By Farr Sangreal Pinot Noir 2010

By Farr produces four single vineyard Pinot Noirs - Farrside, Sangreal, Tout Près and Côte Vineyard. Sangreal is characterised by its perfumed aromatics and silky more open-knit structure.

"Dense and dark, big-boned and muscular, with ample fine-grained tannins and bright acidity giving life to the finish; needs time to fully integrate and reveal the truth within.”  James Halliday

"The Sangreal vineyard was planted in 1994, making it our oldest vineyard. It lies on a north-facing slope and the soil composition is bluestone and overlaying limestone, with red ironstone colouring the surface. This is unlike our other vineyards, which are mostly black volcanic soil with heavy amounts of limestone on the surface. The vine rows run north-south, receiving full sun exposure throughout the day, resulting in more perfumed, prettier wines. This is always the first vineyard to be harvested. The clones used in Sangreal are 114 and 115, which we believe have mutated over time to become the 'Sangreal clone', now within its own microclimate.

Sangreal is consistently made with 70% whole bunch and aged in 70% new oak. It is fermented in a five-tonne oak barrel with an open-top fermenter, and cold soaked for four days before a natural fermentation of seven to nine days. Once the cap falls, the tank is pressed. The wine is racked only once after malolactic fermentation, then sulphured and bottled, the entire process taking a total of 18 months. The wine is unfined and unfiltered in order to retain its natural flavour and bouquet. Sangreal is the most seamless and perfumed of the three single-vineyard pinots.

Each year the same descriptive notes come to mind for this wine: seductive, perfumed, seamless balance and moreish. It is a site that wavers very little in more difficult vintages and excels in the great ones—this is the backbone of By Farr wines. The alluring characters of this vineyard, combined with red fruits, whole bunch, acidity and oak, have produced a beautifully interwoven expression of site and vintage. That's what it's all about."  By Farr

Huon Hooke and Nick Farr discuss By Farr: Australian Winery of the Year 2022

Expert reviews

"The 2010 edition of this wine has the same resonant, deep nose of dark cherries and plum fruits, some spice and a convincing array of complexity that's been carefully built into the mix. The palate's very dense and very long, great depth, beautiful freshness as it builds, pure red and dark cherry flavour, oak adds weight but serves rather than dominates. Experience shines through here once again."  Nick Stock, Jamessuckling.com.au – 97 points

"Deep garnet; a dark and brooding wine, showing healthy oak, with liqueur soaked plums, bramble and cinnamon all prominent; the palate is dense and dark, big-boned and muscular, with ample fine-grained tannins and bright acidity giving life to the finish; needs time to fully integrate and reveal the truth within. Drink by: 2022."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 94 points

 "I remember the first time I tried Sangreal, someone had hidden it under the table at a trade tasting so it added to the mystique. Young, impressionable MB liked these kinds of clandestine hand-outs from sales reps, before he got wise to it... Anyway, the tussle between Farrside, Sangreal and Tout Pres for 'favourite By Farr' is often mooted. For me, it's an evolving discussion, but Sangreal does feel the most 'feminine' of the wines, often a touch looser knit and more generously perfumed.

To 2010, and again with the expansive perfume – this time mulberry and dark cherries, lavender, sage and a faint echo of meat dripping-like game character. The palate shows its whole bunch card early; slippery, glossy acidity driving the fern-tinged purple fruit long through the palate. There is a prettiness here, not quite delicacy, but a lifted, spirited charge across palate that is at once chaotic and yet flavour bounces within confines of supple tannins. It's a wilder expression here, but very attractive. Journey along with the wine. Closure: Cork. Drink: 2012 – 2022.”  Mike Bennie, The Wine Front - 94 points

About the winery 

The Farr estate is located in the Moorabool Valley between Geelong and Ballarat, 100km southwest of Melbourne. Grape growing in this region dates back more than 200 years, with Swiss settlers planting Victoria's first vineyards here in the early 1800s. The rich volcanic soil and continental climate at the estate produce premium fruit with a flavour, bouquet and colour that is unique to our surrounding area.

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 their son Nick in 2011, making a total of 130 acres—of which 36 acres are under vine and the remainder is maintained as grazing and cropping for cattle and horses. With a mixture of different clones and rootstocks, the grape varieties grown here are viognier, chardonnay, pinot noir, gamay and shiraz.

Notoriously brusque but hugely admired and loved, Gary Farr has been making wine in the Moorabool Valley, Bannockburn since 1978. While the landscape has undergone many changes in the past decades, Gary's approach to wine has not and it is this fastidious attention to detail that has inspired a whole generation of vignerons. His experience as a hands-on winemaker was shaped by time spent at Domain Dujac in Burgundy, Cristom in Oregon and Calera in California. Gary developed an appreciation for the beauty of shiraz and viognier from his many journeys to France's Rhone Valley, where he also learned techniques for incorporating these wonderful varieties into his winemaking.

The baton has now been passed on to Nick to carry on the Farr legacy. Nick Farr readily acknowledges the influence of his father in his winemaking and viticultural practices—however, these have been significantly enhanced by his own vast experience. While he was growing up, Nick often worked alongside his father on the family estate before a stint at Rosemount in the Hunter Valley in the late 90s. This was followed by more vintages with Gary as well as at Innisfail Vineyards in the Bannockburn area, where Nick commenced his label Farr Rising. Like his father, Nick has experience at international vineyards, including Cristom in Oregon, Au Bon Climate in California, and Domain Dujac in Burgundy. The reins may have been handed over to the next generation, but Gary, who produced what legendary wine connoisseur Len Evans called 'Australia's best pinot', still keeps a watchful eye over proceedings to ensure the wine continues to meet his high standards.

"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

 Climate and soils

"The microclimate of the Moorabool Valley is influenced by winds from the western plains and bracing sea breezes, which regulate the temperature on long, sunny days and cool the air overnight. This climate is key to producing naturally balanced, low-yield fruit that is rich in flavour.

The region's environment is both cool and harsh for viticulture, due to the low rainfall and ever-prevailing winds that sweep across the barren western plains of Victoria. On average we receive 240mm of the 540mm annual rainfall in the growing season. The variation of temperatures between night and day helps us achieve complex and long-palate structures in our wines. Farming our land is not easy, but we believe the best wines are born from the most challenging environments.

Our vineyards are based on ancient river deposits within the Moorabool Valley. Thousands of years later, we are reaping the rewards of these complex and mineral-rich soils, which lend their unique characteristics to our grapes.

There are six different soils spread across the Farr property, with the two main types being rich, friable red and black volcanic loam, and limestone, which dominates the loam in some areas. The other soils are quartz gravel through red volcanic soil, ironstone (called buckshot) in grey sandy loam with a heavy clay base, sandstone base, and volcanic lava rock. The soil's good drainage and low fertility are crucial in ensuring small yields of intensely flavoured fruit.

The soil structure and microclimate at our vineyard make it ideal for growing pinot noir and chardonnay, and our location rates among the world's best for both varieties."  By Farr