2025 Fearon Rouge

Tasting Notes

The red iteration of our regional label series, this is a red made for all seasons, equally at home served slightly chilled in summer, or by the fireplace in winter. Made with the same love and care as our single site series of wines, this wine is a blend of Mourvèdre (35%), Grenache (30%), Tempranillo (25%) and Chardonnay (10%), intentionally crafted to be enjoyed on any occasion, for any reason. The nose is bright and perfumed, with primary red and black berry fruit mingling airily with some gentle five-spice, aniseed and liquorice. Soft blackberry and sweeter raspberry fruit greet the palate, with a juicy pastille undercurrent. Super-fine tannins serve only to frame and provide support for the abundance of fruit flavours, whilst a pleasing amaro bitters savouriness builds towards the finish.

Vineyard

The intention of the regional label series is to craft wine reflecting a regional style, more so than a single site expression. As such, the fruit was sourced from several premier vineyards across the Geographe wine region, with the individual parcels being harvested and vinified separately.

Winemaking

Individual parcels of fruit were harvested at sequential stages of ripeness and vinified separately in small open fermenters. Some individual ferments incorporated varying degrees of whole cluster incorporation, with the balance being fermented as whole berries using wild yeast. After fermentation the wine was aged in a combination of stainless steel tank and seasoned oak for 7 months. The components were then blended with the addition of a quantity of Chardonnay to enhance colour and aromatics, then bottled in October 2025 unfined and unfiltered.

Season

After the extraordinarily hot, dry and compressed harvest of 2024, 2025 was a welcome return to a more balanced and rhythmic, classic southwest WA growing season. The winter of 2024 saw slightly above average temperatures, and above average rainfall that started later but persisted well into spring. Mild and settled conditions around budburst allowed balanced and even early shoot growth progressively hastened as temperatures warmed into October. Spring into early summer saw a perfect rhythm of clear sunny days interspersed with overcast and rainy conditions. Flowering occurred during generally settled weather, resulting in even berry set and good crop levels. A massive rain event towards the end of November saw over 100mm of rain fall in the Ferguson Valley district in less than 24 hours, stimulating strong secondary growth in vines that necessitated additional canopy management. Summer was generally warm with few temperature extremes. A mild heatwave preceded the onset of harvest in second week of February, with white varieties being harvested in quick succession. March saw milder temperatures and cool nights, and with the excellent residual soil moisture allowed perfect conditions for a long gradual ripening of red varieties. The last of the reds were harvested at the start of April. All in all, 2025 will go down as one of the finest vintages in Geographe’s viticultural history, with the wines destined to age gracefully for many years.