2022 By Farr GC Chardonnay Côte Vineyard

Gary Farr has been making wine in the Moorabool Valley near Bannockburn, about an hour's drive from Melbourne, since 1978. Before starting in Australia, he travelled the world, learning his trade at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy, Cristom in Oregon and Calera in California. It was not surprising that he fell in love with Pinot Noir here and brought it back to Australia - not without a fight. By Farr also produces premium Chardonnay and has planted Shiraz and Viognier. Today, the next generation, Nick Farr, has taken over the business, although Gary still keeps an eye on things. By Farr winery covers 130 hectares, of which 36 hectares are planted with vines.

Victoria is the wine region in the southeast of Australia and one of the few cool climate zones in the country. Victoria has a predominantly cool to temperate climate. The proximity to the ocean, the differences in altitude and the exposure of the vineyard play a major role. If we lump all sub-regions together, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the two specialties. They are produced in all styles. Pinot Noir varies from delicate to more structured, but the common denominator is the pure fruit character. Chardonnay ranges from full and concentrated from Geelong to light and fresh from the Mornington Peninsula.

The GC Chardonnay (GC - Gary Charles) is credited to all the knowledge we were able to extract from Gary to create a densely planted / high density planting of Chardonnay on an exposed côte. These north, north east and east facing hills would form the backbone of the Farr dynasty for decades to come. They consist of the most suitable clones, rootstocks, trellises that can be found and are a testament to what 'Gazza' has achieved over 40 years, not only in the region but for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir throughout Australia. The North Côte is a red to brown loam with pebbles and stones over the surface. The Northern Côte, the most exposed of the three côtes, is harvested last because of the large amount of clay, which retains valuable moisture for much longer than the other slopes. The Eastern Côte is separated from the slope by a rise through the middle. Black volcanic soil with fragmented limestone in one direction and grey clay with pebbles in the other direction. The soil is fundamental as the eastern côte has the least amount of clay and therefore retains the least water, which is why it is harvested first, even though it is the coolest côte of the three.

The bunches of grapes are very selectively picked by hand at optimum ripeness. In the vinification cellar, the bunches are pressed very carefully as a whole and the juice is left to rest very cool to allow the coarser components to settle. The clean juice is then transferred to French oak barriques (35% new) to undergo spontaneous alcoholic fermentation with wild (grape-specific) yeasts for over a month. The young wine is then transferred to clean barriques for malolactic fermentation and a maturation period on the lees. 11 months after the harvest, the wine is assembled, clarified, possibly lightly filtered and bottled. The By Farr - GC Chardonnay Côte Vineyard is clear straw yellow in colour. In the nose aromas of lime, papaya, pineapple, guava, roasted hazelnuts, butterscotch and a smoky touch. The taste palette shows hints of lime peel, nectarines, tropical fruit and vanilla cream, which are accompanied by a very long and minerally finish with delicately fresh acids.