2022 Mac Forbes Ferguson Vineyard Chardonnay

96 pts
From one of the Yarra’s most important Chardonnay sites, this shows Mac Forbes at his peak – lean, focused winemaking letting a great vineyard do all the talking.

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Sale price$100.00
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Description

The Ferguson Vineyard is one of Mac Forbes’ crown jewels – a tiny 1.36ha block in Woori Yallock that he’s farmed since 2012. South-facing and planted back in 1995, it’s sheltered from hot winds and consistently turns out some of the most precise Chardonnay in the Yarra. Yields in 2022 were low after a wet winter and spring, but the fruit that came through was concentrated and full of drive.

Winemaking here is stripped right back. Handpicked fruit, wild ferments, old oak, no fining, and just a light polish before bottling. The aim is always to capture the vineyard without make-up.

The wine itself is tight and energetic. Citrus, apple skin and white stone fruit at the core, layered with almond meal, light herbs and a saline edge. The palate is compact but textured, acidity pulling it long and clean. It’s already delicious, but you can feel the structure in place for decades of development.

Philip Rich

Philip Rich

Halliday Wine Companion 96 Points

From a small portion of the 1.36ha, south-facing vineyard in Woori Yallock that Mac Forbes has leased since '12. Usually, the most complete of the three single-vineyard chardonnays and the '22 is no different. A complex amalgam of crushed rock, white nectarine, almond meal and new season honey. The palate is compact and tensile, and this lingers long on the finish. A wine destined to age with style.

Mike Bennie

Mike Bennie

The Wine Front

Very, very good. This is the top of tree chardonnay from this release, and all make a mark. Nutty and saline yet coursing with green apple and pink grapefruit fruitiness. Compact, chalky and sleek, a piercing sense of minerality, a flicker of herbal nuance and a long, corkscrewing finish of brine and talc. It’s great, and delicious, and cool.

Vineyard
At 1.36ha, the Ferguson vineyard in Woori Yallock has been leased by Mac Forbes Wines since 2012. The south-facing aspect shelters the vines from hot northerly winds. Planted in 1995, this unique site produces exceptional fruit in both hot and cooler years, perfectly matching variety to site.

Tasting Notes
Vibrant aromatics of waxed citrus, orange blossom, and spicy crushed herb. The palate shows generosity up front, supported by a delicate silty structure and an effortless acid line. Flavours of red apple skin, lemon balm, and grapefruit rind combine to create a bright yet savoury palate that unfolds quietly into an elegant, structured finish.
Recommendation: Decant prior to serving at 10–12°C.

Vintage
A wet winter followed by a wet spring led to difficult flowering and lower yields but encouraged vigorous, healthy canopies—ideal for dry-grown vineyards. Agility was required to hit the right picking windows, but fruit quality was excellent, with density of flavour evident in the resulting wines.

Wine Analysis

Alc/Vol: 12.5%

Acidity: 7.1 g/L

pH: 3.34

Vineyard Details

Rootstock: Own roots

Clone: I10V1

Planted: 1995

Density: 2.5m x 1.5m

Aspect: South-west

Soils: Grey loamy clay over siltstone

Elevation: 120m

Winemaking

Yeast: Wild

Fermentation: Small old oak

Maturation: 10 months in small oak

Fining: None

Filtration: Sterile

Bottles Produced: 1,275

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Yarra Valley
Australian State VIC
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
Critic Score 96
Alcohol 12.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2022
Closure Cork

Mac Forbes

If you love premium and artisanal Australian wine, Mac Forbes is a name you need to know. He’s not only one of the country’s most talented winemakers, but he’s one of the most influential spokesmen for promoting the concept of Australian ‘terroir’, believing that wine should represent a time and a place.

Mac specialises in single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet from the Yarra Valley. His wines are delicate and finely etched, characterised by subtlety and grace.

His Pinot Noirs are fine-boned, the Chardonnays are adored by lovers of fruit purity rather than winemaking artifice, and his array of off-dry Rieslings from the Strathbogie Ranges are among the country's most interesting. Additionally, his ever-expanding range of experimental wines is a treasure trove for the curious drinker.

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