Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Yarra Yering Cellar Door in Victoria’s Yarra Valley with some friends from the US of A. The Yarra Valley is close enough to Melbourne that a day trip visit to a couple of wineries is easily done.
The original Yarra Yering grapes were planted in 1969, which was an auspicious year, in the Yarra Valley. The Yarra was, up until the late 1920’s, the site of a number of vineyards, but, due to a number of reasons, they vineyards were replaced with grazing land for sheep. It took a worldly Doctor of Philosophy, Dr Carrodus, who also held degrees in horticulture and wine making, to take the plunge and start up a winery, Yarra Yering, in the region.
Dr Carrodus spent time at Oxford where he became enamored with old-world wines and, on his return to Australia, decided he would try his hand at making his own wines with old-world traits. But where to plant is vines?? Will leave the rest of the story to Yarra Yering.
In Their Own Words
Legend has it that for the next few years his students in the botany department made many field trips into Yarra Valley studying its flora, topography and soils. He found his perfect site at the foot of the Warramate Hills and in 1969 began planting.
The gentle slope with its northerly aspect and deep grey silty loam shot through with bands of gravel fulfilled all of his requirements. Good drainage, all day exposure to the warm sun, and enough elevation from the valley floor to avoid the spring frosts.
He named his vineyard Yarra Yering and in 1973 produced his first vintage of Dry Red Wine No.1, a Bordeaux inspired blend and Dry Red Wine No.2, a northern Rhone blend. The vineyard that would go on to become one of the best in the Yarra Valley had arrived.
The view from the Cellar Door
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.
Dr Carrodus died at home in September 2008 and the vineyard was subsequently sold to two businessman, both passionate Yarra Yering fans. They have continued to operate this iconic vineyard with the same philosophy.
Frequently named among the top Yarra Valley wineries, Yarra Yering’s proud tradition is being continued to great acclaim by current winemaker Sarah Crowe.
Sarah, who was recently named James Halliday’s 2017 Winemaker of the Year, focuses on giving individual blocks and varieties the time and attention they deserve to continue making high-quality wine.
Yarra Yering Cellar Door Tasting
The Yarra Yering Vineyard is about a 60 to 90 minute drive from the centre of Melbourne where Dr Carrodus’ home within the vineyard has been converted into a very comfortable Cellar Door.
At the cellar door there are three tasting options:
Flight One: Current Vintage (AUD10 per person)
In this flight you get to try:
- 2016 Dry White Wine No. 1
- 2016 Chardonnay
- 2016 Pinot Noir
- 2017 Light Dry Red
- 2016 Dry Red Wine No. 3
- 2015 Underhill Shiraz
- 2015 Dry Red Wine No. 2
- 2015 Dry Red Wine No. 1
- 2015 Agincourt Cabernet Malbec
Flight Two: Museum Release (AUD15 per person)
All current releases and three museum wines are included in this flight. The museum wines change periodically.
Flight Three: Carrodus Range (AUD15 per person)
The wines in this flight are:
- 2011 Carrodus Viognier
- 2015 Carrodus Pinot Noir
- 2012 Carrodus Shiraz
- 2010 Carrodus Merlot
- 2011 Carrodus Cabernet Merlot
BTW, if you purchase a any wine during your tasting the fee is refunded.
For our tasting we chose flight two and were lucky enough to taste a couple of extra wines as well.
Their Wines
- Dry White Wine No.1
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
- Light Dry Red Wine
- Dry Red Wine No.3
- Underhill Shiraz
- Dry Red Wine No.2
- Agincourt Cabernet Malbec
- Malbec
- Dry Red No.1
- Potsorts
- The Carrodus Range
- Viognier
- Pinot Noir
- Shiraz
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Merlot
- Merlot
Oz’s Ratings
| Icon | wdt_ID | Rating | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | 1 out of 5 | Bug spray, good for cleaning or powering vehicles |
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2 | 2 out of 5 | Acceptable at a pinch (must be extremely desperate) |
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3 | 2.5 out of 5 | Drinkable, might improve with age or decanting, good for the last bottle of the night when there is nothing else available |
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4 | 3 out of 5 | A good wine, may improve with time, a quaffer |
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5 | 3.5 out of 5 | A very good wine, worth a try and probably a bit of patience if it is a young wine |
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6 | 4 out of 5 | A great wine! Recommended by Oz |
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7 | 4.5 out of 5 | A great wine, definitely one that Oz recommends!! |
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11 | 5 out of 5 | Amazing, WoW. Highly recommended, please give me more! |
Oz’s Wine Reviews
My favourites from this tasting were:
- 2011 Dry Red No.1
- 2015 Dry Red No.2
- 2011 Underhill Shiraz
- 2016 Dry Red No.3
- 2016 Pinot Noir
- 2008 Potsorts
| wdt_ID | Rating | Wine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry White No1 <Year: 2016 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 78% Semillon & 22% Chardonnay Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Bright light yellow straw in appearance with a pleasant mix of apple, peach and lemon zest aromas. The palate is crisp and refreshing with a medium finish. A nice way to start the days tasting. |
| 2 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Chardonnay <Year: 2016 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: Chardonnay Oz's Rating: 3 out 5 Bright pale straw in appearance with a nice mix of stone fruit and grapefruit aromas. The palate is balanced with stone fruit flavours and a medium finish. |
| 3 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Pinot Noir <Year: 2016 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: Pinot Noir Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Bright mid-weight crimson in appearance with an enjoyable mixture of cherry and spice aromas. The medium-bodied palate is complex with soft, dry, evolving tannins and medium length finish. IMHO this wine will be something in a few years, drinking well now as well, but with a bit of patience who knows how good it will get. |
| 4 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Light Dry Red <Year: 2017 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 50% Pinot Noir & 50% Shiraz Oz's Rating: 2.5 out 5 Youthful mid-weight garnet in appearance with a pleasant medium-bodied mix of cherry, dark fruit and spice aromas. The palate is balanced with an abundance of fruit and savoury tannins and a medium length finish. While it was drinking ok now, it is a bit too young for me |
