Fermoy Estate Tasting Notes

These notes, which also appear in the Tastings section of the site, are grouped together here for easy reference.


Fermoy Estate 2008 Margaret River Merlot (4.5* $30 Sale $15) There's a dash of Shiraz in there but at 95% varietal Merlot this bright fragrant medium bodied style works a treat with complexity that runs from the nose right across the palate. Varietal plums and berries in gentle abundance, a nice balance of oak and tannin that delivers a lengthy finish and pleasurable drinking.

Fermoy Estate 2009 Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $22) Almost crystal clear pale straw, brightly aromatic and leaning to the tropical fruit rather than the cut grass end of the spectrum, balanced with genuine varietal character, depth  and a lengthy finish, this was wonderful drinking and had me wishing I'd doubled the order. Assuming consistency across future vintages I'd happily pay full RRP and at the discount on offer at the time (it's presumably long gone) a no-brainer.

Fermoy Estate 2010 Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $22 Sale $10.85) Another crystal clear pale straw number with bright aromatics a bit closer to the hay and cut grass end of the spectrum than I recall from the '09, this hits the palate with sharpish varietal character, balanced acidity and a tinge of sugar that rounds into a lengthy finish. Under my five point scale, 4.5* means I really need to buy this, while 4* equates to I should buy this, but with eleven bottles left in the box I don't need to buy any more, do I? On the other hand 4.5 means I'll be looking very closely at the '11, n'est ce pas?

Fermoy Estate 2008 Yallingup Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (4.5* $20, sale $10) Dark red with purple notes in the glass, subtly pronounced cabernet character on the nose with some plummy merlot in there as well, berry flavours across the palate with ripe firmly rounded tannins and a lingering finish this 70% cabernet blend hit the spot rather nicely and left me regretting the fact that I only ended up with half a dozen. Somehow I doubt that I'll be able to reorder at the sale price.

Fermoy Estate 2009 Yallingup Vineyards Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (4.5* $20) Not quite half and half (52-48%) the Semillon characters sit on top of the grassy passionfruit Sauvignon Blanc, resulting in a blend that's  tightly knit with a tangy complexity and a lengthy finish across the palate and plenty on offer through the nose. A wine that had me wishing there were more than five of them left.  Will be looking very closely at the 2010.

© Ian Hughes 2012