2018 Tout Près By Farr Pinot Noir

By Farr

Australia / Geelong / By Farr

Only a touch over 2.5 acres, it has three individual soil types across a three-sided cirque (an amphitheatre-like valley head) that rises above the other vineyards. Each slope consists of a soil type. The largest slope is black volcanic soil of limestone, the second is quartz gravel mixed with red ironstone soil and the third, an iron strand in grey sandy loam. The clones that will acclimatise and mutate over time are currently 113, 114, 115, 667, 777 and MV6 to become the Tout Près clone. At 7,300 vines per hectare, Tout Près is the most densely planted vineyard on the estate (hence the name, meaning "very cosy"). The soils and intense competition force the vines to work hard, resulting in fruit that is lush but masculine and provides the coveted structure found only in the most ageworthy wines.
Tout Près is fermented with 100% whole bunches in a five-tonne oak fermenter. This wine has the flavour profile and intensity to absorb 100% new Allier French barrels. - Nick Farr

Immediately highly complex and intoxicating to smell, but thoroughly coherent at the same time. There are notes of earth, roast parsnip, rhubarb, cumin and ginger-biscuit oak under pot pourri, red cherry and satsuma plum. The sweet and savoury notes are immediately well balanced on entry, with so many threads woven through. Plush, expansive and kaleidoscopic but not clashing or loud. Layers of flavour glide around each other, with fine-grained tannins billowing across the palate and staining it with fruit and spices. A stony-earth mineral sense on the finish is a further foil to the ripe fruit shimmying through. Amazing length, if length is the right word when it seems to explode outwards into eternity - and yet the lasting impression is one of improbable delicacy. – Ed Merrison, CellarHand

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About By Farr

The Farr family has presented a resolute and faithful rendering of the vineyards of Geelong since 1978. That’s when Gary Farr started out as winemaker at Bannockburn. His intimate nurturing of the land on his doorstep was informed by a dozen vintages at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy, stints in the USA at Cristom, Oregon and Calera, California, and sojourns to areas such as the Shiraz and Viognier heartland of the Rhône Valley. Prescient and purposeful planting of the By Farr vineyards began in 1994 and the wines that ensued quickly established a formidable reputation. Nick Farr took charge of the range in 2009, and his comment that his father is 90% of his winemaking inspiration is borne out by the attitude, depth of character and understated finesse of the wines. But there’s no doubt that Nick is taking these wines forward with great conviction and instinct. The close-planted trio at the top of the Farr tree - GC Chardonnay, RP Pinot Noir and Tout Près - round out a truly outstanding set of single-vineyard expressions.

About

Nick Farr readily acknowledges the influence of father Gary in his winemaking and viticultural practices—however, these have been significantly enhanced by his own vast experience. While he was growing up, Nick often worked alongside his father on the family estate before a stint at Rosemount in the Hunter Valley in the late 90s. This was followed by more vintages with Gary as well as at Innisfail Vineyards in the Bannockburn area, where Nick commenced his label Farr Rising. Like his father, Nick has experience at international vineyards, including Cristom in Oregon, Au Bon Climate in California, and Domain Dujac in Burgundy.
Nick’s enthusiasm and passion for wine is captivating, and an excellent grounding in both the new and old schools of winemaking is the perfect complement to his individual tastes and ideas. “The wines we make are not mainstream—they are expressions of our vineyard, our land and what we like to drink. That is what we promise to deliver.”