Gary Farr gave a revealing interview in the February edition of Gourmet Traveller WINE – the magazine that named him Winemaker of the Year way back in 2001. Asked about his most memorable moment in wine, he responded: “Having my kids want to follow my path into agriculture and the wine industry is right up there.” Think about it, and it’s understandable. After all, Gary Farr toiled in the vineyards of Bannockburn for four decades before handing the keys to the Farr family estate to son Nick in 2009. By that time Gary Charles (GC) Farr had firmly transformed this place into one of Australia’s undisputed grands crus for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These are wines of exceptional definition, utter conviction and understated finesse.
Since taking over, Nick has taken these wines forward with the same uncompromising attitude and clarity of vision. Year in, year out, the now-famous sites of Sangreal, Farrside and Tout Près give their beguiling recital: ripe, resonant fruit, ethereal top notes and bass tones throbbing with the echo of the hungry local soils. The Three Oaks Chardonnay, from the Sangreal site, likewise hums with flavour and tension.
“We’ve been making wine at Bannockburn for the past 30 years, and the last four or five years are the best we’ve ever had,” said Gary in that same interview. It’s timely, then, that Nick should have delivered this tribute to his father – GC Chardonnay by Farr – from the sensational 2015 vintage. It is a wine to celebrate. “The Europeans are all about maintaining their vineyards and wineries, ready to hand down to the next generation,” says Gary, “but the way Australian businesses are set up, unless they are continually growing, it’s extremely difficult to achieve that.”
It is indeed a hard-won achievement, and worthy of an homage to the founding father. This Chardonnay is what patience and brilliance tastes like.
2015 GC Chardonnay by Farr RRP $120
The most exciting wine from the 2015 vintage is without doubt the new GC Chardonnay by Farr (GC = Gary Charles). With all the knowledge that l have been able to extract from my father (not always easy) we created a high-density planting of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on an exposed côte. These hillsides facing east, north east and north will be the backbone of the Farr destiny for decades to come. They consist of the most suitable clones, rootstocks, trellising and management you’ll find. This is our tribute to what ‘Gazza’ has achieved and provoked over 40 years not only in our region but for the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of Australia.
The wine has an amazing smoothness and calmness that stretches the length of the palate, surrounded with textured fruit and mineral elements. We have been playing with the fruit from these vineyards for eight years, fine-tuning the style of wine that these sites are producing. This is the vintage that saw it all come together with purity and balance. – Nick Farr