| 5 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry Red No3 <Year: 2016 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 45% Touriga Naçional, 28% Tinta Cão, 9% Tinta Roriz, 7% Tinta Amarela, 7% Alvarelhão & 4% Sousão Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Rich medium-deep garnet in appearance with an attractive, complex medium-bodied mix of blackberry or wild berry, herbal and mocha aromas. The palate is also complex and medium-bodied with an copious fruit, dry fine tannins and medium-long finish. Really love the combination of Portuguese grapes, looking forward to trying this again. |
| 6 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Underhill <Year: 2015 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: Shiraz Oz's Rating: 3 out 5 Rich vibrant medium-deep ruby in appearance with a medium-full bodied combo of plum, pepper and spice aromas. The evolving palate is bold and a bit dusty with fine savoury tannins and a medium-long finish. We tasted this alongside the 2011 vintage of the same wine. |
| 7 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Underhill <Year: 2011 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: Shiraz Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Vivid medium-deep ruby with red-brick edges in appearance with a perfume combination of cherry, plum black pepper and mocha aromas. The medium bodied palate is still youthful with soft tannins and a medium-long finish. Great wine, still maturing, hopefully I will get a chance to line these two up again in a few years. |
| 8 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry Red No2 <Year: 2015 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 95% Shiraz, 2.5% Viognier, 2% Mataro & 0.5% Marsanne Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Rich deep crimson in appearance with a pleasant mix of berries, cherry and spice aromas. The medium-bodied palate is complex with developing dry tannins and a medium-long finish. Way to young, but still drinking well now. Patience is needed here |
| 9 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry Red No2 <Year: 2009 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: Shiraz, Viognier & Marsanne Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Youthful vivid deep crimson in appearance with a restrained mix of dark berries, plum, cherries and maybe a hint of mocha aromas. The medium-bodied palate is complex and savoury with soft tannins and a nice medium-long finish. Enjoyed this, but still young, as with the 2015, patience is required |
| 10 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Agincourt <Year: 2015 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 75% Cabernet & 25% Malbec Oz's Rating: 3 out 5 This wine is rich mid deep ruby in colour with a combo of blackcurrant, plum, herbal and spice aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with an abundance of fruit, dry tannins and a medium-long finish. Not bad, still evolving. |
| 11 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry Red No1 <Year: 2015 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 13% Malbec & 4% Petit Verdot Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Vivid youthful mid-deep garnet in colour with a perfume combo of blackcurrant, cherry, floral, spice and a hint of bergamot aromas. The medium-bodied palate is rich with balanced acid, the tannins are savoury and refined, the finish is long and complex. Very enjoyable. |
| 12 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry Red No1 <Year: 2011 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec, 16% Merlot & 8% Petit Verdot Oz's Rating: 4 out 5 This wine is rich deep garnet in appearance with a fragrant combination of dark berry, cherry, cedar and subtle spice aromas. It has a complex, lively, medium-bodied palate with lush tannins and a long, enjoyable, finish. Really liked this wine. Can't wait to see how it ages. |
| 13 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Dry Red No1 <Year: 2013 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 10% Malbec & 5% Petit Verdot Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Vivid deep ruby in colour with a enticing mix of blackcurrant, cedar, herbal and spice aromas. The medium to full bodied palate is refined, slightly sour, layered with developing firm tannins and a long finish. This has all the hallmarks of becoming an amazing wine with age, IMHO at least 7 to 10 years to go before it is at its peak. |
| 14 | |
> Name: Yarra Yering Potsorts Vintage Fortified <Year: 2008 Region: Gruyere Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia Varietal: Touriga Naçional, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela & Alvarelhão Oz's Rating: 3.5 out 5 Vivid deep ruby in colour with a complex rich mixture of Christmas fruit cake aromas. The sumptuous palate is balanced, nearly moreish, with silky / savoury tannins and very enjoyable long finish. This is Yarra Yering's homage to Portuguese Ports, very different to the usual Aussie fortifieds as it is made with traditional Portuguese varietals and no where near as sweet. I really liked this, looking forward to trying it with a lot more age, but not sure I will be able to wait that long. |
Oz’s Wine Reviews
Oz’s Winery Reviews
Yarra Yering Cellar Door Tasting
IMHO if you are intending to visit the Yarra Valley to taste the wine Yarra Yering should be on your list of wineries to visit. The Cellar Door is well run, our hostess knew her stuff and ensured that we had a bit of fun whilst learning about their great wines. AUD15 to try the museum flight is value for money as we tried 14 different wines that were, in the main, of a very high quality and considered some of the best wines produced in Victoria and Australia. With the museum flight you get to taste the museum releases side by side with the current releases of the same wines a great way to learn about how wine ages and how each vintage is different.
Something that does make these guys standout is the fact that they have planted Portuguese varietals which, as the climate in the region changes, should continue to produce some very good wines even as the average temperature increases.
I will be back!
Cheers!
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recommend next time we try Handorf Hill Winery Tasting chocolate and wine!!!!!!!!
Sure, after we go to Bridgewater Mill for a spot of tasting and then lunch