Yarra Yering 2011 vintage

I had the opportunity to try Yarra Yerings 2011 release...

I've always been a Yarra Yering fan...really nice wines..had their own style...well made..a bit on the pricey side but always good wines even though I thought some things were a bit odd (like their Pinot which I liked but would hardly have called it a Pinot). 

2011 was a cold and wet year...I think for large chunks of Australia (SA and Vic) it wasn't a great year..in some cases really bad..some places didn't even make their flagships and just declassified everything into their lower end wines...

My overall impression?   Declassification is what Yarra Yering SHOULD have done but didn't.  I actually like a bit of green in my wine but this was not just bordering on Ripe/Underripe..this was just underripe....

Yarra Yering Dry White No. 1 2011
A blend of Semillon with a tad bit of Chardonnay...18 months in old French oak...it has also undergone Malo....To me it feels really oaky...which I think it odd because they've used 10 year old oak barrels....But that said, pretty decent mouthfeel...it definitely needs some time to come down.  Decent acidity..interesting flavor profile.   Definitely far too expensive though for what you're getting at 84 RRP.  I'm not sure they realize this is a white wine (same price as their reds) and what 84 gets you out there. 

Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2011
Good acidity, a bit tight on the nose and on the palate.  This has gone through malo and oak for 19 months (40% new) but I'm not getting  a lot from it.  A lot of the fruit seems stripped out...well made wine..no flaws..but really not getting a whole lot..

Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2002
This was there to show what the wine will be like with some age...given similar vintage conditions...To me the 2002 seemed almost like it has been oxidized...but I don't think  it is because I'm getting something from the wine..but in the background there seems to me something really weird about the wine...I'm not sure...this isn't really a good example to be showing though..

Yarra Yering Carrodus Viognier 2011
One of their flagships but not one I've generally been impressed with.  Basically 4 times the price of a Clonakilla Viognier...and 8 times the price of nearly every other Viognier in Australia....Has a full bodied mouthfeel to it....woody notes....some yeasty notes to it....feels like it needs at least a few more years before drinking...it might be quite a bit better then..I've only tried this new so I don't know...

Yarra Yering Pinot Noir 2011
So I've had their Pinot several times..and while they tend to be made like a Shiraz...it is actually still quite enjoyable...Big fruit, vanilla, but pretty decent acidity as well....quite an unusual style of Pinot..but THIS year...I don't know what they've done.  Good acidity, far more medium bodied, much more Pinot like...but with that Aussie rubber flavor (so not really a good thing).  Very little fruit on this...so while the mouthfeel is more Pinot like...the wine itself is just not right.  Very green (which isn't always a bad thing).  Something is not right..  A failed attempt at trying to make a Burgundy is the best description.  Granted, vintages conditions didn't allow them to make the very ripe, shiraz like pinot they have been making before..but this was not a good attempt either....It tastes like a not so great 10 dollar village burg in a bad year except without the flaws...Maybe in 10 years I'll be proven wrong...

Yarra Yering Underhill 2011
On the nose I would have guess Shiraz Viognier..which I thought was interesting because I heard some other people comment on that as well.  Apparently it is 100% Shiraz.  Medium body, medium minus acidity (sorry, I just watched Somm (wine documentary)).  On the palate I still feel like this is a SV..red fruits but not a lot..some floral notes...but really quite green and herby.  Maybe that is where it is making me think of SV...but overall, the greenies is really making this quite disappointing.  What is odd about this and other wines is even though they're "green", the acidity doesn't seem to be as high as I'd expect..really quite odd..

Yarra Yering Underhill 2002
This seems far more fleshed out compared to the 2011...a bit more depth to this...some secondary characteristics but this wine is still pretty green..maybe not as much as the 2011 but I think this really hampers the wine.  The 2002 was more enjoyable than the 2011...but I don't think it is something to look forward to either...

Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 2 2011
I generally like this blend...this year it is a Shiraz, Mataro, Viognier, Marsanne.  Light red fruits, medium bodied...medium minus acidity....this is still a bit green as well....At this point I'm actually a bit annoyed at the whole thing...

Yarra Yering Carrodus Shiraz 2011
Definitely more fruit on this compared to the ones I've had so far at this tasting...medium bodied, medium acidity...good depth, clean fruit flavors...very nice mouthfeel...Far fewer green notes on this wine..and this wine is well made...but for 250...I'm expecting a LOT more.  To put it in perspective...this is the same price (more actually) than a Torbrek Run Rig...more than twice as expensive as a Mt Edelstone...4-5 times more expensive than Wendouree and Tyrrels Vat 9, Four Acres, etc...In good years this wine might be great...This year it isn't.  I have no idea why this isn't just used to make up for their underperforming lower end wines....there is no way this wine justifies the price...it is actually making me even more annoyed and it is actually borderline insulting...

