Lakes Folly Red Blend 2022

This wine is in a class of its own, personifying elegance, distinctiveness and originality. It defies conventional stereotypes, and thankfully so! This does not look like a Hunter wine, nor does it look like its unorthodox blend of 47/34/19% shiraz/merlot/petit verdot, all estate-grown. But it does look like a Lake's Folly, with all its purity, layers, perfume, composure and harmony. Few wineries have such a powerful and consistent style signature, and for this, it deserves high praise. Unashamedly medium-bodied with an ever-so-fine palate packed with notes of damson plum, cherry brandy, white roses, native violet and tuberose. It is graceful and has finesse and clarity in a way that few wines do. The oak handling has been exceptional, and the tannins are near-silent but ever-present. And all this in a challenging year. Bravo. Drink 2024-2032. 97 Points. Toni Paterson, Halliday's Wine Companion.

The 2022 Folly Red is a declassified Cabernets, for those who know. The reason was this: the 2022 season was dry through to the end of February, when the rain started in earnest and, by all accounts, didn't stop until September or October, setting up the great 2023 season. The Cabernet Sauvignon, a later-ripening variety, was cactus by that point, and so the fruit was not picked. Hence, a "Folly Red" was produced, comprising 47% Shiraz, 34% Merlot and 19% Petit Verdot. So, the wine here leads with roses and cocoa, red apple skins, cassis and tobacco. On the palate, the wine is light and fine, bloody and floral. The tannins are chalky and fine and really cascade alongside the fruit. This is a lighter-styled wine and a truly pleasurable one at that. Recommended. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2024-2037. 94 Points. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.