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 traveling 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 includes some more unusual grape varieties including white grape varieties such as Fiano, Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Gris and Arneis. They are also red wines from Pinot Noir, Syrah, Mataro, Counoise and Mencia. The Fiano grapes come from the Riversdale Vineyard was planted in the Frankland River region in 2007, with 1,800
vines per hectare. Frankland River soils are chiefly iron rich lateric gravelly or sandy loams derived from granite or gneissic rocks, and so are typically red in colour and of uniform depth. Some areas carry loams derived from the native Marri and Karri eucalyptus forests. The river valley is a major influence and responsible for cool airflow. There are only a handful of days that reach temperatures in the high 30°C . The mean temperatures during the growing season are very mild and warm days are moderated by the Albany Doctor (the sea breeze off the Southern Ocean), which can drop the temperature from 30 to 15°C in a matter of hours. The bush vines are on their own rootstocks and are irrigated when required to ensure optimum 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 temperature for six weeks in seasoned oak and concrete eggs.