The unique and singular Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 2 Shiraz is crafted predominantly from vines planted in 1969. Co-fermented with small proportions of viognier, mataro, and marsanne, the wine undergoes small-batch vinification before aging in French oak for 12 to 18 months. This deeply aromatic and alluring wine exhibits a richly flavored style, featuring intense blackberry and apricot aromas, supple textures, and seamlessly integrated vanilla notes.
A complex and layered wine; sweet and savoury all at once. The fragrance is melting pot of violets, plums, savoury spices and a whiff of bramble and five spice. Moderate in weight; the summer pudding fruits come in all colours dialling up the flavour interest. There is cigar box and cardamom spice lending intrigue. Firm yet fine tannins ably support the fruit and texture drive the palate. This one is hard to put in a box, there is so much to love.
Fruit was hand-picked, transferred across a sorting table and destemmed directly to the Yarra Yering half-tonne open-fermenters. As much whole berry as possible is retained to encourage perfume. A portion of fermenters had frozen Viognier skins added to the bottom. The wine was aged for 15 months in French oak barriques, 30% new before blending and bottling.
Varietals: Shiraz 96% Mataro 3% Viognier 1%
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
Vines: Original 1969 plantings of Shiraz with additional Shiraz planted across the 1990’s, Mataro & Viognier drawn from vines planted from 1984 to 1995.
Cellaring: This fragrant style is approachable as a young wine but with some bottle maturation will evolve into a beautifully complex wine. This blend has a track record thus it will continue to evolve for a further 20+ years under suitable cellaring conditions should you want to cellar it for an extended period.
Analysis: 13.5 % ALC
Drink to 2032
Yarra Yering, one of the Yarra Valley's oldest and most beautiful vineyards, was established in 1969 by Dr Bailey Carrodus. The winery released its first vintage in 1973 (including the first of the iconic Dry Red Wine No. 1 and Dry Red Wine No. 2). The release was the first commercial vintage the region had seen in 50 years, putting Yarra Yering at the forefront of the modern day Yarra Valley wine region. Almost another 50 years on, the vines at the foot of the Warramate Hills are producing some of the finest wines in Australia.
Sarah Crowe joined Yarra Yering in 2013 after more than a decade in the Hunter Valley. She was lured to Victoria by the winery's impeccable reputation and the desire to produce cool-climate wines. In 2017 Sarah was named Halliday's Winemaker of the Year for the wines of 2014 – her very first vintage with Yarra Yering. Working harmoniously alongside her is Yarra Valley's homegrown vineyard manager Andrew George, who celebrates 10 years with the winery in 2022.
