Gary Farr is one of the most iconic winemakers in the country. He was responsible for taking Bannockburn Vineyards in Geelong to the startling heights it reached; one of the benchmark producers of Burgundian varieties in the country. His own label, By Farr, is considered to be Australia’s leading producer of those same varieties. The Farr vineyards are based in the Moorabool Valley in Geelong, with a wide array of ancient soils resulting in small yields of incredibly intensely flavoured Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz and Viognier. With Gary’s son Nick now pulling the winemaking reigns alongside his father, this is a project set to dominate Geelong wine for years to come.
96 Points Campbell Mattinson
This is also known as the RP (Robyn Pamela) Pinot Noir, in (from the website) “recognition of the matriarch. It is not only the support and goffering that Robyn has endured for Gary’s 40 year career. She has been in the vineyard and planted the first vines, driven the tractors, filled barrels and pigeaged at midnight. If we are ever a man down Robyn has always been the first one we have called to fill the void no matter the job, no matter the time of day. You can always count on mum.” It’s grown on a high density vineyard and gets the full quality treatment in the winery.
This needs some air. Not a lot but give it 30 minutes or so. It seemed sweet and fleshy at first, because it is, but given time to breathe it turned drier and more sinewy, which isn’t overly unusual but is kind of the opposite way around to what we’re programmed to expect with Australian wine. The fruit doesn’t open up; the structure does. Once this wine is in full flight we see incredible structure, balance, texture and length, and given that it’s a By Farr wine complexity is a given. And so we march straight into elite territory. By the second glass I was mesmerised. Talk about good.
