Connoisseurs Corner
The wines of Yarra Yering need no introduction. For decades, wine lovers across the globe have been familiar with the wines of Yarra Valley pioneer Dr Bailey Carrodus. After he died in 2008, Yarra Yering changed hands and in 2014 Sarah Crowe took over the winemaking – her background in the challenging Hunter Valley propelling her onto the ‘most wanted’ list.
Sarah made some significant winemaking changes shortly after taking the reigns – a new bag press was bought in to lift the quality of the white wines, (“basket press just isn’t as good as bag press to extract the fruit purity I am always looking for”) and has ended up being used a lot with the red wines. There is also much less new oak treatment now (“I want the fruit to take centre stage and with too much new oak, I can’t see the detail there”), yet she has stayed true to the legacy of Yarra Yering wines by crafting the range for cellaring and preservation.
The results of her work were immediately clear. “Sarah Crowe has made red wines of the highest imaginable quality right from her first vintage in 2014.” James Halliday wrote in this year’s Wine Companion, “the 16s are an absolute triumph.”
Awarded Winemaker of the Year in 2017, Sarah was humble in her reaction.
“I simply want to make wines which are true to the integrity of the fruit I have to work with. And the fruit is exceptional. With the advances in the scientific understanding of winemaking we have today, I can only improve on the original vision and legacy created by Dr Carrodus.”
Last week our team was extremely fortunate to meet Sarah and taste through five of her wines at our Fine Wine Room at the Bayswater store and today we are thrilled to invite you to come and taste these iconic, limited production wines for yourself.
This Saturday 20th July, we will have Dry Red No 1 ($129.99) 99pts, Dry Red No 2 ($119.99) 97pts, Underhill Shiraz ($115.99) 96pts and Pinot Noir 2016 ($109.99) 97pts all open to taste from 10.30am at Paddington Fine Wines. The Pinot Noir we have is some of the last in NSW so don’t miss your chance to grab one for the cellar.
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY
Dry Red No 1 – This is a superlative, tightly furled Bordeaux blend of pedigree, age-worthiness and a sapid quiver of blackcurrant to herbal notes; crushed, dried and strewn about the palate, all tightly guarded by gravelly tannins and juicy natural acidity. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 13% Malbec and a mere seasoning of Petit Verdot synergise to make an imperious, beautiful wine with a long, long life ahead. 99 points. James Halliday.
Dry Red No 2 – The most highly aromatic bouquet with perfumed fruits and spices dancing on forest floor, the palate a liquid expression of the bouquet. Alive with juicy, gently savoury tannins beating a beautiful tattoo, the finish drawn out by the peacock’s tail of the multifaceted aftertaste. 97 points. James Halliday.
Underhill 2016 – Bright, deep colour, right from the outset, very different from the other wines in the release with more spring in its step, more stalky/spice flavours behind black fruits, peppery notes inlaid into the broader mosaic of a constantly changing colour. 96 points. James Halliday.
Pinot Noir 2016 – A Winston Churchill figure in Yarra Valley’s Pinot Noirs, standing higher than all the others. It has layer upon layer of flavours derived from the fruit, unique fermentation, tannins, oak and X-factor from vines nearing 50 years old. It has no need to advertise its quality or style as it glides through the length of the medium bodied palate. 97 points. James Halliday.
