Yering Station – Pinot Noir Reserve, Yarra Valley – 2021

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
With vines being first planted in 1838 by Scottish-born Ryrie brothers, Yering Station was the first vineyard in Victoria State. The brothers acquired 17,400 hectares and planted two grape varieties at the time -‘Black Cluster’ and ‘Sweet Water’. In 1850, the site was sold to a Swiss-French immigrant, Paul de Castella. He increased the vineyard by a further 20 hectares, sourcing vines from around the globe including some from Chateau Lafite. A jewel in the Yarra Valley crown, Yering Station produces world-class cool climate wines from its revered vineyards which are famously abound with expressive varietal flavour and integrity.

THE VINTAGE:
2021 was an excellent vintage. The cooler growing season, with perfect day and night temperatures, resulted in lovely natural balance. No manipulation in the vineyard was required, this vintage has produced some of the best fruit the vineyard has seen.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
Situated just 45 kilometres east of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a large and diverse cool-climate wine region. Its elevation spectacularly ranges from lows of 50m to heights of 1,250m, due to the influence of the Great Dividing Range. The region is characterised by significant rainfall during winter and spring, which helps to nourish the vines throughout the dry, but cool summers. The estate Pinot Noir vines for this wine are all the MV6 clone, which vary in age from five to 22 years. They are cane pruned VSP trained, which suits the terroir made up of Duplex grey loam over yellow clay soils. Each vintage, the use of precision viticulture is used to map and isolate the finest parcels from the best blocks and even the best rows. Such practices include innovative soil and canopy mapping technology known as EM38; this enables the viticulture team to unearth microvariations within the parcels. The vineyard is hand harvested.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The flagship Pinot Noir, only made from the best grapes, in the best years. The Pinot Noir grapes were fermented in an open fermenter with a combination of wild and selected yeasts, lasting 10 days with skin contact for 10 days to impart refined structure, flavours and aromas. It was racked to 500-litre French oak puncheons, of which 15% were new, where it spent 10 months maturing.

OUR TASTING NOTES:
A complex and beautifully balanced Pinot Noir, with layers of fresh and dried fruit, toasty, nutmeg spice and earthy notes, which seamlessly flow like fine silk through to an everlasting finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Pinot Noir 100%.