Farr Rising Gamay 2022
The Farr Rising wines are build for deliciousness and a higher than expected consistency from every vintage. A fantastic prelude to the By Farr wines yet a stand alone brand of quality.
By Farr is the brand of the Farr Family, started in 1994 by Robyn and Gary on a north facing slope in the township of Bannockburn in the Moorabool Valley. The Original wines where Chardonnay by Farr, Viognier by Farr, Shiraz by Farr and Pinot Noir by Farr now known as Sangreal by Farr. Overtime with the help of Cassie and Nick the vineyards have expand to adjoining neighbouring properties and eventually greater expression of the single site wines that we have today because of the pieces of dirt that we love to farm. The wines of By Farr are built around complexity, layered structure and undeniable length that places them in the highest regard by both consumers for their drinkability and age worthiness or critics around the world for their individuality.
Saignee, technically meaning “to bleed game meat or poultry”, refers to the way the team at Farr Rising ‘bleed’ juice for this wine. They allow the Farr Rising pinot noir fruit to sit in tank for two to three hours before bleeding free-run juice at a suitable colour for rosé production. This process concentrates the pinot ferment, but they also produce a barrel-fermented rosé. Natural barrel fermentation at cool temperatures is followed by full malolacitc fermentation. The wine is then placed in four- and five-year-old barrels for 10 months before being filtered and bottled.
The Farr estate is located in the Moorabool Valley between Geelong and Ballarat, 100km southwest of Melbourne. Gary and Robyn Farr purchased the original property in 1994 and the second section in 1998—this latter had been untouched for almost 40 years and consisted of dense boxthorn and noxious weeds. The final piece of the puzzle, which links the two blocks of land, was purchased by Nick and Cassie Farr in 2011, making a total of 130 acres. Nick and Gary Farr stand side by side, but aren’t afraid to go head-to-head when their opinions differ. Each generation has developed a distinctive winemaking style based on his individual experience and taste, and their respective lines - By Farr by Gary, and Farr Rising by Nick - have received critical acclaim both in Australia and overseas.
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. - Nick Farr
The grapes for the Farr Rising Gamay 2022 are hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard, then placed in the tank as whole bunches. The tank is sealed and left for 10 days to ferment naturally and release carbonic fruit aromas. The fruit is foot stomped, pressed on days 11 and 12, and then placed in five-year-old barrels to finish the fermentation process. The wine is bottled eight months later.
The nose of the gamay, so far, is fruitful at first before opening up to reveal berry flavours with earthy and gamey notes. The palate is full of red berry fruits with savoury undertones. The structure is long, earthy and lingering. With vibrant acidy and defined tannins, this wine is full of flavour.
The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Gamay
Country - Australia
Region - Geelong, Victoria
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%