{"product_id":"2023-by-farr-gc-cote-vineyard-geelong-chardonnay-liberty","title":"2023 By Farr, `GC` Côte Vineyard Geelong Chardonnay - 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 its 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 interim, Gary gained considerable experience in Burgundy, undertaking 10 vintages at Domaine Dujac that 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 'GC' Chardonnay is a tribute to Gary Charles' decades of vine growing and winemaking experience. Fruit is sourced from three hillsides facing north, north east and east, comprising the most suitable clones, rootstocks, trellising and management for each site. The north cote is a red to brown loam with buckshot stones across the surface. The most exposed of the three, it is harvested last because of the large amount of clay, holding valuable moisture for a longer time than the other slopes. The north east cote is a continuation of buckshot until the soil becomes black and lined with limestone moving towards the bottom of the rows. A depression divides limestone from sandstone, and small amounts of sandstone are present in the grey sandy loam at the highest point of the vineyard. The east cote has black volcanic soil with fragmented limestone in one direction, and grey loam with buckshot stones in the other direction. The east cote has the least amount of clay and therefore water holding capacity, resulting in it being harvested first, despite being the coolest of the three.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 2023 vintage was the fourth consecutive wet winter into spring. This resulted in severe disease pressure and constant canopy management was required until late December. However, as these weather patterns have been present for multiple vintages in a row, the vineyard team was well equipped to handle the challenges. By the end of the season, long warm days arrived. This final stage of ripening developed super fine flavours driven by high acidity.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe fruit was hand picked and whole-bunch pressed in the winery. The juice was chilled before being put into French oak barrels, of which 35% were new. Natural fermentation occured at cool temperatures over the next four to eight weeks, with a small amount of stirring to encourage malolactic fermentation. The wine was racked, fined and lightly filtered before bottling 11 months after picking.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 'GC' Chardonnay wine has a great calmness that stretches the length of the palate, surrounded with textured fruit and mineral elements. Gary and Nick have been working with the fruit from these vineyards for more than eight years, fine tuning the style of wine that these vineyards are producing, with striking results.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56436136542586,"sku":null,"price":74.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/705a3c50-00c9-41b9-b208-8a5431a798b3__250x500_88cc05b4-4479-4f2e-afd8-56a23274ac62.png?v=1767878824","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2023-by-farr-gc-cote-vineyard-geelong-chardonnay-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}