Irrewarra Pinot Noir 2022

Winemaking and Drinking

Vintage 2020 and 2021 are also Available to Purchase. Get in Touch.

A Story in the Glass

If you follow the scent of eucalyptus down the rolling hills of western Victoria, past the wind worn gum trees and the faint tang of sea salt on the breeze, you’ll eventually arrive at Irrewarra. It’s not a wine region in the classic sense, no postcard perfect cellar doors here – but a patch of land where wild weather and ancient soils conspire to make Pinot Noir unlike anywhere else in Australia.

Origins

Irrewarra’s story begins with winemaker Nick Farr, a man with Pinot in his blood and an instinct for coaxing elegance from stubborn terroir. Farr saw potential in these marginal vineyards long before it was fashionable. The plots, perched on the outskirts of Colac, are planted into volcanic loam and clay over limestone, a combination that forces vines to dig deep and concentrate their energy into small, intensely flavoured berries.

The climate here is cool, maritime, and moody. Summers are gentle, autumns long and slow. The Southern Ocean looms nearby, breathing in and out with the seasons, giving the grapes the kind of measured ripening Pinot Noir dreams of. In the vineyard, restraint is the guiding principle: minimal intervention, hand picking, and careful canopy work to let the fruit speak clearly of place.

Tasting

And what does Irrewarra Pinot Noir say in the glass? First, a whisper – wild strawberries, red cherries, and a hint of raspberry leaf. Then, a murmur of earth and spice, like walking into a forest after rain. The palate is finely etched, with silky tannins and a thread of acidity that carries flavours from fresh pomegranate to a subtle, savoury tea leaf finish. It’s Pinot that balances grace with grit, a reminder that beauty often comes from the edge. Deep ruby red in colour. In the nose aromas of cherries, pomegranate, rhubarb, dried green wild herbs, cedar and a clear mineral touch. On the palate notes of ripe small red fruit, undergrowth, mint and vanilla, which are accompanied by a very long finish with ripe tannins and the right acidity.

In every bottle, you taste the remoteness, the patience, and the quiet confidence of a winemaker who knew this windswept place could make something extraordinary. Irrewarra Pinot Noir is not a show-off; it’s a storyteller – and the tale it tells is uniquely its own. Winemaker, Nick Farr, was the winner of the highly regarded Gourmet Traveller Magazine's winemaker of the year for 2020