Kooyong Farrago Chardonnay 2019

Kooyong has always been one of the premier producers on the Mornington Peninsula and this latest set of flagship releases confirms they still are. These are chardies of the highest calibre.

The Farrago is sourced from only 0.8 ha of 20-year-old vines from the Farrago block (which is 2.76 hectares in its entirety). The vineyard is clay with a high percentage of ironstone pebbles (very similar to their Ferrous vineyard). The grapes were whole-bunch pressed directly into French oak barriques (18% new). Fermentation is with native yeasts. The wine then spent 11 months on lees, but no batonnage. There was no fining and minimal filtration. 

Minerals and pears kick off the array of aromas. Beautifully integrated oak, which is as close to invisible as one could wish. A hint of honeycomb, followed by stonefruit notes, a weave of grapefruit and nuts. This is an elegant and yet expressive chardonnay. Nicely balanced. There is an underlying gentle, but pleasing, smoky touch. The wine offers good acidity and excellent length. Will offer even more if you give it time – five to eight years would be a doddle. A superb chardonnay in the more restrained sphere. More Grand Cru Chablis than Meursault. Great value when compared to what is asked for some other top flagship chardonnays.