By Farr Irrewarra Pinot Noir 2024
A fine-boned, cool-climate Pinot Noir built on detail rather than weight. The Irrewarra site gives By Farr its most aromatic, ethereal expression, lighter in frame than the Moorabool home blocks, and all the more precise for it.
Whole-bunch inclusion and gentle extraction shape the wine without ever crowding the fruit: the palate is silken and finely structured, red fruit carried on bright acidity, with fine tannins, savoury spice and a mineral thread running the length of it. Oak is a support, not a statement. The result is a Pinot of composure and transparency, expressive now, with the structure and balance to reward the medium term.
By Farr, established in Geelong's Moorabool Valley by Gary Farr in 1994 and now under Nick Farr, works to a minimal, terroir-first philosophy, native ferments, careful barrel selection, no fining or filtration. The Irrewarra fruit is drawn from a single dry-grown site near Beeac in Victoria's Western District, planted by the Calvert family in 2001 on ancient volcanic soils. Cooler, wetter and more exposed than the estate's other vineyards, it is a marginal site that rewards patience: harvest falls in April, after a long, slow growing season.
Eye fillet with roast vegetables or Mushroom Risotto.
Aromas of wild strawberry, red cherry and raspberry, warm spice and subtle herbal notes.
The palate has bright red fruits with vibrant acidity, fine tannins and layers of savoury spice, earthiness and delicate whole bunch complexity.
