Yarra Valley: finely chiselled Pinot Noir and taut Chardonnay
18 bottles, from valley Pinot Noir to Yarra Yering's CabernetAn hour's drive east of Melbourne, the vines climb from the banks of a river up to wooded hillsides. The air stays cool all summer, night falls quickly, the harvest comes late. This corner of Victoria gives perfumed reds and straight whites, the opposite of the sun-baked wines of the warm South.
Two houses carry the selection. Yarra Yering, settled at Gruyere since 1969, runs through its numbered blends and its single-vineyard cuvées. Innocent Bystander opens the list with a trio of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Shiraz, at a contained price.
Yarra Yering - Dry Red N°2 2016
A Yarra Valley red, at once fragrant, spicy and deeply savoury.
Mac Forbes - Pinot Noir 2021
A Yarra Valley Pinot Noir all about finesse and freshness. Fruity, floral and subtly spiced.
Mac Forbes - Coldstream Villages Pinot Noir 2020
An ample, precise Pinot Noir from Coldstream, where depth of fruit meets the freshness of the Yarra Valley.
Mac Forbes - Hugh Cabernets 2019
A precise, elegant Yarra Valley Cabernet, driven by fine tannins and remarkable freshness.
Mac Forbes - GI Spring Riesling 2021
A lively, delicate high-altitude Riesling, between fruity brightness, floral finesse and mineral tension.
Yarra Yering - Pinot Noir 2018
A Pinot Noir from a cool climate combining aromatic finesse, silky texture and great precision on the palate.
Innocent Bystander - Chardonnay 2021
An Australian Chardonnay from a cool climate, combining precise fruit, vibrant freshness and measured elegance.
Innocent Bystander - Pinot Noir 2020
An elegant and juicy Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley, driven by freshness and aromatic finesse.
Yarra Yering - Warramate Pinot Noir 2021
A Pinot Noir from the Yarra Valley combining aromatic finesse, freshness and elegant texture.
Yarra Yering - Chardonnay 2021
An Australian Chardonnay of great precision, where freshness, mineral tension and elegance come together to reveal all the finesse of the Yarra Valley's cool terroirs.
Yarra Yering - Agincourt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
A Yarra Valley cabernet combining freshness, aromatic precision and elegant structure.
Yarra Yering - Dry Red N°3 2019
A red from the Yarra Valley combining freshness, spice and fine texture, the elegant signature of Yarra Yering.
Yarra Yering - Underhill Shiraz 2017
A refined and spicy expression of Shiraz from the Yarra Valley, combining freshness, depth and length.
Yarra Yering - Dry Red N°1 2019
A great Bordeaux blend from the Yarra Valley, combining freshness, precision and aromatic depth.
Innocent Bystander - Syrah 2019
A juicy and spicy Australian Syrah, carried by the freshness of the Yarra Valley.
Yarra Yering - Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
A highly precise Cabernet Sauvignon from the Yarra Valley, combining aromatic intensity, freshness and fine texture.
Yarra Yering - Warramate Chardonnay 2020
A precise and elegant Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley, where freshness, fruit finesse and controlled oak are harmoniously balanced.
Yarra Yering - Carrodus Shiraz 2018
A Shiraz from the Yarra Valley of great finesse, combining aromatic intensity, freshness and depth of texture
The sectors, from the lowest to the highest
The valley works on two levels. Below, along the river, grey clay loams and ancient gravels ripen the Bordeaux grape varieties and Shiraz. Higher up, towards the south-east, the red volcanic soils of the Upper Yarra delay the harvest and sharpen the whites.
