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’ and By Farr the 2022 Real Review Winery of the Year
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. 60-70% whole bunch fermentation and aged in new oak has produced the ‘‘hallmark” perfumed bouquet. This is the most seamless and perfumed of the By Farr single vineyard Pinots.
The Sangreal vineyard was planted in 1994, making it their oldest vineyard. It lies on a north-facing slope and the soil composition is bluestone and over limestone, with red ironstone colouring the surface. This is unlike their other vineyards, which are mostly black volcanic soil with heavy amounts of limestone on the surface. The vine rows run north-south, receiving full sun exposure throughout the day, resulting in more perfumed, prettier wines. This is always the first vineyard to be harvested. The clones used in Sangreal are 114 and 115, which they believe have mutated over time to become the ‘Sangreal clone’, now within its own microclimate.
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 back bone of Wine By Farr. Once again the alluring characters of this site combined with red fruits, whole bunch, acidity and oak have produced a beautifully interwoven expression of site and vintage.
Winemaker Nick Farr had this to say about the 2021 vintage … “There’s no wall flowers in the Farr winery and these Pinots are testament to that. It’s immediately engaging, it’s got something to say. Big aromatic spice notes, whole bunch influence, ripe fruit and an exotic character that really draws you in. It has a lovely softness, but it doesn’t offer this at the expense of structure. The acid line is en pointe, and it needs to be with so much happening in this wine. These change the script when it comes to Australian Pinot Noir, they are peerless.”
The latest releases from By Farr are here and stock is very limited!
RRP $141 Our Special Price $123.99 – VERY LIMITED – WHILE STOCKS LAST
