2021 By Farr, GC Côte Vineyard Chardonnay, Geelong, Australia
About this WINE
By Farr and Farr Rising Wines
Gary Farr is a truly legendary winemaker; he was responsible for taking Bannockburn in Geelong to startling heights as one of the benchmark producers of Burgundian varieties in the country. His own label, By Farr, is quite simply one of Australia's finest. From their base 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 with Australia’s best wines.
The original property was purchased by Gary and Robyn Farr back in 1994. It has since seen many new additions stretching the size of the estate to a total of 130 acres, of which 36 acres are under vine and the remainder is maintained as grazing and cropping for cattle and horses. The estate is run exactly as you would a Burgundian Domaine, with the winery at the heart of the vineyards, gravity fed with pressing and tanks at ground level and barrels and bottles underground. The winemaking and commitment to such large percentage of both new oak and whole bunch is similar to the Domaine Dujac “recipe” (as well as DRC), and they use the same cooper for all their barrels.
Victoria
After South Australia and New South Wales, Victoria is the country's third most important viticultural state, responsible for 23% of the vines. Notable fine wine regions include the Yarra Valley (a prime spot for Pinot Noir), Sunbury (Chardonnay, Shiraz), Heathcote (Shiraz), Macedon Ranges and Rutherglen (Liqueur Muscats).
Victoria has a long history of vineyard settlements, although much was destroyed by Phylloxera in the late 19th century. Apart from hot Rutherglen, the Victorian viticultural regions are generally the country's second coolest after Tasmania.
Victoria is the source of excellent sparkling wines, as well as being a great area for sweet, fortified wines such as liqueur Muscat from Rutherglen in north-east Victoria.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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