Bob McDonald

9.6

The final wine at the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday night 3rd October 2024 with winemaker Sarah Crowe. Fitting that Dry Red No. 1 should be the final wine - arguably the Jewel in the Crown. Initial aromatic impressions are gorgeous. This is the 50th vintage of Dry Red No. 1. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Brief notes - blackberry, aniseed and bay leaf. A medium bodied Cabernet with M+ intensity and finishing with fine boned tannin structure. Power with poise, concentration with finesse. Will live for 20 years plus. I have been buying on an irregular basis for many years. The 1990 was a highlight. I asked Sarah, who was Chairman of the Royal Sydney Wine Show this year to compare 3 of the main Cabernet producing areas in Australia - Yarra Valley leafy fragrance, Coonawarra Mint, and Margaret River herbaceousness. At Restaurant Dan Arnold. — a month ago

Ross Bathgate

9.5

Amazing! Medium bodied and silky smooth, layers and layers of spice with chocolate. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

From half bottle at what I believe is Australia’s best Cantonese restaurant which is Flower Drum in Melbourne, and has been for 48 years. I had the Chefs banquet of 6 small courses. No notes on the wine but a quality producer from a quality terroir in the Macedon Ranges. Definitely cool climate and on the lean side. Great with food. — 3 months ago

Ross Bathgate

9.5

So lovely! Opened after working at Yeringberg showing the 2022 wines (which were amazing!). So delicate and velvety with rich tertiary characters. Fruit still vibrant showing dark berries. Awesome! — 17 days ago

Ross Bathgate

9.4

Classic Bindi. Absolutely delightful and at its peak — 8 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

At my 2015 Chardonnay Challenge the Bindi Quartz was the consensus winner from 6 Chardonnays. Ripe grapefruit and mineral - very balanced. Finishes with a touch of moreish salinity. Quite an achievement to finish No. 1 in this field. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Brief notes. Sweet red fruits - raspberry and strawberry. Whole bunch influence. An excellent Yarra Valley Pinot Noir with a proven track record but at the end of the day Applejack Vineyard is marginally in front of Sexton Vineyard IMO. — 3 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

At the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday 3rd October 2024 with winemaker Sarah Crowe. A blend of Shiraz, Viognier, Mataro and Marsanne. The original vineyards of Shiraz and Marsanne were established in 1969 with additional vineyards of Mataro and Viognier planted from 1984 to 1995. A lovely red berried perfume (raspberry) with some stalks added back in. Interestingly some fermenters have added frozen Viognier skins to the bottom, some have Marsanne skins. Sarah is always wanting to push the envelope with her winemaking. A classic Rhone style, blended with perfume in mind. Red wine of the year from the Halliday Wine Companion and awarded 99 points from Philip Rich from that publication. — a month ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

At the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday ( 3rd October 2024) with winemaker Sarah Crowe. Sarah said that Underhill was the ultimate Shiraz produced by Yarra Yering which came as a surprise but then again Dry Red No. 2 is a Shiraz blend. This was fermented and matured in a special large cask of 3500 litres. Sarah explained that the extra large cask meant less oxygen ingress, slowing down the maturation. An excellent new world cool climate Shiraz. Dark fruits and spice with chewy tannins. 98 points from James Halliday. — a month ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

See previous notes here in 2018 and 2019. An excellent Chardonnay but probably prefer the Applejack and Sexton Vineyards for Chardonnay. — 4 months ago