Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of plums, tobacco leaves, cured meat and black olives. The palate is full-bodied with fine tannin and bright acidity, giving notes of blackberry bush, graphite, earth and spices.
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Wine & Spirits
A gracious, floral shiraz, this wine’s tension shows in the crunch of its pomegranate fruit. It’s light, even for a Yarra Valley shiraz, focused on freshness—one taster described it as “frozen tart berries.” The tannins are rocky and firm, though the wine feels gentle, a delicate study in contrasts.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant, featuring white pepper and talcum powder notes opening with an aromatic air. Wild strawberry, pomegranate and roasted herb elements complement the dried cherry flavors at the core, smooth and weightless. Drink now through 2027.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
As the most important area of wine production in Victoria today, the Yarra Valley is most popular for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which account for over half of vineyard acreage. A gentle, rolling and rural region alongside the Margaret River, the Yarra Valley has a cool maritime climate with a lengthy growing season, perfect for these cool-climate varieties.
Two styles of Pinot Noir are possible here. The warmer Lower Yarra Valley with sandy, loam soils, produces plush and fruity Pinot Noir while the cooler, higher-elevation Upper Yarra Valley with soils of young red basalt, produces more angular and mineral-driven Pinot Noir.
Yarra Valley Chardonnay is among the best in Australia. To preserve the floral aromatics and fresh citrus flavors for which this area’s Chardonnay is so appreciated, time in barrel is restrained (though barrel fermentation is common). The best Yarra Valley Chardonnays display brilliant acidity, leesy characteristics, citrus, stone fruit and flavors of ginger and spice.
Shiraz and Cabernet find success in parts of this region as well.