In this life or in some other, Gary Farr has certainly upset the weather gods. For at six pm November 10, 1997 Bannockburn’s vineyard received a frontal assault the likes of which had not been seen on Australian soil since the Bodyline Test series of 1932-33. For a full ten minutes hailstones the size of cricket balls ripped through the rows of unprotected vines, leaving in their wake a sad and depleted vineyard barely able to muster 10% of its normal crop and Farr wondering what he was going to do that vintage. Nearly forty Australian wineries, merchants and vineyards offered Bannockburn fruit. Not just any old parcel, but some of the best material they could access. So Bannockburn’s 1998 wines are rather a different crowd since they’re a blend of different vineyards and different regions with but a single thing in common – they were made by Farr himself in the ‘Bannockburn style’. As a group the wine that gave Farr the easiest ride is the Shiraz. It’s his view that Bannockburn’s own climate is marginal for this variety, so he had the chance to explore his techniques with fully-ripened fruit from a range of vineyards from warmer areas. It’s the best wine of the set. The Chardonnay is clearly a Gary Farr wine, if it’s leaner, tighter, more minerally and less concentrated than a typical Bannockburn release. It’s a very fine wine. As you’d expect, the Pinot Noir presented the most difficult challenge, for it’s here that Bannockburn’s own vineyard usually provides its greatest asset. Although there is a significant contribution from Bannockburn’s own fruit, it’s a very good if not great wine; a pretty, leaner and less substantial offering than typical. The labels of the wines indicate the vineyards they were sourced from.
