By Farr Farrside Pinot Noir 2023

The Farrside vineyard sits on a northeast-facing slope and consists of limestone topped with black volcanic soil. The vines were planted in 2001 and run east-west to protect the fruit from overexposure to the sun. Even though the Farrside and Sangreal vineyards are only 300 metres apart, the darker soils and cooler growing conditions of the Farrside vineyard mean these grapes are picked 10 to 12 days after all others and produce a more masculine and edgy wine.

The evolution of this site and wine is complexing, gone are the days of words being used like bold, brash and muscular. Now two decades of releasing the wine, the description is fine, vibrate and ethereal. This wine has a retained nose for the moment, but the mouthfeel is almost jubilant in comparison. Even against the Sangreal, this feels plush and luxurious. A soft creamy and varietal ripeness, all swirling around to deliver lots of pleasure. It’s texturally generous and provides a nice counterpoint to the tight, edgy flavours of spice and pepper that is Farrside. BEN KNIGHT, CRITIC