Description
Yarra Yering is one of the oldest and most beautiful vineyards in the Yarra Valley of Victoria, consisting of 28 hectares of vines located at the foot of the Warramate Hills in the Gruyere district. Dr Bailey Carrodus established the winery in 1969 and is credited as one of the driving forces in reviving winemaking in this region. The 1973 vintage saw the production of the first vintage of Dry Red Wines – No’s 1 & 2, two of this country’s greatest wines, both featuring in Langton’s classification of Australian wines. Yarra Yering quickly gained an international reputation for quality and individuality and for the next 35 years Dr Carrodus made his wines to great critical and commercial success. The unirrigated vines produce elegant, complex and powerful wines. Approachable in their youth they have the ability to develop in the bottle for many years.
Langtons Fine Wines Classification of Australian Wine “Excellent”
Within only three years of taking the helm at Yarra Yering, winemaker Sarah Crowe received one of the wine industry’s highest honours, named “Winemaker of the Year” for 2017 by Australia’s most respected wine writer and critic, James Halliday – “She has done a fabulous job with what was her first full vintage. Just an amazing, amazing job.” Sarah is the first woman to receive this award with two Yarra Yering vintage red wines receiving 99 points and four vintage red wines received 98 out of a possible 100 points.
About the 2018 vintage: A late start to harvest due to good rainfall and a cool to mild summer without any heat spikes to advance ripeness. Picking lasted 10 weeks, at a leisurely pace, delivering grapes with beautiful flavour development coupled with good acid retention.
“Shiraz was the star in 2018. At the annual Good Friday barbecue, the whisper was that it was a Shiraz year. And that turned out to be true. It was a warmer year but with good yields and also good vine canopies to protect the fruit from the sun. The vines were well balanced without much manipulation. It was the best Shiraz vintage I’ve had in my seven years at Yarra Yering.” – Sarah Crowe
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. Shiraz 95% Mataro 3% Viognier 1% Marsanne 1%
Fruit was hand-picked, transferred across a sorting table and de-stemmed 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.
96 Points, Campbell Mattinson for 2021 Halliday Wine Companion ‘Impeccable form. There’s a sweetness to the fruit and a savouriness to the finish, redcurrant and twists of herbs, with floral overtones and oak as garnish. It’s smooth skinned but not syrupy; it’s a wine in complete control. Not a question mark in sight.’
93 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front “Slurpy, rich and fresh red of jolly, loose knit and spice-laden, come hither fruit character. Red plums, clove and cinnamon, dark chocolate-liquorice, faint game meat and dried herbs. Lots going on here in its meaty, fleshy feel. The lush slosh of flavour feels biggish and bold from front to mid palate, sweetish in that core, then finishes quite quickly to a powdery-tannin finish. Viognier in the driving seat. A chomp and chomp closes things each sip, nicely. A lively red of voluptuous feel, done well.”
RRP $132 OUR PRICE $109.99
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