2023 By Farr Viogner

A lovely perfumed, yet subtle expression of viognier. Fresh peach and apricot flavours as a young wine, which we believe will intensify over time. The palate is restrained, luscious and shows a ginger-flavoured freshness with underlying power and lingering aftertaste. This wine benefits beautifully from 12 months of bottle ageing, as the acid softens.

The Viognier is foot stomped and left for two or more hours on its skins to extract the phenols, flavour and texture. The fruit is then pressed, cooled and put straight into barrel with all solids for a natural fermentation. Gentle stirring during the end of autumn encourages malolactic fermentation, which softens the finish by converting the tart malic acid to lactic acid. The wine is then racked, fined and filtered. It is ready to be bottled 11 months after harvest. - Nick Farr

How would you describe a wine that was a blueprint for its variety yet sat quietly in the glass? The volume of wine can be influencing to the drinker, but volume alone isn’t quality. Maybe a reference to a perfect set of speakers playing your favourite song with the volume low? It’s obviously Viognier, the aroma is apricot with benefits, spice, ginger and citrus. The palate is silky. The ’23 Viognier has some weight, but is better to think of this as velvet, not blousy. The acid makes this wine even better, as Viognier has a pre-existing condition leaning towards more robust than is sometimes wanted, but this wine avoids it. Viognier is hard to pronounce (Vee on Yeah for future reference) and may not be the first thing you think about when you recall the wines from By Farr, but this is every bit as legendary as any from here, and it’s just an absolute pleasure to drink. - Ben Knight, By Farr