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.
This north facing vineyard is planted on the original house block and it is the magic dust (red ironstone soil on limestone) that gives a haunting fragrance to this pinot. Sangreal is now 15 years old and is one of Australia’s top Pinot Noirs as befits its name, Sangreal which means Holy Blood or the Holy Grail. 60% whole bunch fermentation and 60% in new oak has produced the ‘‘hallmark” perfumed bouquet. This is the most seamless and perfumed of the By Farr single vineyard Pinots.
From the winery … “Each year the same descriptive notes come to mind for this wine: seductive, perfumed, seamless balance and moreish. It is a site that wavers very little in more difficult vintages and excels in the great ones—this is the backbone of By Farr wines. The alluring characters of this vineyard, combined with red fruits, whole bunch, acidity and oak, have produced a beautifully interwoven expression of site and vintage. That’s what it’s all about.”
Good rainfall in winter set vines up well for good growing season which was warm & dry in 2013. Nick Farr called 2013 a “… very expressive vintage ..” that “.. speaks of fruitfulness and richness … deliciousness and approachability every day of bottle age, the wines are becoming silker and seductive.. Both Farrside and Sangreal Pinot reflect the sites in 2013 whilst the Sangreal is reknowned for its aromatics and complexity it takes time in cellar to unfold particularly in structured vintages like 2010 and 2012 but 2013 it is revealed already for all to enjoy ”. We love the beautiful aromatics and approachability of the 2013’s which will be drinking beautifully over the next 5 or 6 years.
97 points, James Halliday, July ’15 … “Another very different iteration of pinot, the multifaceted bouquet with both red and black fruits in play, the same perfumed vehicle as Farr Rising, the palate of remarkable elegance and finesse, with exactly the right balance between pure pinot fruit flavours and structure ex the whole bunches.”
97 points, Chris Shanahan, Good Food Guide, July ’15 … “Pinots from Gary Farr, and son Nick, always excite and unfailingly rate among the top few Australian pinots tasted each year. In the warm, dry 2013 season, Sangreal, my favourite of the Farr’s pinots, offers particularly generous, juicy, seductive fruit flavours. But there’s much more than fruit to this amazingly aromatic wine, including layers of interweaving flavours and textures derived from stems, fruit, skins and maturation in new oak barrels. Discernible as the individual flavours and aromas might be, no single component dominates. Rather, they meld into one utterly delicious, moreish, definitively pinot whole.”
96 Points – Campbell Mattinson, THE WINE FRONT “Twenty-ish year old vines. A healthy dose of whole bunches. Astute winemaking. One of the stars of Australian wine. Opens tight. Dry tannin, controlling, lots of it, no escape. It would be an issue if the fruit wasn’t so good. Said fruit comes at you in waves: charcuterie, fistfuls of spice, sour cherries, earth and ash. It’s quite a parade to step into. A river of nuance to be swept along by. I sat on this over the course of three days, more by accident than by intention, and it drank exquisitely throughout.”
RRP $88