| The sector | Altitude and soil | The dominant grape variety | What ends up in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gruyere, at the foot of the WarramateYarra Yering | 80 to 150 m, grey clay silts mixed with ancient gravels | Cabernet Sauvignon | Blackcurrant and cedar, straight tannins, long length |
| Coldstream and the river plainInnocent Bystander | 60 to 150 m, alluvium and grey silts over clay | Pinot Noir | Juicy cherry, supple palate, immediate fruit |
| Yarra Glen and Dixons Creek, to the north | 100 to 200 m, red clays, wide-open slopes | Shiraz | Ripe black fruit, pepper, enveloping tannins |
| Steels Creek and Healesville | 120 to 250 m, brown soils over an ancient bedrock | Pinot Noir | Floral perfume, clean acidity, medium body |
| Warramate Hills, north-facing slopeYarra Yering | 180 to 300 m, free-draining slopes, cool nights | Pinot Noir and Chardonnay | Taut red fruit, fine tannins, tight texture |
| Seville and Woori Yallock, Upper Yarra | 250 to 350 m, deep red volcanic soils | Chardonnay | Lemon and chalk, saline finish, moderate alcohol |
| Gladysdale and Hoddles Creek, the upper valley | 300 to 400 m, volcanic soils, late harvest | Chardonnay | Lively acidity, linear palate, fine substance |
The valley's two core grape varieties can be followed from one country to the next on the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay pages. To come in at the bottom of the list, the Innocent Bystander Chardonnay opens the range at €22.10 a bottle, by the case of 6.
The Yarra Yering cuvées, from number to vineyard
Bailey Carrodus planted Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties here when his neighbours were choosing Pinot Noir. His blends carry a number rather than a grape name, while the single-plot selections carry the name of a vineyard or of the founder. Here is the complete reading, from the entry price to the bottle for keeping.
| The cuvée | The grape varieties | The profile | Price per bottle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warramate Pinot Noir 2021Warramate hillsides | Pinot Noir | Restrained extraction, fresh red fruit, fine tannins | €33.80 per bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Agincourt Cabernet Sauvignon 2017Agincourt plots | 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Malbec | Blackcurrant and violet, graphite, slender structure | €75 per bottle, in a set of 2 |
| Pinot Noir 2018The estate's historic blocks | Pinot Noir | Silky texture, malolactic in barrique, great precision | €75 per bottle, in a set of 2 |
| Chardonnay 2020North-facing slope of the Warramate | Chardonnay | Whole-bunch pressing, native yeasts, lemony tension | €76 per bottle, in a set of 2 |
| Dry Red N°3 2019Rhône-inspired | 95% Shiraz, 3% Viognier, 2% Marsanne | Spice and flowers, taut fruit, finesse of texture | €79 per bottle, in a set of 2 |
| Underhill Shiraz 2017Underhill vineyard | Shiraz | Open vat and punching down by hand, pepper, depth | €79.80 per bottle, in a set of 2 |
| Dry Red N°1 2019Bordeaux-inspired | 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot | Precise black fruit, tight structure, long ageing | €99 per bottle, in a set of 2 |
| Carrodus Shiraz 2018Plot selection, hand-picked | Shiraz | Aromatic intensity, deep texture, fresh finish | €159 per bottle, sold individually |
| Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2017Among the oldest blocks in the valley | Cabernet Sauvignon | Extended maceration, fine tannins, remarkable length | €219 per bottle, sold individually |
Innocent Bystander holds the other end of the list, with a Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay and a Syrah from the valley at €22.10 a bottle, by the case of 6. The king grape of the numbered blends can be found elsewhere in the world on the Cabernet Sauvignon page, and the Rhône version on the Syrah page.
Where to start in the valley
Ways in for every mood, from the midweek glass to the birthday bottle.
Start the range with a white
Fermented in stainless-steel tanks and aged on the fine lees: precise fruit, vibrant acidity, 12.5% abv. The quintessential weekday white.
Innocent Bystander Chardonnay 2021 · €22.10 per bottle, by the case of 6Taste the region's Pinot Noir
Some whole bunches, gentle extraction: fresh cherry, juicy texture, clean finish. A light red to serve at around 15 °C.
Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir 2020 · €22.10 per bottle, by the case of 6Understand cool-climate Shiraz
Same grape variety as in the Barossa, another face: juicy fruit, fine spice, a tight palate. Worth tasting against a red from the warm South to measure the gap.
Innocent Bystander Syrah 2019 · €22.10 per bottle, by the case of 6Step up a notch on Pinot
Free-draining Warramate hillsides, hand harvesting, gently managed maceration. More perfume, more poise, a Sunday bottle.
Yarra Yering Warramate Pinot Noir 2021 · €33.80 per bottle, by the case of 6The estate's white for ageing
Whole-bunch pressing, French oak barrels of which thirty per cent new, malolactic set aside to keep the tension. Ten years of potential.
