a great trilogy by farr

I ignore why some of the Australian pinot noir makers I most enjoy decided to make three different types at a time. William Downie provided a real meaning to the holy trinity mystery, and a few days ago I learnt Gary Farr can also make such a complex notion come true, right from a different corner of Victoria.

Last Friday I had the chance to meet Nick, Gary's son, at their impeccable vineyard in Bannockburn (Moorabool Valley), part of the Geelong region. We tried all three types, including their most recent vintage, still in the making and very different at this stage. It's incredible how a different year, which happened to have a quite unusual weather pattern, changes the outcome.

Three single vineyards make this miracle possible: Farrside (black soils planted to 114, 115, 113, 667, 777 and MV6 clones), Sangreal (red soils planted to 114 and 115 clones) and Tout Près (above the other two, with clones that will acclimatise and mutate over time; currently 113, 114, 115, 667, 777 and MV6 to become the Tout Près clone).

A truly simple and elegant design identifies their bottles, accurately matching the liquid content, only to be enjoyed in fine company, I would suggest.