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.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.