Ferguson, 2022

Tight, mineral Yarra chardonnay closer to Chablis than to anything big and buttery.

The Ferguson family has been in Woori Yallock, in the Upper Yarra, since 1888, and planted these vines in 1995 on grey loamy clay over siltstone. Mac Forbes has farmed the small block since 2012, dry-grown and moving towards organics. The 2022 was picked by hand and fermented with wild yeast in old oak, so the wood gives texture rather than flavour. Tight, energetic and quietly powerful: a cool-site chardonnay that leans mineral, built to keep for years.