 2023
Ken Gargett
A cracking Chardonnay. The fruit for this wine is from a 0.7 hectare sector of the gently sloping Farrago vineyard. Whole bunch pressing into French oak, 20% of which is new. Wild yeasts, then fermentation on lees for 11 months with a single racking. A gleaming lemon hue, the nose offers an array of aromatics with lemon butter, cashews, flint, matchstick notes, citrus, spices, and a hint of nuts. There is a touch of ripening peach here too. Terrific balance, great length, and a fine line of acidity with serious intensity from start to finish, all the way along the lengthy finish. The palate also exhibits a note of dried apricots. Enjoy any time from now for six to ten years.
95 points
Halliday Wine Companion, August 2023
Jane Faulkner
No shortage of flavour yet tightly composed to show off a more linear thread. Layers of citrus and grapefruit pith, white peach and vanilla pod plus cedary spices from oak. Vanilla custard and nutty lees add texture to the palate, which is refined and long.
95 points
The Vintage
The Vineyard
The Kooyong vineyard is located on the Mornington Peninsula at Tuerong, on Miocene sedimentary soils. Our wines are made from domain grown, handpicked grapes and aim to manifest terroir: the integration of our geology and soils with the macroclimate of our region, the mesoclimates of the various sites within our vineyard and the weather of the annual grape growing season. Our cultural operations in the vineyard and practices in the winery endeavour to articulate these unique characteristics diligently, respectfully and without artifice.