Code Red
Colin Climo
Bulletin with Newsweek
12/10/04
One of Australia's best winemakers has always sought the pinnacle. Now he may be very close.
Gary Farr had been trying to think of a suitable name for the wines produced from his close-planted vieyard at Bannockburn near Geelong. A third of the way through the latest Dan Brown blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code, he found it: Sangreal. The rebadged "By Farr" wines may not actually represent the holy grail, but at least in one respect Farr feels he's closer than ever.
Along with his son Nick (who makes his own wine under the Farr Rising Label) he has a total of 12ha in two blocks planted to pinot noir, chardonnay, viognier and shiraz - the second block of which he says "couldn't be a more perfect spot".
He hankered after the 7.2ha of thinly covered limestone for 25 years but it's owner had resisted all entreaties to buy, eventually bequeathing it to local Aboriginies. However, when no surviving members of the relevant family group could be traced, it was put up for auction and Farr secured what he feels will become a great vineyard.
Certainly the 2003 Sangreal by Farr pinot noir - rated 93+ and released this week at $55 - is a wine of exceptional balance and finesse, seamless from fragrance to finish.
Farr's winemaking is traditional and essentially Burgundian, utilising natural yeasts and allowing for the inclusion of whole bunches in the case of the pinot. Asked when he feels the wine might be at its peak, he opts for between five and eight years should cork allow - and he always takes great pains to source the best cork.
As for the Stelvin closure, forget about it. "I'm a traditionalist," he emphasises. "When they start putting DRC (Domaine de la Romanee-Conti) under Stelvin, I might start thinking about it."
Farr, who continues as winemaker at nearby Bannockburn, produces a total of 2000 cases a year under his own label with roughly equal varietal representation. However, from next year he will be able to make 1500 cases of pinot noir, as more of the vines on his second block come into production. At that stage, the grail my be within his grasp.