I have been fortunate enough to be introduced to the Victoria’s Yarra Valley despite having never visited the region. The Yarra Valley produces some excellent wines, I was never previously aware of this so it came as a bit of a revelation. The Yarra Yering winery is an excellent example of Victorian wine making, they offer a premium product to the consumer that comes at a premium price. Given 98 points by Jane Falkener from James Halliday’s Wine Companion, she rates it highly and I can see why.

I have tasted the Yarra Yering No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 over a number of vintages now. The No. 1 stands out as the premium wine in that range, that is the pick of the three I believe. I have done my part to support a smaller winemaker and I have an excess of premium wine I need to work through so I will not be making any purchases in the future. This is a deep dark red wine packed with black current flavours, some mulberry that is a tad earthy. This is a style that works for me, a little French in construction. There are hints of tobacco and vanilla oak, this is a pretty big wine with 13.5% alcohol.

The Dry Red No. 1 is pretty much a Bordeaux with a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 24% merlot, 11% malbec and 5% petit verdot. As I love the Bordeaux style, this is a full bodied blended wine style that works for not just me but plenty of others. One day in the near future I will get to the Bordeaux region and try these wines at the vineyard. The tannins are fine and offers this wine some legs with a ten to fifteen year cellaring potential.