{"product_id":"2023-by-farr-geelong-chardonnay-liberty","title":"2023 By Farr, 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 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\u003eThe Geelong sub-region of Victoria has a cool climate with maritime influences. The three acres of By Farr Chardonnay vineyards were planted in 1994 and are at an elevation of 120 metres on a north-east facing slope with red soil over limestone. A variety of viticultural techniques are used, from cover cropping and mulching, eliminating herbicides and conserving moisture, to only using organic sprays on the vines. The clones used for the Chardonnay are a mixture of Dijon clones and Penfolds 58.\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 then whole-bunch pressed in the winery. The solids were chilled before being put into French oak barrels, 30% of which were new. A natural fermentation occurred over the next one to two months at low temperatures. Once fermentation had finished a small amount of stirring helped start malolactic fermentation which finished by mid-spring. The wine was then 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\u003eThis Chardonnay is bright gold in colour, with a trademark mineral note on the nose and hints of integrated French oak. A fine but firm palate with great acidity, texture and length.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56421838848378,"sku":null,"price":57.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/94471daa-dc16-4b8d-9123-a541c5df6f86__250x500_2c915f09-46b7-4b48-8b6f-81595087b20c.png?v=1767624834","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2023-by-farr-geelong-chardonnay-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}