Wine by Farr - GC Chardonnay 2023

A family run estate, Gary Farr purchased the property in 1994 and has developed a distinct style of wine in Geelong, the southwestern wine region of Victoria. Today, Nick Farr, the next generation, has taken the reins and with it the calibre of wines continue to soar as he produces premium fruit with a flavour, bouquet and colour that is unique to the Geelong region.

The GC Chardonnay (GC – Gary Charles) is attributed to all the knowledge we have been able to extract from Gary to create a close planted / high density planting of chardonnay on an exposed côte. These hillsides facing North, North East and East will be the backbone of the Farr dynasty for decades to come

When I opened it, I’m wholly thrilled. There’s a moment of real excitement, which I can imagine seems nerdy, like a trainspotter spying a big dirty freight train rumbling toward them. It probably shouldn’t be this exciting, but it is. The wine that is, not the train so much. Depending on the background, the colour seems generous. Even with a white stone bench top behind it, it has a lovely golden shimmer. It smells perfect. At least to me it does. Wet stones, struck match, ginger, lime, stone fruit and white florals. The palate at this temperature is a riot. Intense and powerful, it’s electric and relentless, the fruit expression more than a match for it. This is the very definition of how tension makes wine so exciting. It’s balanced, and at full stretch, it delivers a perfect result. Could you soften it with a decant? sure, but then you’d miss the thrill. It’s hard to describe exactly why it’s so exciting, if you write it down, as I’ve done, it’s just words on a screen. If you get a chance to have some of these words in your glass, I’d suggest you don’t pass it up.