Lake's Folly

Lake's Folly was established in 1963 by Sydney surgeon Max Lake — a man of extraordinary passion and intellectual curiosity who planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the Hunter Valley against the advice of nearly everyone who knew the region. The Chardonnay followed in 1969, making Lake's Folly the first Hunter Valley producer to grow the variety commercially. Max Lake's books on wine, food and flavour remain essential reading decades after their publication.

The estate was acquired by the Kirby family in 2000, who have maintained its boutique ethos and dedication to terroir-expressive wines. Production remains deliberately small — a few thousand cases of each wine, sold primarily through the mailing list. The Chardonnay is a wine of impeccable restraint and mineral precision, while the Cabernets blend the Hunter's characteristic earthy softness with genuine structural depth. Lake's Folly is a pilgrimage destination for any serious Hunter Valley wine lover.