Description
Gary Farr is one of Australia’s Pinot pioneers and knows more about Pinot than anyone! He began at Bannockburn wines in the 80’s and with his son Nick (combined) they have done 20 vintages at Domaine Dujac in Morey-St-Denis in Burgundy. Their vineyard (planted in 1994) is located at Bannockburn (near Geelong) and planted on volcanic soils over limestone. Their winemaking influence is very Burgundian (natural yeast, whole bunch fermentation and long maceration for the reds) to produce wines that reflect their terroir with pure primary fruit characters and savoury depth, structure and longevity. I regard their Pinots and Chardonnay as up there with the best in land. …Their wines are rated in the Top Ten wines in their categories every year in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion.
Nick Farr was named 2021 Gourmet Traveller ‘Winemaker of the Year’ & 2022 Real Review ‘Winery of the Year’.
“Named after Robin Farr (my mum) Fruit from the Côte Vineyard a close-planted parcel on an exposed slope, with hillsides facing north, northeast and east. This wine is pretty and so very perfumed. The Côte sites simply produce amazing smoothness and calmness that stretches the length of the palate, as with the GC. There’s an abundance of fruit leading to fine and detailed tannin structure. To Robyn, cheers.” Nick Farr.
The RP Pinot Noir (RP – Robyn Pamela) is in 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.
The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Cote Vineyard as is the GC Chardonnay. A close planted/high density planting of Pinot Noir on a exposed cote. These hillsides facing North, North East and East will be the backbone of the Farr dynasty for decades to come. They consist of the most suitable clones, rootstocks, trellising and management you fill find for our landscape. This is our tribute to what ‘Gazza’ has achieved and provoked over 40 years not only in our region but for chardonnay and pinot noir of Australia.
The North cote is a red to brown loam with buckshot stones across the surface. The most exposed of the three cotes but is harvested last of all because of the large amount of clay, holding valuable moisture for a long 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 and a depression that divides limestone from sandstone. At the highest point of the vineyard you will find small amounts of sandstone in the grey sandy loam.
The East cote is divided through the center of the slope by a rise. Black volcanic soil with fragmented limestone in one direction and grey loam with buckshot stones in the other direction. Soil is King as the East cote has the least amount of clay and therefore water holding capacity resulting in it being harvest first even though it is the coolest cote of the three.
The fruit is hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard, then fermented in an open-top fermenter. Between 40 to 50 per cent of the fruit will be stemmed and then cold soaked for four days. We use only the natural yeast for the fermentation process, which takes roughly 19 days. Grape-stomping (known as pigeage) will occur two to three times a day depending on the amount of extraction required, and the wine is then placed in 50 to 60 per cent new Allier barrels by gravity. It is racked by gas after secondary fermentation, then again at 18 months to be bottled.
“Of all of the Pinots Noir at by Farr, the RP named after living Matriarch Robyn Pamela Farr is the most slender and febrile, yet this delicacy is only in comparison to the other By Farr Pinots, which start of richer and more characterful than many. Only the finest wood, the most perfect barrel expression during elevage, from the best fruit parcels make it into the RP, and the newly released wine is sitting tightly coiled, waiting. Obvious spice and tang from whole bunch, but nothing underdone, all ripe and resolved, it heads off those vineyard elements with a formidable counter punch from the ripe sweet fruit notes. It’s comforting spice sits right behind and then comes the acid. It takes each element of the previous three pinots it seems, and put make them on display in one incredible wine.” Nick Farr
Brilliant but tiny vintage of 2020… minuscule production. ..wines they are hugely impressive… fragrance, structure, complexity and refined balance across the board. This prestige release are again testament to By Farr as one of Australia’s finest wine growers.
97 Points & 5 Stars Huon Hooke, The Real Review: “Medium-deep red with a good purple tint and a mossy, forest-floor/earthy undergrowth and smoked smallgoods bouquet, the palate refreshingly lively with clean acidity underlying the complex, savoury, medium-bodied flavour. Mixed spices, taut and tense, direct and piercing in its lengthy finale, which concludes with a pleasant touch of chewiness. Superb pinot.”
96 points, Matthew Jukes for Decanter Magazine, “Around Australia in 20 Wines” Jan 2024 “This is my favourite RP vintage I have tasted, and only a couple of Aussie Pinots manage to engender the richness, intensity, gravitas and flair that this wine seemingly summons with ease. Texturally, it seems richer and more succulent than any Aussie Pinot I can think of.”
Our price $169.99 LAST BOTTLES
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