Winemaker Interview Series – Brent McCoy of Gary Farrell – July 2025

On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview Brent McKoy, winemaker at Gary Farrell Winery. We covered three Chardonnays from the 2021 vintage and one from the 2022 vintage. We also covered four Pinot Noirs: one from the 2019 vintage, two from 2021, and one from 2023. You can learn about Brent and Gary Farrell Winery and read about these wines in this post.

Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Brent shared in the interview.

• Brent had a very interesting path to the wine business.
  • He studied English Literature at East Carolina University.
  • He worked in the art industry as an art installer.
  • He plays percussion in a jazz band.
  • He was an arborist in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Where he caught the wine bug there.
  • Inspired by wine, he moved to Napa and his first foray into wine, was as a harvest intern at Robert Mondavi Winery.
    • He was invited to stay and learned everything about the winemaking business from the ground up.
  • In 2005 he had a great and rare opportunity to work with winery founder Gary Farrell.
    • Gary’s process was very clean and methodical.
    • Gary’s first wines were made a Rochioli.
    • This year is going to be Brent’s 21^st harvest at the winery.
  • Gary sold the winery in 2004. Hired Brent in 2005 to work with him.
    • Susan Reed became the second winemaker after Gary retired.
  • The winery was sold again to the current owner Bill Price III in 2011.
    • Bill hired Theresa Heredia to take the lead winemaking role in 2012. Her last vintage with the winery was in 2023.
    • Under Theresa, Brent worked his way up to Assistant Winemaker and has been the Winemaker for two years now.
    • Meaghan Hodge is now Brent’s assistant. She is 26 years old and very smart according to Brent.
  • Brent gets great fruit from great sources. His job according to him is to “Not screw it up!”
• 2021 was a very good vintage for Chardonnay. Not too hot, not to cold. They could pick when they wanted.
• Their appellation blend wines are made from many different vineyards.
• The Ritchie Chardonnay comes from Block I. It is low yielding Wente clone.
• Olivet Lane Chardonnay is an interplanted mixed vineyard. 30% of the vines are new. There is a lot of variability considering the mix of old and new vine fruit.
• They get one super old block of super concentrated Chardonnay from the Bacigalupi Vineyard. They also get one newer block from them as well.
• They get the Tri-Larner block from the Rochioli Vineyard-Allen Vineyard. The Allen Vineyard is across the street from the Rochioli Vineyard.
  • This is the vineyard that started it all for Gary Farrell. The grape deal is on a handshake.
  • They get Pommard fruit.
• The Hallberg Vineyard is owned by the Jones Family in the Green Valley sub-region of the Russian River Valley.
  • It is impeccably farmed. The owners live on the vineyard.
  • They purchase most of their fruit from this vineyard.
• The Gap’s Crown Vineyard gets hammered with wind. They get 777 and 667 fruit from there.
  • Bill Price owns the vineyard.
• The Sonoma Coast Appellation Pinot Noir is a new wine for the winery.
  • 2023 was a huge vintage with lots of grapes.
  • This wine contains grapes from several vineyards: Durell, Gap’s Crown, Hummingbird Hill and Annabelle’s
  • They made another Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in 2024.
• They moved to Diam 10 corks to avoid cork taint. 

Below is a summary of the wine offerings from Gary Farrell that we covered with Brent. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines, you will find some of these wines via your favorite fine wine shop or on top quality wines lists. You can also purchase these wines on the Gary Farrell website.

1. Gary Farrell 2021 Chardonnay “Bacigalupi Vineyard” (Russian River) $65 (KWGTP 94)
2. Gary Farrell 2021 Chardonnay “Ritchie Vineyard” (Russian River) $75 (KWGTP 93 )
3. Gary Farrell 2021 Chardonnay “Rochioli Vineyard” (Russian River) $75 (KWGTP 93)
4. Gary Farrell 2022 Chardonnay “Olivet Lane Vineyard” (Russian River) $50 (KWGTP 93)
5. Gary Farrell 2021 Pinot Noir “Rochioli Vineyard-Allen” (Russian River) $95 (KWGTP 93.5)
6. Gary Farrell 2021 Pinot Noir “Hallberg Vineyard” (Russian River) $60 (KWGTP 92.5)
7. Gary Farrell 2023 Pinot Noir “Sonoma Coast” (Sonoma Coast) $50 (KWGTP 92)
8. Gary Farrell 2019 Pinot Noir “Gap’s Crown Vineyard” (Petaluma Gap) $85 (KWGTP 93.5)

Other Merriam Wines That We Covered In Others Tastings

1. Gary Farrell 2022 Chardonnay “Russian River Selection” (CA) $40 (KWGTP 91.5)
2. Gary Farrell 2022 Pinot Noir “Russian River Selection” (CA) $50 (KWGTP 92)

You can find reviews of past and future Gary Farrell wines that we cover on the Gary Farrell KWG winery page on our website. We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! – Ken