Sandra de Pury Of Yeringberg’s “Superb” ’17s

I suppose it’s just the way with old farms. On the face of it, a calm timelessness. Behind that, industriousness and constant renewal through breeding seasons and growth cycles.
So it goes with Yeringberg. After more than 150 years, the past and present blend comfortably together. Fourth generation Sandra and David de Pury are working to maintain the land and the environment: planting trees, deterring weeds and pests, protecting the soil to grow grass for healthy lambs and calves.And tending the vines to bring forth delicious wines, of course.
The de Purys have started on the journey to future-proof their grape supply. They’ve collected dormant buds from preferred old vines and grafted these onto rootstock. These are currently putting out the first tentative signs of growth, tucked warm and humidly away indoors. After several weeks they’ll have developed roots, ready to move into a new hothouse for a year of tender loving care before being planted in a new vineyard block east of the old vineyard site.
On that front, they’re preparing a new Pinot Noir vineyard, which you will be able to see from the farmyard. Posts are soon to be driven into the ground; trellis wires, irrigation pipes and fencing will follow. Then the new vines, already grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks, will be planted in November/December.
At Yeringberg the family strive to make better wine each year, with constant improvements in the myriad steps from vineyard management to bottling. Their goal is to make balanced, ageworthy wines that show their vintage and origin.
And they do this so very well.
Yeringberg farm looks like nowhere else on the Australian wine scene, an archaic alpine milking shed on its own remote rolling slopes. Yeringberg the juice likewise looks like nowhere else on the Australian wine scene. That’s what happens when you refine the patterns of life on the farm over the course of 157 years.
The land has seen all sorts of seasons in that time, many memorable for their own particularities. The one we’re presenting now was pretty cool, the kind that yields finesse and detail among experience growers. It played out perfectly on the storied hill of Yeringberg.
Sandra de Pury says it straight. “The 2017 wines are from a superb vintage.”
We know that you will enjoy them.

Full and silky. Flavourful finish. Shows intensity and precision. Why wait on this one?
Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com

THE WINES

2017 Yeringberg Viognier RRP $46
The opulence and perfumed richness of our Viognier is a perfect counterpoint to the subtlety and restraint of our Marsanne Roussanne. It has an intoxicating and heady perfume, redolent of musk, apricot, mango and rose petal.  Alive and exotic, it effortlessly straddles the line between sumptuous richness and modest restraint. The palate continues the theme, with the richness and opulence of spicy apricot crumble, beautifully framed within a pithy, savoury and textural framework. The result is a full bodied, spicy and viscous delight, with just the right amount of zip and zing to keep you going back for more. – Sandra de Pury

Hand-picked, part early for acidity, part late for flavour, crushed and destemmed, a mix of wild and cultured yeasts, 11 months in used oak, With none or little mlf, viognier is a notoriously perverse variety, but Yeringberg has exceeded itself here. There is undoubted varietal character, but it hasn’t been at the cost of heavy phenolics. 94 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2020

Very attractive peaches and apricots, set in fresh, ripe mode. The palate has smooth, round and gently creamy texture with immediate appeal. Drink now. Screw cap. 93 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com

2017 Yeringberg Marsanne/Roussanne RRP $66
Marsanne 57%, Roussanne 43%. A wine of subtle intrigue that repays patience and contemplation, our 2017 Rhone blend displays the hallmark balance and poise of the vintage. Beautifully complex aromas of pear, quince, honeysuckle and jasmine. The palate is savoury and expansive, while remaining understated, with the elegance of the vintage providing lift and freshness to the notes of orange blossom and quince that drive and sustain the palate. Improving over several days tasting implies this is a vintage that will give joy over many years. – Sandra de Pury

Different maturity dates meant separate vinification, barrel-aged, no new oak, no bâtonnage, blended after 10 months. As usual, a dry blend that saves all the best for those who wait 5-10 years, this vintage especially. 95 points. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2020

The best wines grow on you with repeated sips. This is such a wine. It’s light coloured and reserved, with herb and beeswax aroma notes, the taste fresh and crisp with lip-smacking dryness. Almond and honey notes are starting to appear. Lovely wine. 93 points. Huon Hooke, Gourmet Traveller WINE June 2020

