By Farr Geelong Chardonnay 2023
This Chardonnay is bright gold in colour, with a trademark mineral note on the nose and hints of integrated French oak. A fine but firm palate with great acidity, texture and length.
The Geelong sub-region of Victoria has a cool climate with maritime influences. The three acres of By Farr Chardonnay vineyards were planted in 1994 and are at an elevation of 120 metres on a north-east facing slope with red soil over limestone. A variety of viticultural techniques are used, from cover cropping and mulching, eliminating herbicides and conserving moisture, to only using organic sprays on the vines. The clones used for the Chardonnay are a mixture of Dijon clones and Penfolds 58.
The fruit was hand picked then whole-bunch pressed in the winery. The solids were chilled before being put into barrel, 30% of which was new French oak. A natural fermentation occurred over the next one to two months at low temperatures. Once fermentation had finished a small amount of stirring helped start malolactic fermentation which finished by mid-spring. The wine was then racked, fined and lightly filtered before bottling 11 months after picking.
| RRP | £72.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Victoria |
| Subregion | Geelong |
| Grapes | Chardonnay 100% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 0.8 |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Agglomerated cork |
| Winemaker | Nick Farr |
Based 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 among Australia’s best. Nick explains; “The wines we make are not mainstream — they are expressions of our vineyard, our land and what we like to drink.”
Gary has a wealth of winemaking experience in the region, having made wine in its Moorabool Valley since 1978. In the decades since, he has developed an encyclopaedic understanding of Geelong’s topography, leading to the purchase of the site that would become By Farr in 1994. In the interim, Gary gained considerable experience in Burgundy, undertaking 10 vintages at Domaine Dujac that influenced his meticulous use of whole-bunch fermentation in his own winemaking. His son Nick, who similarly honed his craft at Domaine Dujac, as well as Au Bon Climat in California, later joined him. Nick has carved out a stellar reputation of his own and was named Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine in 2020.
