Yarra Yering is one of the oldest and most beautiful vineyards in the Yarra Valley consisting of 70 hectares of vines located at the foot of the Warramate Hills. Established in 1969 by horticultural visionary Dr Bailey Carrodus, the 1973 vintage saw the production of the first vintage of Dry Red Wines Nos 1 & 2, now iconic Australian expressions of Bordeaux and Rhône blends.
Current winemaker Sarah Crowe, who in 2017 was named Winemaker of the Year by James Halliday, continues to honour and respect the original vineyards, endeavouring to make the best wines possible. She continues in Dr Carrodus’s quest for elegance and sophistication while ensuring purity of fruit expression, as custodian of the Yarra Yering legacy.
Yarra Yering follows the principle that great wine is made in the vineyard. The seventy hectares of vines are grown without irrigation on a northerly slope at the foot of the Warramate hills. Good drainage, all day exposure to the sun, and enough elevation from the valley floor to avoid the spring frosts produces wines that are inherently balanced, precise and elegant.
Original 1969 plantings of Shiraz and Marsanne with additional Shiraz planted across the 1990’s, Mataro & Viognier drawn from vines planted from 1984 to 1995.
Fruit was hand-picked, transferred across a sorting table and destemmed directly to the Yarra Yering half-tonne open-fermenters. As much whole berry as possible is retained to encourage perfume. A little stalk return to some of the fermenters in order to contribute structure and aroma.A portion of fermenters had frozen Viognier skins added to the bottom, some with Marsanne skins. The wine was aged for 12 months in French oak barriques, 30% new before blending and bottling.
A complex and layered wine; sweet and savoury all at once. The fragrance is melting pot of violets, plums, savoury spices and a whiff of bramble. Moderate in weight; the plum fruits come in all colours dialling up the flavour interest. There is cigar box and cardamom spice lending intrigue. Firm yet fine tannins ably support the fruit and texture drive the palate. This one is hard to put in a box, there is so much to love.
13.5 % abv
This wine features in the ‘Vinarchy Down Under‘ series