Yarra Yering Chardonnay 2020 · €76 per bottle, in a set of 2A southern-hemisphere Bordeaux blend
Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot vinified separately then aged in barrique. The house signature, for a cut of beef.
Yarra Yering Dry Red N°1 2019 · €99 per bottle, in a set of 2Give a great Cabernet from the far side of the world
The estate's oldest blocks, extended maceration, patient ageing. A cellar bottle, to open for a fine table.
Yarra Yering Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 · €219 per bottle, sold individuallySee the country's other face
North of Adelaide, the heat gives a dense, candied Shiraz, on ungrafted vines. The exact counterpoint to this cool valley.
Section page · Barossa and Eden Valley
The valley that lost its vines and then replanted them
The vine arrives here in 1838, at the Yering estate, and the valley soon supplies the best bottles of the colony of Victoria, medalled as far away as Paris. Then taste changes: the British market calls for fortified wines, high in alcohol, which this cool climate struggles to ripen. Owners pull up their vines, dairy farming takes over the hillsides, and the last harvest falls in the early 1920s.
Forty years later, doctors and academics from Melbourne buy up plots to replant. Bailey Carrodus sets up Yarra Yering at Gruyere in 1969 and chooses Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties from the outset. The valley now counts more than a hundred estates, once again the benchmark for Australia's cool climates.
How do you choose
On this range we taste before we list, and we look for the same thing in a white as in a red: tension. The fruit has to stay clean, the wood has to be forgotten, the finish has to hold straight. We then follow the houses that harvest by hand and keep their ageing measured, to let the hillside speak rather than the barrel.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we are asked about the Yarra Valley
Why are these bottles sold in sets or by the case?
The Australian estates we follow ship their cuvées in full cases, and keeping that packaging holds the price per bottle down. The price shown on each listing is always the bottle price, with the sales format right beside it. The estate's two Carrodus cuvées, for their part, are still offered singly.
Are Shiraz and Syrah the same grape variety?
Yes, one grape under two names. Australia kept the spelling shiraz received in the 19th century, France writes syrah. The word above all announces a style: shiraz suggests the sun-baked version of the warm South, syrah the peppery version of cool climates, the one found in this valley. Both are gathered on the Syrah page.
What is the difference between the lower and upper valley?
Altitude and soil. Along the river, between 60 and 200 metres, the grey clay loams and the gravels ripen Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The Upper Yarra climbs towards 400 metres on red volcanic soils: a later harvest, brisker acidity, and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir find their best ground there.
What do the numbers on the Dry Red cuvées mean?
They point to a family of blends rather than to a grape variety. The Dry Red No. 1 follows the Bordeaux model, with 73% Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out with Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The Dry Red No. 3 offered here blends 95% Shiraz with a touch of Viognier and Marsanne, in the manner of the northern Rhône.
Does Cabernet Sauvignon succeed in a cool climate?
It gains in precision. On the gravels of Gruyere, ripening stretches into autumn and the grapes keep their acidity: the wine comes out straighter, more perfumed, with blackcurrant, violet and a thread of graphite. Expect fine ageing potential, ten years and more for the estate's cuvées.
Which Pinot Noir to start with?
Start with the one from Innocent Bystander, at €22.10 a bottle by the case of 6: juicy fruit, supple texture, it sets the tone of the region. Then move on to Yarra Yering's Warramate Pinot Noir, at €33.80 a bottle, to measure what a well-exposed hillside brings.
How long do these wines keep?
The Innocent Bystander cuvées are for drinking in their first five years, on the fruit. The numbered blends and the Warramate Pinot Noir hold five to ten years. The estate's Chardonnay, the Underhill Shiraz and the two Carrodus wines pass the decade and then gain in spice, truffle and waxy notes.
At what temperature should these bottles be served?
Pinot Noir is served cool, around 15 °C, in a wide glass that lets the perfume rise. The Shiraz and the Bordeaux blends prefer 16 to 17 °C, with half an hour in a decanter on young vintages. The Chardonnays are better out of the cold, around 11 to 12 °C.
Which dishes go with the wines of this valley?
Pinot Noir goes with roast duck, grilled salmon and mushrooms. Cool-climate Syrah calls for peppery charcuterie or lamb with herbs. The Bordeaux blends ask for a cut of beef or a rack of veal. Taut Chardonnay sits well with poultry in a cream sauce, scallops or a fresh cheese.