James Halliday 97 Points — A Spectacular Geelong Pinot Noir

The 2022 R.P by Farr Pinot Noir is one of Australia's most extraordinary and sought-after Pinot Noir expressions — a Geelong wine of breathtaking depth, elegance and complexity from Gary Farr and his son Nick, two of the country's most celebrated and respected Pinot Noir winemakers. Impressively deep, bright red-purple in colour, with a bouquet of great complexity — smoked charcuterie, root vegetables, dark cherry and blackberry delivered with outstanding intensity and volume.

With 97 points from James Halliday, the 2022 R.P by Farr is described as "a spectacular Pinot Noir" — the concentration and depth outstanding, the elegance and refinement extraordinary, the lightness of touch never contradicting the power or persistence. This is Australian Pinot Noir at its absolute pinnacle.

My Wine Man

This is for someone who wants one of Australia's most profound and age-worthy Pinot Noir expressions — a wine that rivals the finest examples from Burgundy in complexity, depth and sheer winemaking ambition.

Gary Farr spent decades working harvests at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy before establishing By Farr in Geelong's Bannockburn sub-region — one of Australia's most celebrated cool-climate wine regions. The R.P. label — named after the Rue Plonk vineyard — is the estate's most complex and structured single-vineyard expression, crafted with the Burgundian philosophy of minimal intervention, whole-bunch fermentation and extended maceration that Gary brought back from France and refined over decades in Geelong's ancient volcanic soils.

At HK$769, this is exceptional value for a 97-point Australian Pinot Noir of this depth, complexity and collector significance.

In my view, this is one of the finest Pinot Noir expressions produced anywhere in Australia — profound, precise and built to age magnificently.

What makes this wine stand out

This is all about Geelong cool-climate precision and the Burgundian winemaking philosophy that Gary Farr brought back from Domaine Dujac — whole-bunch fermentation, minimal intervention and the patience to let the vineyard speak.

Smoked charcuterie, root vegetables, dark cherry and blackberry lead on the nose, with extraordinary complexity and volume. The palate delivers outstanding concentration and depth with great elegance and refinement — a lightness of touch that never contradicts the power or persistence, and a finish of remarkable length and complexity.

The defining feature is the duality — this is Pinot Noir of extraordinary power and concentration delivered with the kind of silky elegance and refinement that only the finest Burgundy-trained winemakers can achieve.

Spectacular, profound and completely compelling.

Style / drinking window

Medium to full-bodied with smoked charcuterie, dark cherry, blackberry, root vegetables and extraordinary complexity.

Silky, refined tannins with outstanding concentration, depth and a long, persistent finish of remarkable elegance.

Drinking beautifully now with decanting (1 hour), with peak drinking from 2026 onwards and a cellaring window extending well into the 2035s. Serve at 16°C.

Why this is a smart buy

If you want one of Australia's most profound and celebrated Pinot Noir expressions with genuine long-term cellaring potential, this is exceptional value.

• 97 James Halliday points — described as "a spectacular Pinot Noir" with outstanding concentration, depth and elegance
• Burgundian winemaking philosophy — whole-bunch fermentation and minimal intervention from a winemaker trained at Domaine Dujac
• Geelong single-vineyard provenance — ancient volcanic soils and cool-climate precision from one of Australia's most celebrated Pinot Noir regions

Ideal for duck breast, roasted lamb, mushroom dishes, truffle, aged hard cheese or a landmark occasion. Decant for 1 hour.

Looking for a different style?

• Bass Phillip Estate Old Vines Pinot Noir 2021 → Gippsland icon / different producer / one of Australia's most celebrated and age-worthy Pinot Noir expressions
• Hurley Vineyard Garamond Balnarring Pinot Noir 2023 → Mornington Peninsula / different producer / peer cool-climate Victorian Pinot Noir
• Stonier Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2021 → celebrated Mornington producer / different estate / approachable cool-climate Pinot Noir

Life's too short for bad wine.