Critic Scores Above 90:

• 95 – Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
• 94+ – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
• 94 – Huon Hooke, The Real Review

A cool-climate Chardonnay that speaks clearly of Beechworth’s elevated soils and thoughtful viticulture, the 2024 Fighting Gully Road is met with strong acclaim, earning 95 points from Jeni Port in Halliday Wine Companion, who notes its “clean as a whistle and bright” energy and bracing acidity that run through to a long, "tart grapefruit pithiness on the finish". Sourced principally from older vines—including contributions from the historic Smith’s blocks—and matured for a year in 300‑litre French barrels, this wine captures the vintage’s lifted acidity and focused flavour profile. In the glass it shows a light, pale straw hue with fresh aromatics of spring blossom, tangy citrus and white peach, underpinned by subtle grilled nut and almond nougat nuances.

On the palate the line is taut and linear, the vibrant acid framework carrying layers of citrus, melon and white stone fruit with mineral poise and a resilient texture that belies its lack of malolactic richness. With balance, clarity and a poised finish that echoes its cool growing season, this Chardonnay is both immediate in appeal and capable of graceful evolution.