Yayoi Fèrot Cabernet Franc 2025
- 93
- $38
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Macedon in late autumn feels well suited to Cabernet Franc staying true to itself when handled with this kind of lightness. Fèrot is Steffi Snook’s little-brother bottling: carbonic-leaning, Beaujolais in spirit, made for the glass rather than the cellar. The aim is not seriousness by weight, but joy with shape. The nose is expressive, lavender and blueberries, crushed leaves, forest berries, a fresh basil running underneath. The palate is concentrated with blue fruits, finished with a plum skin tartness that keeps the wine snappy, energetic, mouth-watering. The black cherry stays ripe but digestible. The tannins are in sync with the juiciness of this number, a certain satin frivolity swept into the summer’s wind. A bit of salinity through the middle, quinine on the finish. This is wine like a conversation with your closest friends, guard down, all embracing. Pour it slightly cool. This one does not need food as such, it is a mouthful on its own. But if you will, it is really versatile, midweek pasta, grilled eggplant.
Liinaa Berry is a Melbourne-based wine critic and consultant with over a decade of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer across Australia and around the world where she has built award-winning wine programs and championed independent producers with conviction. Now focused on reviewing and writing, Liinaa brings a floor-trained palate and commercial insight to her assessments. She is also the Melbourne Ambassador for Star Wine List and serves on the committee of Sommeliers Australia. An advocate for site-driven wines and thoughtful farming, Liinaa is particularly drawn to producers who articulate a clear sense of place. Her tasting philosophy centres on structure, balance and context — always asking not just how a wine tastes, but why it matters.
