James Halliday 97 Points — Wow Factor Geelong Pinot Noir

The 2022 Tout Près by Farr Pinot Noir is a totally impressive and convincing Geelong Pinot Noir from Gary Farr and his son Nick — deep and bright with youthful colour, great limpidity and the kind of opulent, succulent fruit concentration and beautifully balanced fine-grained tannins that make this one of Australia's most compelling and age-worthy Pinot Noir expressions. As the critic notes simply: it has wow factor.

With 97 points from James Halliday, the 2022 Tout Près — French for "very close," a reference to the vineyard's proximity to the winery — delivers everything that makes By Farr one of Australia's most celebrated Pinot Noir estates. Root vegetables and potato on the nose gradually give way to rich, ripe dark cherry that floods the palate with succulent sweet fruit, the fine-grained tannins providing backbone and counter-balance to all that opulent fruit. Drinking window 2024–2041.

My Wine Man

This is for someone who wants one of Australia's most profound and age-worthy Pinot Noir expressions — a wine with the depth, structure and cellaring potential to reward patience over the next 15+ years.

Gary Farr spent decades working harvests at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy before establishing By Farr in Geelong's Bannockburn sub-region. The Tout Près vineyard — planted directly adjacent to the winery on ancient volcanic soils — produces a Pinot Noir of extraordinary concentration and structure, crafted with the Burgundian philosophy of whole-bunch fermentation and minimal intervention that Gary brought back from France and refined over decades in Geelong.

At HK$799, this is exceptional value for a 97-point Australian Pinot Noir with a drinking window extending to 2041 and the kind of wow factor that makes it a centrepiece of any serious cellar.

In my view, this is one of the most impressive and convincing Pinot Noir expressions produced anywhere in Australia — opulent, structured and built to age magnificently.

What makes this wine stand out

This is all about Geelong volcanic soil concentration and the Burgundian winemaking philosophy that Gary Farr brought back from Domaine Dujac — whole-bunch fermentation, minimal intervention and the patience to let the Tout Près vineyard speak at full volume.

Root vegetables, potato and parsnip lead on the nose, gradually giving way to rich, ripe dark cherry that floods the palate with succulent sweet fruit. The fine-grained tannins provide backbone and counter-balance to all that opulent fruit — a totally convincing structure that speaks to both the quality of the vineyard and the ambition of the winemaking.

The defining feature is the balance — this is Pinot Noir of extraordinary opulence and concentration delivered with the kind of fine-grained tannin structure and freshness that gives it a drinking window of nearly two decades.

Opulent, structured and completely compelling. Wow factor.

Style / drinking window

Medium to full-bodied with root vegetables, dark cherry, succulent sweet fruit and fine-grained tannin structure.

Opulent and concentrated with beautifully balanced tannins and a long, impressive finish of great depth.

Drinking well now with decanting (1 hour). Peak drinking 2026–2035, with a cellaring window extending to 2041. Serve at 16°C.

Why this is a smart buy

If you want one of Australia's most impressive and age-worthy Pinot Noir expressions with a nearly two-decade drinking window, this is exceptional value.

• 97 James Halliday points — described as "totally impressive and convincing" with "wow factor" and a drinking window to 2041
• Tout Près single vineyard — planted directly adjacent to the winery on ancient Geelong volcanic soils, producing Pinot Noir of extraordinary concentration and structure
• Burgundian winemaking philosophy — whole-bunch fermentation and minimal intervention from a winemaker trained at Domaine Dujac

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.