Tasting Profile
April 2025
This single-block wine is sourced from just 0.7 ha of 25-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.
Aromas of pink grapefruit and mandarin pith leap from the glass, layered with notes of apple crumble, exotic spice, and delicate white flowers. Flecks of flint and understated oak sit in quiet support, bringing nuance and depth.
The palate is driven by raw citrus power—vivid grapefruit, crisp apple, and juicy white peach form the core. A generous mid-palate unfolds with mealy texture and gentle complexity, while vibrant acidity is seamlessly integrated, lending precision and energy. The finish is long, mouthwatering, and beautifully persistent. While entering its drinking window now this wine can be enjoyed with medium to long term cellaring.
13.5%
Tasting Profile 2023
Tasting Profile 2022
Tasting Profile 2021
Reviews
Jancisrobinson.com, March 2025
Tamlyn Currin
The Farrago block is the smallest of the Kooyong vineyard blocks, planted in 1996 in Tuerong. North-facing, 100–120 m, on mottled soils with sandstone pebbles, bit of quartz. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel, 25% new oak, 10–12 months’ ageing. Smells of roasting barley, a little bit of struck match. Really intense. Coils in on itself. Helical. Vertical. Within the cylindrical heart of the wine, yellow peach, yellow nectarine, orange flowers and then a long, long, gorgeous bitter seam. Just a baby but already elegant. Resonant.
17.5 points
Halliday Wine Companion, June 2025
Jane Faulkner
There is more fruit weight to Farrago compared to its sibling Faultline or even the Estate wine. Plenty of citrus here but joining in the charm factor are flavours of white nectarine and peach, sliced ginger and almost a wet stone character. The palate is full nutty lees, a dash of oak spice. Then the acidity pulls this together to a long finish.
96 points
The Real Review, July 2025
Huon Hooke
Light straw-yellow colour. The wine is delicate, reserved and youthful, with fruit-driven flavours of green melon, Granny Smith apple and crunchy pear. A hint of gooseberry later. The finish lingers on with bright fruit uncomplicated by too much artifact. Very good and has plenty of potential.
96 points
The WineFront, July 2025
Gary Walsh
White peach, grapefruit and lime, biscuit spices, aniseed, nougat, and a light smokiness. It has a cool juiciness, citrus and white peach, a slightly salty green olive and nutty flavour, fine chalk dust texture, lively acidity, with a stony and lime zesty finish of excellent length.
95 points
Wine Pilot, July 2025
Jeni Port
Where to start? Maybe with the touch of exotic Asian spices and lemongrass, such an alluring, intriguing aspect of the wine? Or the power of citrus? It’s there to be enjoyed and is beautifully elegant. Or, how about that tight structure? Or the textural element which brings with it an easy flow of all of the above? Well, it really boils down to a little bit of each and the overall effect is a beautifully detailed Mornington Peninsula chardonnay which slurped up its 11 months maturation in French oak puncheons (20% new) and looks ready to take on the world.
95 points
Australian Wine Business Magazine, August 2025
Mike Bennie
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.