By Farr Pinot Noir RP Cote Vineyard 2021

RP is By Farr’s highest-quality single-vineyard Pinot Noir, and the initials are those of Robyn Pamela Farr, the matriarch of the family and the winemaker Nick Farr’s mother. By Farr is the Moorabool Valley estate of Gary and Robyn Farr, which The Real Review named Australia’s Winery of the Year in 2025. The Côte vineyard is a close-planted, high-density block of Pinot Noir on exposed hillsides facing north, north-east and east, which are described as the backbone of the Farr dynasty for decades to come. The soils vary across the three côtes, from red-brown loam with buckshot stones, to black volcanic soil lined with limestone, to fragmented limestone and grey loam, and the same site supplies the GC Chardonnay. The fruit is hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard and fermented in open-top fermenters with natural yeasts, with around 40 to 50% destemmed after a four-day cold soak.

The result is pretty, perfumed and remarkably smooth. Sweet strawberry and red cherry lead, with rose, violet, spice, smoke and savoury earth, then a calm, silky palate with an abundance of fruit, fine, detailed tannins and a very long finish. The family notes that the côte sites produce an amazing smoothness and calmness that stretches the length of the palate.