Named after the Pobblebonk frogs that clearly love life in Quealy’s vineyards and wetlands, this is an excellent introduction to Quealy’s Friuli-inspired blends. After a year off, this wine returns to reflect the home vineyard's older white vines. The Riesling and Chardonnay were planted in 1982, and the Friulano was grafted in 2007 from 1996-planted Chardonnay vines. The 2023 comprises 50% Riesling, 31% Friulano and 19% Chardonnay. The team picked and fermented the varieties separately with indigenous yeasts, in barrels (17% new) with full solids. After blending, the wine was bottled without fining.
This gleams with summer freshness with yellow flowers, sun-kissed fruits and some nutty kernel notes lending complexity. There’s lovely 'inter-varietal’ harmony at play here; it strikes an impressive balance between fleshy and ripe citrus pith, savoury nuance and a dash of coastal salinity. Tom McCarthy is super pleased with this release, and well he should be—it’s one of the finest Pobblebonks we’ve seen.