Doing it easy isn’t really the way it goes at Yeringberg. Putting their faith in that hill as vine-planting pioneers some 150 years ago wasn’t easy. Nor was doing it all over again 100 years later. Then grappling with Shiraz, in and out until it found its true home on the site. And doing everything minutely, painstakingly. Time-honoured, time-intensive methods. Giving the wines time, too, until they just begin to blossom in bottle. But such is the way with estates that prize enduring pleasure over fleeting glory.
So here was a harvest that might’ve come as a shock to Sandra de Pury. “2014 could be described as an easy vintage,” she says. Rainfall and temperatures were average during winter. There was good growth all spring and early summer, with regular rain but never too much. There was some extremely hot weather in mid-January, but otherwise the ripening season was benign. Plain sailing, just about.
The spanner in the works, as all over Victoria, was the cold, windy spring, which seriously disrupted flowering and fruit set. Quantity down, then – but quality right up there. Stylistically, Sandra says it sits neatly between the seductive and shapely wines of 2012s and the supple but structured wines of the warmer 2013 vintage. “It’s almost everything a vigneron could ask for, having produced wines of depth, balance, ripeness and elegance,” she says.
Decision made, then. That was simple…
THE WINES
2014 Yeringberg Marsanne/Roussanne RRP $66
Marsanne 59%, Roussanne 41%. With an extra year in bottle, the honeysuckle and nectarine aromatics of this wine have settled nicely and seem a touch more deep-set than this time last year. The brightness of the brine, quince and pear skin notes continue to tightly frame the initial generosity and breadth of the nose. It’s all beautifully controlled though – despite the almost full-bodied depth and structure of the wine, there’s still a savoury, perhaps salty freshness, elegance and lift to the palate that makes the most of the old-vine concentration. This really is a wine for contemplation – to be enjoyed as it slowly evolves in the glass – with an uncanny ability to bring out the best in a huge variety of cuisines. As is always the case, serve cool not chilled. – Sandra de Pury
59/41%, crushed and destemmed, fermented in French oak, as are all the Yeringberg white wines, but with a relatively small percentage of new barrels. Barrel ferment and the synergy between the two varieties, neither of which are aromatic, give the wine its mouthfeel and flavours, all of which will continue to grow for 20 years or more. 95 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
It has a subtle perfume of honeysuckle, low-key pear and peach, and a whiff of struck match and spice. Light to medium bodied, almost silky and glossy, but shot through with this delightful flinty and citrus-laced fresh acidity. Ripe lemon and lime, perhaps, yet there’s no doubt about the pulsating long finish. I’d say this is going to cellar beautifully too. 94+ points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
2014 Yeringberg Viognier RRP $36
We’re quietly proud of how our wild child Viognier is evolving. It’s not the easiest variety to get right but when the rewards for putting in the time and effort pay off, it is glorious. Evolving beautifully, the restrained opulence of the apricot, musk, cinnamon and orange blossom aromas is nicely framed by a hint of leatherwood honey, mint and rose petal lift. The palate marries supple spicy richness, lovely viscosity and controlled generosity to a framework of beautifully judged acidity and savoury grip. Twelve months on, this is quite delicious! Enjoy over the next couple of years. – Sandra de Pury
Crushed and destemmed, wild-fermented in barrel, no mlf, matured for 10 months, 213 dozen made. One of the best viogniers around (after Yalumba, of course). It is very complex and rich, with both barrel ferment and varietal fruit (apricot and fresh ginger) to the fore, the force of the finish and aftertaste unique to Yeringberg, seeming to be alcohol warmth, but it can’t be. 94 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
2014 Yeringberg Chardonnay RRP $66
Delicately spicy ginger, apple blossom and fennel aromatics add complex flourishes to a nose that has quietly understated weight and biscuity generosity, in a wine that is all about control, purity and a demand for patience. With time, aromas of cinnamon, nuts and oats emerge and lay the foundation for a rounded, spicy and mid-weight palate that has incredible drive and length. Equally, it somehow manages to offer both a depth of perfume and viscous complexity, at the same time as dancing with a gossamer-like purity over the palate. Quite the conundrum. Enjoy now or well into the future. – Sandra de Pury
