I have become a bit of a convert to Yarra Yerling, from the Yarra Valley in Victoria’s oldest wine region. The Dandenong Ranges are low mountain ranges with a maximum height of 633 metres just 35 km from Melbourne. The Yarra valley comprises of  over 80 wineries supporting the region.  

Firstly, I really like the basic bottle labelling, it looks like they designed the label themselves and then pumped them out of their office printer. The label is minimalistic, it is really basic, it hides the true quality of this wine. The label makes the wine look cheap, then there is the wine name, it is Dry Red Wine No. 2, this doesn’t tell you much, it gives nothing away about the origins of the wine. 

Ok, so what is the Dry Red Wine No. 2? I had to check the tasting notes as this is a complex wine. They describe this as violets, plums and savoury spices with hints of bramble. I had to jump online and search for the smell of bramble, I had always thought of blackberry bramble. That is what it was, I have been out picking blueberries in Canada, but this is not native to Australia so  I have no real experience with blackberries. 

This is where the tasting notes are important, I do review the tasting notes for specific criteria and to see if my tastes align to the notes. The most important information  gain is the maturation process, this vintage spent 12 months in French oak barriques, with 30% new oak. For me, for the price of this wine, it isn’t cheap, I would have thought newer oak would be selected. I appreciate that they are looking for a fine balance of oak and fruit.

As I am assuming that since older oak imparts less wood flavour a blend of old and new seeks to strike that balance. These guys know what they are doing. I am enjoying the 2018 vintage that I have in my collection but you sometimes compare the wine you are tasting to wines in a similar price range. This is not always correct, but as a consumer I need to determine how my money is being spent and if I need to divert these funds to more effective wines in a cheaper price range. I am happy with the Dry Red Wine No. 2 for special occasions.