Winemaker - Nick Farr

"..Another Victorian rising star is Nick Farr, who never thought he would follow in his father's (Gary Farr of Bannockburn fame) footsteps, but thank goodness he has..." Glynis Macri - National Liquor News - 1 November 2003

And indeed, thank goodness he has. It is Merricks Creek's privilege to introduce our winemaker: Nick Farr.

Merricks Creek has enjoyed a long relationship with Gary and Nick Farr. At the
time of planting our vines in 1998 Gary was our principal advisor on all aspects of vineyard design, planting stock and management. Nick began making our
Nick Farr label in 2001, winning instant acclaim in James Halliday's 2004 Wine Companion with a score of 96 points. Every year since 2001, our Nick Farr label has received nothing less than a 5 glass rating by James Halliday (poor fruit set in 2002 resulted in no vintage). The variety of wines that he makes under his own label Farr Rising is added testomy to the winemaking skills he possesses. Without doubt Nick Farr has arrived in his own right.

Nick himself will readily acknowledge the influence of his father in his winemaking and viticultural practices. However, this has been significantly enhanced by the extent of his vintage experiences. Many vintages were done at Bannockburn Vineyards (located at Bannockburn, in the Geelong region) whilst he was growing up, followed by Rosemount in the Hunter Valley in the late 90's. More vintages followed at Bannockburn Vineyards and also Innisfail Vineyards in the Bannockburn area. It was at the latter's winery that he commenced his label Farr Rising. Like his father, international vintages followed and included Cristom in Oregon, Au Bon Climate in California and notably, Domain Dujac in Burgundy since 2002. It was there that his father returned each year for more than 20 years to experience the craft of growing and making true burgundian pinot noir.