Region: Victoria
Sub Region: Western Victoria (Irrewarra)
Variety: Chardonnay
Country: Australia
Vintage: 2025
The Wine
Irrewarra is Nick Farr’s cooler-climate outpost, located west of Geelong near Colac. Planted in 2001 on a gently undulating site of grey loam over limestone and ironstone, the vineyard sits in a markedly cooler and windier environment than Bannockburn, which has a direct impact on fruit profile, acid retention and overall wine shape.
The Chardonnay is sourced from low-yielding vines managed with a strong focus on canopy balance and fruit exposure to preserve natural acidity. The fruit is hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed and transferred directly to French oak (predominantly older barrels, with a small portion of new) for wild fermentation. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and is matured on lees with minimal intervention before bottling without fining.
The Irrewarra Chardonnay sits stylistically apart from Farr Rising and By Farr Chardonnay: more restrained, more linear and driven by site rather than winemaking weight. It is a wine built on tension, acid line and mineral structure, reflecting both the cooler site and Farr’s increasingly precise approach in the cellar.
Cellared Says
This is the Chardonnay in the Farr range for people who value line and detail over richness. It’s tightly wound on release, but that’s exactly the point. Give it time and it will reward with proper complexity and shape. A very smart buy for the cellar. Super small production this year.
Reviews
Reviews for the 2025 are not yet widely published, but previous vintages consistently receive strong critical support.
Typical critic profile (prior vintages):
95–96 points, Halliday Wine Companion — precise, mineral and tightly structured expressions of cool-climate Chardonnay.
94–96 points, The Wine Front — tension-driven, savoury, textural Chardonnay with excellent ageing potential.
Region: Victoria
Sub Region: Western Victoria (Irrewarra)
Variety: Chardonnay
Country: Australia
Vintage: 2025
The Wine
Irrewarra is Nick Farr’s cooler-climate outpost, located west of Geelong near Colac. Planted in 2001 on a gently undulating site of grey loam over limestone and ironstone, the vineyard sits in a markedly cooler and windier environment than Bannockburn, which has a direct impact on fruit profile, acid retention and overall wine shape.
The Chardonnay is sourced from low-yielding vines managed with a strong focus on canopy balance and fruit exposure to preserve natural acidity. The fruit is hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed and transferred directly to French oak (predominantly older barrels, with a small portion of new) for wild fermentation. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and is matured on lees with minimal intervention before bottling without fining.
The Irrewarra Chardonnay sits stylistically apart from Farr Rising and By Farr Chardonnay: more restrained, more linear and driven by site rather than winemaking weight. It is a wine built on tension, acid line and mineral structure, reflecting both the cooler site and Farr’s increasingly precise approach in the cellar.
Cellared Says
This is the Chardonnay in the Farr range for people who value line and detail over richness. It’s tightly wound on release, but that’s exactly the point. Give it time and it will reward with proper complexity and shape. A very smart buy for the cellar. Super small production this year.
Reviews
Reviews for the 2025 are not yet widely published, but previous vintages consistently receive strong critical support.
Typical critic profile (prior vintages):
95–96 points, Halliday Wine Companion — precise, mineral and tightly structured expressions of cool-climate Chardonnay.
94–96 points, The Wine Front — tension-driven, savoury, textural Chardonnay with excellent ageing potential.
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