Yering Station (Yarra Valley) –
“Yarrabank” Sparkling 2001 – Yeasty nose with citrus, cherry, and some earth. Palate strikes an excellent acid balance that is crisp and refreshing while not being acid dominant. Good mouth-feel and good palate length. Ready to drink for my tastes, but should hold for a few years. 89/100
“E.D” Rosé 2005 – The best Rosé that I tried at this event. The E.D stands for “Extra Dry”. Showing raspberry, strawberries and cherry on the nose. The palate matches the name in dryness. It actually exhibits some depth and structure on the palate, I would still be drinking it within a year of bottling, but it is slightly more interesting than your average easy drinking Rosé. 88/100
“Yarrabank” Creme De Cuvee NV – Not a wine that I have tried previously, but it left me with a good impression. Not sure of the exact composition of this, but nose suggests that it has a strong Pinot Noir component. A nose showing strawberry, cherries and pink fairy floss. Palate is creamy, and only shows a hint of sweetness that is balanced by acid. It was an interesting, slightly different sparkling wine. 87/100
Marsanne Rousanne Viognier (M.V.R) 2005 – Lemon, lime, spices and apricots on the nose. The palate is well balanced. I would drink this in its youth over the next year or two while it retains its fruit vibrancy. 87/100
“Late Harvest” Pinot Gris 2004 – The nose leaps out at you with some concentrated honey and apricot characters. An intense sweetness to the palate, perhaps a little bit too much sweetness to be balanced. With the right food to foil the sweetness this could be quite good. Mostly late-harvest grapes, but a small amount were Botrytis affected as well. 87/100
Shiraz Viognier 2004 – A spicy, floral nose. Viognier does not dominate, but just contributes to the floral lift on the nose. Palate is silky smooth. It doesn’t have the depth or structure of the highly regarded Reserve Shiraz Viognier, but should be nice drinking over the next year or two. 87/100
Chardonnay 2004 – Fruit driven nose of grapefruit, peach and some apples. Palate is medium bodied and pulls up slightly short on the finish. Best to drink this over the next 1 or 2 years. 86/100
“Mr Frog” Chardonnay 2004 – A new low priced wine in the Yering Station range. It has tropical fruit and primary grape notes showing on the nose. Palate lacks interest and finishes rather short. 83/100
Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Leafy, herbal, sappy green nose. The palate is thin and finishes short. 80/100
i’m a mad woman for the Yarrabank Creme De Cuvee NV.
drank it all day at a cheese tasting event and have been craving it ever since. hope it lives up to the memory!