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Established in 1963 by Doctor Max Lake, Lake's Folly was the first new vineyard in the Hunter Valley last century. In early 2000 Lake's Folly was purchased by Peter and Lee Fogarty and family who, along with Hunter-born and bred winemaker, Rodney Kempe, have continued to maintain the integrity and direction of this significant vineyard. There is an old saying that the wine is made in the vineyard (good fruit makes good wine). Most of the Lakes Folly Cabernet vines are now more than 50 years old. This means that over the years, the vines have ‘self-regulated’. This natural low cropping gives the grapes better consistency of flavour. The terroir, which is a rare combination of volcanic hill, alluvial creek flat and south-easterly aspect, is ideal for the production of fine wines. The vines are pruned heavily for low production high quality fruit, and trellised with vertical shoot positioning, which gives more reliable flavour even in difficult years. Maintaining a true ‘estate’ philosophy allows Lakes Folly to fully express the terroir of this particular site. Crop levels are also critical in achieving complexity. Needless to say, growing all their own fruit at the Folly enables them to be super diligent in achieving these goals, the weather having the last say on the fruit intensity for a particular year. With the old vines, low crop levels, and good canopy management, we are consistently presented with above average fruit. Throw in some traditional winemaking, French oak and you have a unique distinguished single site wine. Their two flagship wines, a Cabernet blend and a Chardonnay, are made in limited quantities and are grown, vintaged, and made on the estate. The wine styles are restrained and elegant, showing finesse and complexity. They have clarity of structure and great length of flavour. A first for Lake's Folly, this year's Red is a blend of Shiraz 47%, Merlot 34%, and Petit Verdot 19%. After harvesting the Shiraz, Merlot and Petit Verdot (and Chardonnay) grapes in 2022, they experienced very late harvest rainfall which impacted the Cabernet grapes, leading to the decision to not harvest the Cabernet (the first time on record this has happened at Lake's Folly). The finished result: a unique, unprecedented blend - a cracking wine (albeit without the usual Cabernet component), though in very limited quantities this release! The fruit is open-fermented producing softer, more subtle tannins, and then transferred to large format casks for six months for settling, and then into small French oak barriques (new, one, and two-year-old) for approximately one year before bottling.

Sourced from dry-grown, hand tended vines in the north east of Victoria, this Beechworth Chardonnay from Savaterre will surely convince even the most hardened Chardonnay critic that modern Australian Chardonnay is of supreme world-class standard. Keppell Smith handcrafts a Chardonnay of utmost power and concentration that produces a length of flavour that borders on the immortal.

Australia's first boutique winery, Lake's Folly Cabernets is an Australian wine treasure. More Bordeaux in nature than most, the Cabernets is a wine of pristine purity and elegance. With a sense of place that can be tasted in every bottle across all vintages, Lake's Folly Cabernets is a must have for all serious wine collectors and lovers. The 2010 is a young, robust version that will require some time in the cellar to really show its complex characteristics and refined palate.

Gary Farr is still one of Victoria's true Chardonnay maestro's and his Chardonnay By Farr is another example. Taken from the original By Farr vineyard, this is a clearly a wine of true clarity and finesse. Flavours of melon and hints of spice with wonderful oak integration mean this wine is simply delicious upon release, but handle some careful medium-term cellaring.

'We are tasting the Tyrrell's 2006 Vat 1 semillon, a Hunter Valley wine which, at sevenyears old, is still a juvenile, easily capable of another decade of good drinking. Its longevity is at the very heart of what makes it so astounding. To think of it as a one-year-old is a different story: gangly, acid, water and neutral flavour, not astounding. Vat 1 also shows us you don't have to pay big dollars for greatness.' - Canberra Times, Jeni Port, 10 Apr 2013. Extract from 'What makes a great wine?'

Few places seem to posses the divinely ordained right to produce Bordeaux’s other iconic export, Sauternes, quite like Clos Haut-Peyaguey. Across 12 hectares of plateau-topping Premier Cru Classé vineyard, Semillon (and a smidge of Sauvignon) grapes patiently wait out summer for the noble rot to set in. We’re talking about botrytis, of course. Once it does, the sweetest grapes are handpicked for vinification before being sent for a French oak siesta. The result is one of the world’s most revered sweet white wines. Unctuous and syrypy; floral and fruity; jammy and spicy: trés magnifique!

Cloudy Bay Te Koko is an individual expression of the sauvignon blanc grape, a complex and savoury wine that is both deliciously aromatic and richly textured. It is a full-bodied, alternative style of sauvignon blanc. Aromas of lemon thyme, mandarin blossom and stonefruit combine harmoniously with ginger spice and nutty and savoury tones, underlined by exotic tropical notes.

A fine-boned Chardonnay that reflects vintage conditions and the character of a unique vineyard site purchased by Shaw + Smith in 2012. Inaugural vintage: 2014. Planted in 1999, the vineyard has east and west facing aspects and reaches 500 meters above sea level. The soil is brown loam over clay with some broken shale and stone on the ridges. The wine is100% hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented and matured on lees in 500-litre French oak puncheons (30% new) for 9 months.

Graacher Himmelreich is a renowned vineyard that borders the southern edge of its more famous neighbour Wehlener Sonnenuhr. The Auslese examples typically show grapefruit citrus and green apple aromas, with honeyed overtones, wonderful density and pronounced minerality carried along by signature Mosel racy acidity.