Yarra Yering Agincourt Cabernet Malbec 2011
Good mouthfeel, still a bit green.  Not as apparent as some of the other wines but not quite ripe.  Far  lighter than I'd expect a Cab Malbec to be....this wine has turned out ok...but not for 84RRP.

Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2011
Big fan of this wine normally....which is a Bordeaux blend....Cab Sav, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot....100% new French oak.. More fruit in this wine compared to previous ones..nice medium body...medium acidity.  Good depth to the wine, and good mouthfeel.  Some greenies coming out but not too bad..some herbs....This is one of the better reds today...but not quite where it should be...probably my least favorite Red No 1 ever.

Yarra Yering Carrodus Cabernet Merlot 2011
Fruit is showing a bit better here..good mouthfeel..medium bodied, medium/medium minus acidity....pretty good depth and complexity given the lack of fruit...some greenies and herbs coming out but not too bad.  A pretty decent wine...just nowhere near the 250 they're asking for it.  In all seriousness, it is stupidly priced.  250 still gets you a 2009 Pontet Canet which RP scored 100 pts (not that I care).  250 gets you into the different Bordeaux Growths....It gets you into GC Burgs easily (for some anyways)....Just as the Shiraz..this is actually insulting...Maybe some years this is utterly fantastic...but for a bad year like 2011...come on...

Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 3 2011
A blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Alvarelhao and Sousao.  I've always had mixed feelings on this...it is generally quite interesting although doesn't always seem to go.  Mediumish bodied..a bit fuller than most of the other reds....Mediumish acidity...red fruits but still a bit tight..some greenies and herbs...an interesting blend...seems to be working better together this year...although it could be because they're all so underripe they're not showing their true flavors..not sure.  Ok wine, not impressed..not as disappointed as I was with some of the others..

Yarra Yering Barbiolo 2011
A blend of Barbera and Nebbiolo.  I'd actually prefer this to be mainly Nebbiolo and some Barbera but it is the other way around.  Probably the most satisfactory wine of the night for the price....Red fruits..medium bodied..Medium plus acidity...good mouthfeel...overall a decent wine and I was the least disappointed with this (which is half expectations, half the wine).


I don't know if they're  hurting financially or what...but I seriously don't consider this a good choice by them to release their full set of wines even though the year was not a good one.  Coming from someone that actually enjoys cooler climate and even slightly green wine...for me to not really enjoy these really doesn't bode well for them.  I heard a good number of other comments as well that basically confirmed what I was thinking...the fruit is just terribly underripe and it is really showing in the wine.   I know bad vintages can really hurt some wineries but that isn't a reason to not seriously consider declassifying your fruit to release something (so get some money back) rather than hurt your brand.  To me their 2011 release has really hurt their brand. 

I rarely post anything really negative...and this isn't to say Yarra Yering, in almost every other year, is a bad buy..they're on the more expensive end but they do make good wine.  2011 though, was not a good year..and the wines aren't very good...all well made..but just not very good...

Good Food and Wine Show - Sydney 2013

That time of year again where we have the Good Food and Wine show....

On the plus side...A couple of new makers that were a bit interesting...

Sticks, The Pawn and Handpicked. 

With sticks that had a nice mix of different Chardonnays and Pinot Noir....With Pinots that were actually medium bodied, good acidity, nice depth of flavor....They even had a couple of Cabernet Sauvignons that were quite medium bodied, good acid, nice red and dark fruits...really quite an elegant style.

I expect to see more of them later.

One other very interesting place was Handpicked wines.  They basically take what they think is the best region or regions for specific varietals and make wines with grapes from those regions.  You end up with things like Riesling from Eden Valley, Shiraz from the Barossa, Cabernet from Coonawarra, Cab Merlot from Margaret River...and Chardonnay from MR and Yarra Valley...

A pretty interesting mix of wines and a really good price point (everything was 25 or below).  I've seen Vintage Cellars do their own thing like this..and I've seen stuff like this before but I actually thought most of their wines were pretty decent....with the Riesling and MR Chardonnay probably standing out as the best examples...and their reds probably being on the weaker end of the spectrum...Still, an interesting concept....I'm not sure it has the same soul as a place specialized into a couple of different types of wine..but still, probably a very good business concept.


This years show was probably the best run out of all the last 4 or 5 I've been to.  Best layout, best options as far as what you can do and when....but at the same time, I'm not sure I'll be going back or if I do it'll be more centered around the food.