By Farr is Gary Farr’s own Geelong estate, established in 1994 after two decades as winemaker at the influential Bannockburn Winery where he produced some of the region’s most celebrated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Farr has made annual study trips to Burgundy for decades, working closely with estates including Domaine Dujac and Domaine des Comtes Lafon, and his relationship with winemakers such as Jacques Seysses and Dominique Lafon has profoundly shaped both his technical approach and his philosophical understanding of site expression. His son Nick now makes the wines alongside his father, with the project now named Winery of the Year 2025 by The Real Review.

Farrside Vineyard sits on a northeast-facing slope of the Moorabool Valley, planted in 2001 with a combination of Pinot Noir clones including 114, 115, 777, 667 and MV6. Despite being situated only 300 metres from the Sangreal Vineyard, the darker volcanic soil over limestone and cooler growing conditions of Farrside mean that its grapes ripen 10 to 12 days after Sangreal, producing a wine of greater masculine structure and edgier mineral character. Between 40 and 50 percent of the fruit undergoes whole-bunch fermentation, and the wine is placed in 50 to 60 percent new Allier oak for 18 months. The 2023 vintage was the smallest harvest at By Farr since 2002, a cool, wet spring giving way to long, gentle ripening.

The Wine Advocate awarded the 2023 Farrside 94 points, describing complex aromas of black tea, roses, grilled plums and fresh raspberries with silky tannins. This is a meaningful international recognition from one of the wine world’s most important publications for an Australian Pinot Noir producer that has historically been better known to serious collectors in Australia, the UK and Japan than to the broader international audience. The 2023 vintage has been described by the Farr family as marking an evolution in Farrside’s personality, with the wine now producing a plush and texturally generous expression alongside the site’s characteristic structural precision.

Dark ruby with a complex and layered nose of black tea, rose petal, grilled plum, raspberry, earth and a fine mineral streak from the limestone subsoil. The palate is structured and concentrated with a silky tannin framework, vibrant acidity and a long, spice-inflected finish of considerable persistence. Best from 2026 through 2036.

Complex aromas of black tea, roses, grilled plums and fresh raspberries, with silky tannins. A Farrside that leans into its savoury, structural side while delivering unexpected softness and charm.  — Wine Advocate