Crushed and destemmed, 30% wild-fermented, the remainder inoculated in French oak (30% new), 30% mlf, 10 months in barrel, 124 dozen made. A lovely Yarra Valley chardonnay from a great vineyard site and mature vines. White peach, grapefruit and nectarine are braced by brilliant acidity that lengthens the palate and the aftertaste to dizzy heights; the new oak has disappeared into the innermost fabric of the wine. 96 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
The 2014 Chardonnay has a complex, savory and spice laced nose with notes of baker’s yeast, cashews, marmite and allspice over a core of apricots, pink grapefruit and lemongrass. The palate has wonderful layers of toast, nut, stone fruit and spice flavors packed in an elegant medium-bodied package with a creamy texture and layers of mineral flavors lingering long into the finish. In a word, yum. 95 points. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Advocate
2014 Yeringberg Pinot Noir RRP $98
Few of our wines show vintage variation to quite the same extent as the Pinot. This year, there’s a sense of brooding depth to the nose, which is laden with notes of raspberry, violet and cherries, overlaid with a layer of earthy, sappy perfume. Once again, the age of our vines brings balance to the wine, which is both pretty and powerful. The palate, with its deliciously fleshy mid-palate, offers notes of spiced plum and salumi that cushion the superfine but equally serious tannins. Never showy, but with loads of promise, this needs a good decant or better still, 5-6 years in a cellar – either way it’s all there. – Sandra de Pury
Plum, red fruits, plenty of spice, sarsaparilla, smoky and autumnal. Medium bodied, sappy and red fruited, brown bread, layers of spice, bright minerally acidity, firmish kitten’s tongue tannin, and a spicy, ashen and wheaten finish of excellent length and precision. There’s an abundance of character and interest packed into the bottle, and more to come, I’d suggest. 93+ points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
2014 Yeringberg Shiraz RRP $85
Shiraz 97%, Viognier 1%, Marsanne 2%. As our two newer wines evolve and develop their sense of place within our portfolio, we can observe that the ‘new’ vineyard site continues the Yeringberg hallmark of producing grapes of balance, elegance and freshness. Shiraz 2014 epitomizes this with its cool, pure, blue fruit, pepper and spice-laden nose, complete with hints of apricot, liquorice, and graphite. There’s an openness and exotic presence – again nothing showy, but confident nonetheless. The palate initially mirrors the aromatics in a soft, flowing and gently restrained fashion, but then a sappy, vinous depth and structure emerges, together with an enveloping freshness and drive that makes it oh, so moreish. Drink confidently for 8-10 years. – Sandra de Pury
2014 Yeringberg Cabernet RRP $98
Cabernet Sauvignon 66%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Merlot 10%, Petit Verdot 9%, Malbec 4%. The last few years have witnessed an almost imperceptible notching up in the seriousness of the tannin structure of this wine, which remains as it always has been, a classic Yarra blend of the Bordeaux varieties. A distinctive nose of blueberry, cassis, olive and violets gives way to a cool, complex and restrained layer of cigar box, Christmas cake and fresh earth, in turn leading to a palate of almost surprising depth and structure. Seamlessly elegant, fresh and unassuming at first, the textbook mid-weight palate builds breadth and length as it sits in the glass, the structure evolving in perfect unison with the development of the old-vine fruit. Certainly enjoyable now, and a wine to continue to watch over the next 15+ years. – Sandra de Pury
96 points, James Halliday’s Top 100 Wines of 2016
Trophy winner for Best Bordeaux Varieties & their blends, Yarra Valley Wine Show 2016
Plum, cassis, golden fruit cake, violets, dusty cedar and tobacco, a feathering of spice. Medium bodied, richly fruited, yet subdued, with silky but densely packed tannin, cool fresh raspberry acidity, distinctly savoury black olive tapanade/tobacco sorts of stuff, and a superb long finish where a rainbow of fruit splashes and cascades down the old neck, then grainy tannin and tobacco brings you gently back down to earth. Supremely stylish, age-worthy Cabernet. 95+ points. Gary Walsh, The Wine Front