Thanks to the generosity of Gordon, Geoffrey and Glenn, we drank four Yarra Yering verticals of recent vintages this month. Founded by scientist Dr Bailey Carrodus in 1969, the business was sold intact after his death in 2008. Some things are unchanged; the high prices, the ‘don’t-give-a-rats,-designed-by-the-work-experience-kid’ label, the quirkily cryptic names. But the range has expanded enormously compared to the half-dozen bottling that Carrodus regularly offered.
Fizz + Red Wine No 3
One of the indulgences of Dr C was the authentic all-Portugese variety fortified ‘Potsorts’ (nee Portsorts), the last of which was made in the 2010 vintage. Clearly not considered viable with his passing, it’s been dumped and rather than rip out the vines, the grapes have presumably been steered into this table wine. Touriga nacional, Tinta cao, Tinta roriz, Tinta amarela, Alvarelhao, Sousao. Foot-trodden in a single fermenter, apparently. Hard to see the value in this at $100 though.
- NV Albert Lebrun Champagne Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
{diam, 12%} [Stephen] Lovely, developing nose of yeasty aromas and pure melon fruit with a honey tinge. The palate is dry, medium/full bodied, with ripe fruit and biscuit-like flavours. A hint of nutty interest too, freshly sour finish. Medium-sized creamily aggressive bubbles that settle with a bit of air. Medium length finish. Good stuff. - 2019 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°3 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 12.5%} Floral nose. Roses with little oak. The most tobacco-like of the three in aroma. Light/medium in weight. Cherry flavours, slightly dusty palate, low/medium powdery tannins, but also fairly low in acid. Short/medium finish. Easy drinker of no great distinction. - 2018 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°3 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%} Floral and fragrant with a cranberry twist. Deep cherry and blackberry flavours with an exotic spicy note. Way better than the 2019. Medium weight, medium tannins but still only subtle oak. Crunchy, savoury medium/long finish. Cleanest and most impressive of the “No 3” wines tasted. - 2017 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°3 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%} The darkest-hued of the noses, if you like, with a blackberry aspect, but also the least intense. The medium-bodied palate turns out to be the leanest of the three, despite a hint of blueberry fruit, with low acid, medium powdery tannins and shorter, muted sort of finish. A bit dull, in my view.
From a single 8 eight-acre block at the Western end of the property. I recall a long-standing legal issue with the naming of this wine – for many years the Yarra Yering name didn’t appear on the bottle, just ‘Underhill’ beneath the double-Y symbol. I found this the most disappointing bracket on the night; the wines thin and verging on unripe, without depth or much interest.
- 2019 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} Youthful nose of blackberry and spice. Prickly, spice palate, a touch stalky and green somehow. Light/medium weight, with moderate oak, chalky medium tannins and a short medium finish. Doesn’t seem like much wine for $130, despite a fairly evenly balanced palate. - 2018 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} Seductively youthful nose of blueberry, spice, chocolate. Still a touch stalky on the palate, but not really unripe. Medium weight and acidity. A bit earthy on the palate, with a bit of dark green about it. But a finish that’s barely short/medium in length. - 2017 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13%} Very similar to the 2018 for me; with blue fruit aromas, spice and chocolate. Not oaky though. A hint of banana, even. Seemed a touch reductive and rubbery on the palate. Black olive sort of flavours. Medium weight, low/medium powdery tannins. Short/medium finish. Not impressive.
Was always a blend of at least shiraz and viognier, long before it became fashionable, but these days seems to contain Mataro and Marsanne as well.
- 2019 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} Shiraz 96%, mataro 3%, viognier 1%, with extra (frozen !) viognier skins added to the ferment. Dark-hued. Eucalypt and Blackberry nose. A bit steely. Iron fillings on the palate, black fruit, soft oak. And a touch of earth. Predictably youthful. Medium/full weight, with medium chalky tannins and medium acidity. Even palate. Medium length finish. Perhaps a bit clinical? Or just needs time? OK. $130 from the website. Ouch. - 2018 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} Shiraz 95%, mataro 3%, viognier 1%, marsanne 1%. Marsanne & viognier skins added to the ferment. Black raspberry compote nose. Iodine. Much more overt apricot character on the palate here ; but it’s a bit lean, with redf fruit subdued. Medium weight, with medium dusty tannins and medium acid. Even palate ; I think time will help here, but I can sense it turning a bit greener as the years pass somehow. - 2017 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°2 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} Shiraz 95%, mataro 3%, viognier 1%, marsanne 1%. Marsanne & viognier skins added to the ferment. Very similar wine to the 2018, but with the red fruit reticent, tobacco and apricot flavours to the fore. Medium weight and length of finish, soft powdery tannins.
At this point I was still hoping for something wonderful – it’s a been a terrific wine over the years – but although this flight was a step up it was disappointingly consistent with the previous ones. Especially for a wine they want $150 for…
- 2019 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} CabS, Merlot, Malbec and PV in a 67/15/12/6 ratio. Pure cabernet nose; currants and subtle French oak. A bit raw but classy. Medium weight. Sound cabernet palate, although fairly lean and herb-like. Even palate, medium length finish. Has some potential, yes. - 2018 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} CabS, Merlot, Malbec and PV in a 55/28/12/5 ratio. Extra merlot here seems to add a youthful juicy purity to the nose, although it’s still very curranty. Dark herb and cabernet fruit palate. Even palate, medium weight, medium/long finish. The pick of the reds tonight for me. - 2017 Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
{screwcap, 13.5%} CabS, Merlot, Malbec and PV in a 70/18/8/4 ratio. Tobacco, cassis, black olive. Starting to develop a little. Fairly astringent palate with medium chalky tannins. Seems to be a sort of vanilla/camphor note on the palate; yes, there’s black fruit too, but it’s confused and bitty somehow. Needs time, certainly, but it feels like there’s a hard underlying greenness that’s here to stay. Medium body, medium length finish. But not really convincing. - 2009 Miranda Sémillon Golden Botrytis - Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina
{375ml, screwcap, 13%} [Stephen] Two bottles; one cork sealed, one screwcap, and both very different; I tasted only the screwcap edition, which was apparently the fresher of the two. Copper nose, verging on brass. Strong vanilla bean aroma. Luscious palate, decadent and honeyed, Riding on sugar a bit as an acid substitute. So it sags a bit on the palate and in length of finish, but the medium/sweet richness of the fruit just carries it. Drink up though, even under screwcap.
