Larry Cherubino Laissez Faire Fiano, Frankland River

Description

Larry Cherubino Laissez Faire Fiano is made from Frankland River fruit. The name “Laissez Faire” reflects the hands off approach used for this range of wines. There is no added tannin or acid, nor animal fining products used. Zero sulphur is used throughout the winemaking and only a minimal amount at bottling.

Winemaker Larry Cherubino has a very full CV: he has been head winemaker at Houghton and a travelling consultant, designing vineyards and wineries around the world in countries including New Zealand, USA, France, Italy and South Africa. Cherubino and his wife Edwina began their own wine company in 2004 with the purchase of a small parcel of vines in Frankland River. Edwina’s ancestors, the Egerton-Warburton’s had migrated from England in the 1800s and were the first to plant vineyards alongside the banks of the Frankland River in 1875, pioneers in the region. The company has grown substantially since 2005 when the first wine was produced and Larry has become a very highly regarded winemaker. Larry Cherubino Wines has been named ‘Winery of the Year’ by James Halliday and Matt Skinner.

The Laissez Faire range from Larry Cherubino showcases unique grape varieties, featuring white wines like Fiano, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Gris, and Arneis, alongside reds such as Pinot Noir, Syrah, Mataro, Counoise, and Mencia.

The Fiano hails from the Riversdale Vineyard, planted in 2007 in Western Australia’s Frankland River region with a density of 1,800 vines per hectare. The area’s soils are predominantly iron-rich, red-hued lateritic gravelly or sandy loams, formed from granite or gneissic bedrock, offering consistent depth. Some pockets feature loams enriched by native Marri and Karri eucalyptus forests. The Frankland River valley drives a cooling airflow, keeping temperatures mild during the growing season, with only a few days climbing into the high 30s°C. Warm days are tempered by the Albany Doctor—a Southern Ocean sea breeze—that can swiftly lower temperatures from 30°C to 15°C. These bush vines, grown on their own rootstocks, are selectively irrigated to produce top-quality fruit.

Larry Cherubino Laissez Faire Fiano is the ultimate expression of small-batch natural winemaking made. The fruit was hand-picked and whole bunch pressed. The juice was then settled without the addition of enzymes, sulphur or acid. Once settled, it was allowed to ferment naturally at low temperatures for six weeks in seasoned oak and concrete eggs.