2022 By Farr Shiraz - Bannockburn VIC 750ml
All fruit is hand-picked from the VSP trellising, with 20 per cent left as whole bunches in the fermentation. Most years we co-ferment between 2 and 4 per cent viognier with the shiraz, the date determining whether or not the former is co-fermented and bled back. It is a natural fermentation, with the fruit remaining in the tank for 19 days before pressing. Shiraz sees 18 months in French oak, 20 per cent being new, and is bottled under vacuum. - Nick Farr
At the risk of sounding over the top, this wine is impeccable, maybe a little more acid than Australian consumers want in their Shiraz, but that is perhaps their issue! This is so un-Australian in style it’s not funny. Although there are some wineries that can do it, it’s incredibly uncommon. And by ‘doing it’, I mean getting the grapes to be ripe but not overdone, the spice and all that good stuff obvious without being green, and acid that lets you need another glass, every sip revealing something a little better than the last. The nose takes about two seconds to hit you, dense plum and black cherry, black olive, white pepper and something chocolatey. That’s obviously too many things to mention, and reading it makes it sound too muddled, but in the glass it is captivating. I can see through the wine, but there’s a telltale ruby rim. The palate is similar to my aroma notes, almost too many flavours to mention, but it has a creaminess and lovely baked goods element too. Maybe that’s just the Malo. Whatever it is, with the way the acid is present too, it’s so good. Beautiful wine. - Ben Knight, By Farr
