{"product_id":"2020-by-farr-farrside-geelong-pinot-noir-liberty","title":"2020 By Farr, `Farrside` Geelong Pinot Noir - Liberty","description":"\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eBased in Geelong, around 80 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, Gary Farr and his son Nick make small quantities of single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that rank among Australia’s best. Nick explains, “The wines we make are not mainstream—they are expressions of our vineyard, our land and what we like to drink.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eGary has a wealth of winemaking experience in the region, having made wine in the Moorabool Valley since 1978. In the decades since, he has developed an encyclopaedic understanding of Geelong’s topography, leading to the purchase of the site that would become By Farr in 1994. In the meantime, Gary gained considerable experience in Burgundy, undertaking 10 vintages at Domaine Dujac, which influenced his meticulous use of whole-bunch fermentation in his own winemaking. His son Nick, who similarly honed his craft at Domaine Dujac, as well as Au Bon Climat in California, later joined him. Nick has carved out a stellar reputation of his own and was named Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine in 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eBy Farr’s Chardonnays reflect the care they take in making balanced, elegant wines. The Geelong Chardonnay hails from the ‘Sangreal’ vineyard, first planted in 1994. The ‘GC’ Chardonnay is from the densely planted ‘Côte’ vineyard (7,000 vines per hectare), where a diversity of aspects and soil types (including a mixture of loam, limestone and black volcanic soils) provide a range of different blending components. In the cellar, whole-bunch pressing, natural, cool fermentation and judicious use of oak provide elegance and complexity. The Viognier hails from a blend of fruit across two vineyard sites, with time spent on skins and barrel fermentation creating a rich, perfumed wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe Shiraz is co-fermented with a small percentage of Viognier for added depth on the nose and palate. All the fruit for the Pinot Noirs is hand-picked, with a high percentage of whole-bunch fermentation to lift the aromas and give a lovely grainy tannin structure on the palate. The ‘Sangreal’ vineyard’s red soil over limestone is unique in the estate, and this site is home to Pinot Noir vines that the Farrs believe have mutated since they were planted 20 years ago, adapting to their own microclimate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eAlthough just 300 metres from ‘Sangreal’, the differing conditions of the ‘Farrside’ vineyard mean that it is harvested 10 to 12 days later. The rows of vines at ‘Farrside’ run east to west to shade the fruit from overexposure. The clones are a mixture of the Bernard clones from Dijon (114, 115, 777 and 667) and Australia’s own MV6. The soils at ‘Farrside’ and ‘Tout Près’ are primarily black volcanic with heavy amounts of limestone on the surface. ‘Tout Près’ is a densely planted hillside site (7,300 vines per hectare) and produces the most intense of the four Pinot Noirs. Due to its density and low yields, ‘Tout Près’ is also three times more expensive to farm than ‘Sangreal’. The ‘RP’ Pinot Noir is a tribute to Gary’s wife and Nick’s mum, Robyn Pamela. It is a beautifully perfumed wine, made with fruit sourced from the ‘Côte’ Vineyard. The ‘Tout Près’ and ‘Sangreal’ Pinot Noirs are fermented in wood and aged in Allier oak barrels, while ‘Farrside’ and ‘RP’ are vinified in stainless steel before ageing in wood. The ‘Barbarian’ is from a small parcel of Pinot Noir that Nick planted in 2015 with inheritance from his great aunt Pamela Brinsmead. In 1975, at the age of 51, ‘Aunty’ Pam was a member of the first all-women’s crew to sail in the ‘Sydney to Hobart’ Yacht Race, aboard the yacht ‘Barbarian’. The site of the Barbarian Pinot is a rockier outcrop of the soil type found in neighbouring Sangreal. The block is terraced, close-planted and is oriented oppositely to Sangreal with east-west rows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA variety of viticultural techniques are used at By Farr, from cover cropping and mulching to eliminate herbicides and conserve moisture, to only using organic sprays. This wine is from a selection of the newer plantings which are on the most northerly side of the vineyard. Soils are black volcanic soil over limestone. The vines run east to west to shade the fruit from over exposure and are a mixture of 114, 115, 777, 667 and MV6 clones. This vineyard is picked 10 to 12 days after all others. The darker soils and cooler growing conditions produce a chunky, edgy wine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eGeelong experienced high rainfall over the winter and leading into spring. Frost affected some vineyards in the Moorabool Valley, lowering crop volumes. Budburst ocurred slightly later with good growing conditions throughout spring. Winds were a factor during flowering so some poor fruit set was seen, with smaller bunches and lower crops through most vineyards. Summer was a season of all extremes: over 40°C days, cold temperatures, storms, strong winds and large amounts of water in the space of a few hours.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe fruit was hand picked and sorted in the vineyard. 50% of the fruit was destemmed before a four day cold soak prior to open top stainless steel fermentation over 12 days using natural yeasts. Pigeage occurred two to three times a day depending on the amount of extraction required. The wine was then transferred to 50% new Allier Damy barrels by gravity where it was racked twice: firstly after malolactic fermentation and again after 18 months prior to bottling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis wine has a very firm structure with more savoury components than the other two Pinots from By Farr. It has a balanced array of red and black fruit and is both fresh and edgy. Deep meaty, spicy and mineral notes continue to evolve thanks to the character of the vineyards. This is a firm yet delicate wine with a long, textured finish.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56421917327738,"sku":null,"price":73.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/31819e1d-aefa-4dc3-9202-2e0c7c8aab14__250x500_7186efbf-a91b-4015-8735-63341ef1fc14.png?v=1767626083","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2020-by-farr-farrside-geelong-pinot-noir-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}