Fighting Gully Road Chardonnay 2025
Wines taste best when shared with friends!
As expected brilliant Chardonnay from a brilliant maker from a brilliant site. Cool climate Chardonnay characters prevail with grapefruit, melon, white stone fruit, mineral and a hint of struck match. The palate shows richness despite the lack of malolactic fermentation, principally from the vines now over 40 years of age. Half of the grapes were sourced from the Fighting Gully Road vineyard; and the other from 'Smiths' vineyard, the oldest vines in the Beechworth region, planted in 1978
FGR was established by Mark Walpole in 1997, widely regarded as one of Australia's leading viticulturist/winemakers. In our view FGR leads the price/quality equation in Beechworth.
"Mark Walpole is a viticulturist’s viticulturist; he is the real deal. His great love is sangiovese, of which he is arguably the chief Australian authority, but in truth Mark Walpole is an authority on viticulture, full stop. Not that he would ever put such a label on himself. What Walpole mostly is, though, is curious. At the heart of every great viticulturist is a relentless desire to experiment, and every day that is indeed what Mark Walpole does. He trials things. He puts wonder to work. His pursuit of a better way, a different way, a more appropriate way, is relentless. It’s what makes him one of the Australian wine industry’s greatest assets; it’s what makes him so overwhelmingly deserving of this award.” 2024 Viticulturist of the Year | Halliday Wine Companion
No insecticides are used and fungicide selection is careful made to protect predatory mites and other beneficial insects. Soil structure is maintained through minimal application of herbicide; soil cultivation is not practiced. The inter-row is sown to a permanent sward of grasses and legumes, which are seasonally slashed and thrown onto the ground immediately under the vine, to preserve moisture and increase organic matter. Vine prunings are mulched back into the ground to degrade naturally.
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