Print this Wine         1999 Bannockburn by Farr Chardonnay   GEELONG                 January Release   Chardonnay       Gary Farr has been winemaker at Bannockburn for more than twenty years and has built an enviable reputation with his wonderful wines. Now he releases a new wine with fruit from his own vineyard. This is a very rare treat. The wine is from the fruit of a single vineyard, but to give it some added complexity Gary has planted a mixture of different clones. The yields are very low and this only adds to the intense concentration. The wine has a medium gold appearance with the color running all the way to the rim, a further little hint to the intensity of the wine. One whiff of the wine and you immediately think of Burgundy. A second whiff and you realise its true origin. Immediately it has some smoky, matchstick qualities seen in fine Chardonnays from Puligny or Chassagne Montrachet. This is a testament to the winemaking practices employed by Gary Farr. After all, most years he spends vintage in Burgundy. These practices are basically “hands off’ with natural yeast allowing to ferment the juice all in French barrels. The fruit flavors lurking below the barrel ferment are very much Australian style fruit with melon and fig aromas blending with some grapefruit and lemon zest characters. All of the fruit aromas that are somewhat hidden by the winemaking flavors are much more obvious on the palate. The wine has plenty of the citrus fruit flavors, most notably grapefruit. This is true cool climate Chardonnay, yet the wine is full bodied and rich. Being from a cooler climate you would expect plenty of acid at the back of the palate and you are not disappointed. The acid gives the wine exceptional length at the back, with flavors lingering on and on. Most Australian Chardonnay is a “drink now” proposition and this wine certainly drinks well now, yet if you prefer your whites soft and mellow this has the capacity to age for at least 6 to 8 years in the cellar. Being a complex mix of fruit with complexing agents you can select food that has plenty of richness itself and it will not overwhelm the wine. Poultry, particularly dishes with mushrooms and nuts or pan-fried veal with lemon butter sauce would be a good option.

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