Yarra Yering, Dry Red Wine 'No 1', 2020
Yarra Yering, Dry Red Wine 'No 1', 2020
- 75cl
- 13.5%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot
- Organic
- Biodynamic
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
Couldn't load pickup availability
Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2045
Est. delivery in August, 2026
Bailey Carrodus planted Yarra Yering in 1969, and the Dry Red No. 1 has been one of Australia's most singular wines ever since. It is a Bordeaux blend in structure only; the Yarra Valley's cool elevation and volcanic soils give it something altogether different from anything you'd find in the Médoc: a leaner, more aromatic profile, with dark cherry and dried herb sitting alongside graphite and earth rather than the riper cassis of warmer climates.
The 2020 vintage was one of the cooler years, and that shows as tautness and precision rather than generosity.
What the critics say:
"The cabernet fruit was destemmed and crushed, the other varieties kept as whole berries. Matured 15 months in French barrel (40% new). A deep, bright crimson-purple hue. Essence of great cabernet with its core of blackcurrant and boysenberry fruit, as well as a complex assortment of cardamon, coriander seed, black tea and gentle, fresh tobacco leaf. Just as good on the detailed, layered and persistent palate. There is a coolness and restraint to the cassis fruit that builds, culminating in a long, chalky tannin finish. A complete and beautiful wine"
Yarra Yering's vineyards sit at around 150 metres elevation in the Upper Yarra Valley, on deep, red volcanic soils derived from weathered basalt. These soils drain well but retain enough moisture to support slow, even ripening through the valley's cool, maritime-influenced growing season. The result is grapes with natural acidity and aromatic lift rather than the alcohol-driven weight you'd expect from warmer Australian regions. That volcanic base gives the wines their distinctive mineral, almost graphite-like character.
The Yarra Valley is Victoria's most celebrated cool-climate wine region, sitting in the foothills east of Melbourne at elevations ranging from around 50 to 400 metres. There is no strict appellation system governing varieties or yields in the way that French AOC rules operate, but the GI (Geographical Indication) designation broadly protects the regional name. The Upper Yarra, where Yarra Yering sits, is the cooler, more marginal end of the valley, and produces wines with noticeably more tension and longevity than those from the flatter, warmer Lower Yarra around Yering Station and De Bortoli.
The 2020 vintage in the Yarra Valley was shaped by extremes before a single berry was picked. The Black Summer bushfires that devastated much of south-eastern Australia over the 2019–20 summer cast a long shadow, and smoke taint was a genuine and serious concern across the region. Growers had to make difficult calls, with some dropping fruit entirely and others vinifying small parcels to assess what they had. A dry, warm growing season followed, producing low yields and concentrated fruit — for those who navigated the smoke question carefully, the raw material was genuinely exciting.
The wines that made it through selection are, by and large, very good indeed. Pinot Noir shows real depth and structure without sacrificing the cool-climate lift the Yarra does so well. Chardonnay fared particularly well, with tension and drive that reward patience. These are not wines to rush. The better Pinots and Chardonnays are drinking well now but have plenty still to give, and we'd comfortably cellar the more serious examples until 2028 or beyond.
OUR GROWERS
Yarra Yering
Explore related wines
-
-
Speak to one of our Wine Gurus
Speak to a Wine GuruWith years of experience, our team can help you with all your wine buying and selling needs