Lakes Folly - Australia's First Boutique Winery
Established in 1963 by Doctor Max Lake, Lake's Folly was the first new vineyard in the Hunter Valley last century. In early 2000 Lake's Folly was purchased by Peter and Lee Fogarty and family who, along with Hunter-born and bred winemaker, Rodney Kempe, have continued to maintain the integrity and direction of this significant vineyard.
Our two flagship wines, a Cabernet blend and a Chardonnay, are made in limited quantities and are grown, vintaged, and made on the estate. The wine styles are restrained and elegant, showing finesse and complexity. They have clarity of structure and great length of flavour. Winery Note.
Lakes Folly Cabernet Blend 2023
The 2023 Cabernets comprises 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Shiraz and 7% Petit Verdot. Aromatically, the wine is alive: the energy of minerals and flowers, purple fruit and lead pencil, ironstone and dried herbs. These coalesce in the mouth and make for an elegant but driven and beautifully focused package. While this wine is far too young now, I believe it has the makings of one of the true greats. Of course, it will be some time before this fully comes to pass, as it has a long future ahead of it. 13% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. 96 points, drink 2026-2046, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate.
This year is Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Merlot 10%, Shiraz 8% and Petit Verdot 7%. Curiously this puts me in mind of the 2021 a fair bit, though it’s maybe a little more frisky.
Highly perfumed with violet, roses and aniseed, mainly red fruited, darker fruit emerges with air, tobacco, camphor, some spicy cedar and nougat oak. It’s medium-bodied, a crispness here, a cranberry bite to acidity, redcurrant, cherry and blackcurrant, olive leaf and black olive, subtle grainy tannin, with a lively finish of excellent length. It’s understated, which is all part of Lake’s Folly’s peculiar charm, though it has the structure and balance to age gracefully, and well. In some ways, something of a surprise given the vintage; you might well expect it to show a little more ripeness and weight. Time will tell. 94 points, drink 2028-2044+, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front.
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.
