“Continues an outstanding run.”
Those are the words of James Halliday, uttered in reference to this latest release of Sandra and Guill de Pury’s Marsanne/Roussanne. But really, it could be taken as a reflection of the progress of the resolutely traditional Yeringberg. For all the family’s refusal to fall prey to faddishness, there’s no doubt that the de Purys have relentlessly dedicated their intelligence and sensitivity to the cause of refining their estate.
The vineyard, first planted in 1863, has naturally seen changes. Varieties like Chasselas, the staple white grape of Guill de Pury’s Swiss forebears, have fallen by the wayside, while Shiraz was in and out twice before finding its rightful place. The floral, spicy, silky 2012 shows that it’s well and truly found it. The obvious, uniform excellence of Yeringberg’s 2012 wines showed the value of lessons learned gradually and minutely through the ages.
As Halliday’s comment above suggests, 2013 carries on the stately, steady trajectory. On the white front, the Marsanne/Roussanne is joined by what Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media calls a silky, open-knit and elegant Viognier. Raynolds is likewise full of praise for the Chardonnay, which “closes with excellent focus and lift, leaving a subtle floral note behind”. “Wonderful length. Stunning wine,” is how the latest edition of the Halliday Wine Companion sums up the same wine.
Onto the reds, which are yet to be broadly reviewed. It’s well known that the 2013 vintage in the Yarra Valley was highly auspicious for Pinot Noir and Shiraz. As for the Yeringberg Bordeaux blend, you may recall that the 2012 won plenty of accolades, including best Cabernet at the Yarra Valley Wine Show, plus 98 points and a slot in Halliday’s top 100. The 2013 follow-up got the same score from Huon Hooke, who named it in his Top 25 wines of 2015. “A great wine, with a magical array of flavours,” he wrote.
“Things tend to accumulate when a family has lived at the same property for over 150 years,” mused Guill de Pury after donating the complete Yeringberg Archives – a set of vineyard and diary records spanning 1874 to 1956 – to the Yarra Ranges Museum. Just like all those documents detailing a domain painstakingly nurtured through the years, these wines are testament to the focus, wisdom and staying power of these pioneers.
THE WINES
2013 Yeringberg Marsanne/Roussanne RRP $66
(Marsanne 58%, Roussanne 42%). An immediately floral and intriguingly complex nose of spice, lemon rind and perfectly ripe pears. Savoury, rounded and with a real sense of chalky, acid-driven line, the subtly ripe palate builds volume as the wine opens up. Texturally it’s elegant and fine, with a gentle touch of grip that cries out for food; and as always, some time in the cellar will certainly reward you. – Sandra de Pury
58% Marsanne, 42% Roussanne. 50 dozen made. Soft, textural style with honeysuckle, peach and citrus flavours aplenty. No shortage of flavour but it finishes with daring acidity. Continues an outstanding run. 94 points. James Halliday
Yeringberg continues to get this blend right. It’s remarkably good drinking, both young though (more especially with a few years of bottle age under its belt. This release tastes of peach, honeysuckle and lime and despite its cutting length, boasts a mellifluous softness. 93+ points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Light yellow-gold. Spice- and mineral-accented orchard fruit aromas are given depth by suggestions of honey and peach pit. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering bitter pear skin and tangerine flavours sharpened by tangy acidity and a dusty mineral nuance. Puts on weight with air while maintaining vivacity and focus. Finishes spicy, stony and very long, with a hint of floral character and no rough edges. This is the best bottling of this wine I’ve had to date; it would pair up nicely alongside some serious northern Rhone whites. 92 points. Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media
2013 Yeringberg Viognier RRP $36
Can a wine smell unctuous? Like warm apricot crumble? It can certainly smell spicy, of gingerbread, tangerine and apricot jam. And while the palate mirrors that sense of the exotic with its mid-palate weight and volume, there’s also freshness and a savoury, almost tannic, grip that frames the fruit perfectly, providing balance and vitality. Improving every year, with the 2013 best consumed over the next five years. – Sandra de Pury
Heady, but well balanced. High quality. Textural. It tastes of apricot, ginger, hay and yeast and, most deliciously, kicks brilliantly through the finish. 92 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Light yellow. Lively orchard and pit fruit aromas are complicated by ginger, white flowers and dusty minerals. Silky and open-knit, showing very good energy to its white peach and bitter pear skin flavours. Displays firm bite and zesty lift on the finish, with the floral and ginger notes repeating. In a fat-free, elegant style that’s distinctly Rhône-like in character. 91 points. Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media