2017 Yeringberg Chardonnay RRP $66
Our 2017 Chardonnay is a wonderful expression of both site and vintage, marrying delicacy, purity and finesse with an underlying sense of intensity and power. The nose is initially quite reticent, with notes of nectarine, lemon curd and honeydew melon. The complex palate displays similar control and restraint. Delicately spicy and textured, there’s a drive and savoury length to the flavours that mark this vintage out as one of our recent favourites. – Sandra de Pury

Hand-picked, 30% whole-bunch pressed, 70% crushed and destemmed, 70% wild-fermented, 35% mlf, matured for 11 months in barrel. Rich, round and supple. Strikingly different to the Mornington Peninsula styles coming ex ’17. James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion 2020

2017 Yeringberg Pinot Noir RRP $98
2017 brings delicacy and finesse to the fore in our Pinot Noir. Initially there are somewhat restrained aromas of raspberry, red cherry and cinnamon which lift beautifully with time, becoming more complex. On the palate, there’s a freshness and purity to the fruit, an immediacy of perfume and length, and an overall sense of silky, understated restraint. At the same time, the depth and concentration that comes from vine age, as well as the ripeness and maturity of the tannins ensure it is savoury and serious. Deceptively approachable now, this is a vintage that will continue to blossom with time. – Sandra de Pury

This has attractively fresh red cherries and beautifully pure and fragrant perfume. The palate is fleshy, supple and so deliciously fresh. A superb Pinot from Yeringberg, one of their finest recent vintages. Drink or hold. Screw cap. 95 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com

2017 Yeringberg Shiraz RRP $90
97% Shiraz, 3% Viognier. Our 2017 Shiraz is another wine of elegance and restraint. Cool, savoury and spicy, the nose reveals delicate notes of blueberry, spices and violet, progressing to liquorice and black pepper as time in the glass adds depth and lift to the bouquet. The palate mirrors the experience –savoury, minerally and quietly brooding, the spicy, earthy blue fruits sit within a framework of serious but fine tannins that gradually soften to add breadth and plushness to the long, driven palate. Tasted over several days, it’s a wine of real presence – always elegant, svelte & sophisticated, it’s certainly not going to be rushed and will richly reward patient contemplation as it evolves over the next 7-10 years. – Sandra de Pury

Medium to full red with a tint of purple, a lighter colour for Shiraz, and the aroma has lots of cool-grown pepper, clove, garden mint and manifold other spices. The wine is intense and elegant, yet full-bodied, with a lot of licorice and pepper touches that endure on the palate and aftertaste. Lively, with fresh acidity and energy plus. A little ageing could mellow this to advantage. It’s very young and has a bright future. 94 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review April 2020

A rich and focused blend of 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier with lots of crushed-berry, spice and tobacco character. Full and silky. Flavourful finish. Shows intensity and precision. Why wait on this one? Drink now. Screw cap. 93 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com June 2019

2017 Yeringberg Cabernet RRP $98
Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Cabernet Franc 16%, Merlot 13%, Petit Verdot 6%, Malbec 5% The Bordeaux blend is what it is because, when it’s on song, it’s a wine of grace, completeness and elegant complexity, in which the bit players round out and add intrigue to the story being told by the main characters. Wonderful aromas of cassis, plum, violets, cigar box and clove dance effortlessly amongst notes of liquorice, leather, tapenade and graphite – everything seamless, delicately rich and beautifully poised. The palate, fresh, savoury and rounded, has an almost willowy elegance that gives a sense of lift and flow that belie the underlying depth of fruit and savoury, superfine structure. A wine that typifies what we aim for in our blend, and one we expect will offer pleasure for 10, 15, even 20 years. – Sandra de Pury

Deep, bright red colour with a good tint of purple. The bouquet has mulberry, violet and cranberry aromas, quite multi-faceted, while the palate is bright and concentrated, with a lovely array of flavours. It’s very complex and detailed with floral, spice and berry flavours galore. The tannins are fine and insistent and run the full length of the palate. This is sheer class. 96 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review April 2020

There’s a bold, juicy and foresty feel to this Bordeaux-inspired blend that has a wealth of summer-berry, bracken and leafy aromas. The palate is fresh, juicy and elegantly structured with good richness and freshness of blueberries and cassis. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Drink now or hold. Screw cap. 94 points. Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com June 2019