2023 Fighting Gully Road Chardonnay

The Fighting Gully Road Chardonnay is primarily sourced from the Smith's Vineyard in Beechworth, the first vineyard planted in the region of the modern era.

The vineyard is tended by Mark Walpole, one of the most renowned viticulturalists, not only in Beechworth, but the entire country. Walpole has done considerable work to give the Smith's vineyard a new lease on life, painstakingly nurturing these old vines back to peak production and the results are excellent.

This is the quintessential high-impact Beechworth Chardonnay. Full of sulphide and funk and with the powerful fruit to back it up. Winemaker Adrian Rodda churning out a beauty here.

96 points
"Light-mid bright yellow; creamy lees and bread crust aromas, the palate intense and focused, bright and piercing, with great panache and long-lasting finish. The flavours are precise and beautifully harmonised. Superb chardonnay, with high ageing potential."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

95 points
" An impressively fragrant, sunny and complex chardonnay from a former Halliday Viticulturist of the Year – the man knows how to both grow and make superb chardonnay with a tapered elegance... who can go past that plush, textural palate immersed in summer stone fruits, oatmeal, roast nuts and struck match enhanced by some striking Beechworth acidity? Not me. It's way too tempting."
- Jeni Port (Halliday Wine Companion)