2013 Yeringberg Chardonnay RRP $66
This year’s Chardonnay has the sort of ripe but mineral-inflected complexity and savouriness we aim for. The nose is powerful yet wonderfully restrained, with hints of white peach, biscuit, honey, grapefruit and pineapple. In the mouth there’s a delicacy, purity and spine tingling acidity that brings focus to a generous and rounded palate that slowly builds and opens out with effortless generosity. And it goes on and on. Will be really singing in about 2020. – Sandra de Pury
Full-bodied attack, but it becomes more elegant as it drives through the palate. Complexity it certainly does not lack. Peach, bacon, spice and nectarine at first but increasingly wheaty and dry pear-like from the mid-palate onwards. Wonderful length. Stunning wine. 96 points. Halliday Wine Companion
Single vineyard wine grown on vines planted in 1974 and 1981. Minuscule quantity produced. Sunny disposition up-front but there’s a stern thoughtfulness beneath. Straw-coloured, peach and malt notes, spice, bacon, nectarine. Essence of chardonnay in that sense. But as you follow the wine along the palate it becomes increasingly elegant, its line of acid laced with oatmeal, yeast and dry pear flavours. Finishes with superb length. 95 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Light gold. Intense mineral-accented aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits, with notes of anise and honey adding depth. Concentrated but also lithe and precise, offering sappy orange and bitter pear skin flavours braced by a smoky mineral quality. Closes with excellent focus and lift, leaving a subtle floral note behind. This wine has a solid track record for aging and is still extremely young, so hands off. 92 points. Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media
2013 Yeringberg Pinot Noir RRP $98
Bright and energetic, laden with red berries, violets, spiced cherries and musky, plummy depth, the complex nose opens up to reveal savoury cedar and salumi elements, with hints of liquorice. Powerful and elegant on the palate, this is classic Yarra Valley Pinot. It’s fleshy, round and with a gently sappy twist, the super fine tannins frame a wine of real length. With time in the glass, and despite the apparent contradiction, the wine builds in volume and intensity while also looking both fresher and livelier. A lovely wine now, this will cellar beautifully for many years. – Sandra de Pury
2013 Yeringberg Shiraz RRP $85
Perhaps not surprisingly given our early experience with the variety in the 1970s, Shiraz has once again found a happy home in our vineyard. The 2013 vintage is a wine of depth, with lifted blue fruit, white pepper and intense aromatics. Elegant, and with a silky luxuriousness, the nose leads effortlessly onto the beautifully poised palate that delivers a wine of almost unexpected structure and focus. Savoury and sappy, yet generously fleshy, the mid-palate demands attention as it builds through the fine tannin core towards a long and expansive finish. A wine of structure and finesse for drinking now or over the next 10+ years. – Sandra de Pury
2013 Yeringberg Cabernet RRP $98
(Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Cabernet Franc 12%, Merlot 10%, Malbec 7%, Petit Verdot 6%) It reinforces the merits of blending the Bordeaux varieties – especially in the Yarra Valley. A wine of delightfully exotic and enticing aromas of blackcurrant, pastille, tapenade, violets, plums and almost Christmas cake-like richness precedes a more restrained layer of graphite and cigar box. The palate is effortlessly elegant and restrained with serious depth and structure. Young and deceptively delicate initially, time in the glass sees the mid-palate really fill out and the savoury structure sits almost invisibly into the deep, spicy fruit. Shows real promise and, as always, will provide great joy both now and in 15-20 years. – Sandra de Pury
The colour is relatively light: full red with a tinge of purple. Superb freshness and elegance, medium-bodied and delicious, complex and multi-layered. A great wine, with a magical array of flavours. All manner of berries and spices, dried flowers, dried herbs and dried fruits. Silky soft tannins. Refreshing on the finish. Not such a big fruit style, but deliciously drinkable and moreish. 98 points. Huon Hooke, Top 25 wines of 2015
Crushed dry tobacco. There’s an assortment of berried fruits here but the crush of smoky leaf, almost into cigar box territory, is as intoxicating as it is uplifting. It’s like an old school stamp of class; a ‘this is how it’s done’ moment. Fresh new oak plays a role here too but it’s a fully integrated one; a firm hand into a clean, tight-fitting glove. There is no need to worry on this one; it will age superbly. Complexity comes pre-prepared. 96 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front