|
A BLEND OF SHIRAZ/VIOGNIER/MARSANNE
NOTES
The reputation of the valley in the 19th-early 20th centuries rested on Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, and these were the main varieties planted, but it was essential to give Pinot Noir a go, and so a smallish area of that was in the first planting. These three grapes dominated the first three wines.
Classically, Cabernet Sauvignon has always had companions – Cabernet Franc was excluded because the only Australian examples had an earthiness which was not wanted – so Malbec and Merlot were in the early plantings and later some Petit Verdot. Shiraz on its own will develop the desired complexity with about ten years in bottle, but the Rhone Valley shows what some companions will do for it. We tried some other Rhone reds, but had difficulty ripening them. Eventually we were given some Viognier, and there has been a small amount in the No.2 Dry Red since 1984. Small amounts of whites were also planted, mainly for our own pleasure, but the vineyard is predominantly red.
In 1988 4 hectares of fifteen-year old Shiraz on adjacent land to the East became available and is known as Underhill. This is supposed to be a rough translation of the name Prigorje which the previous owner had given it, in memory of the Croatian village from which he came. The idea behind buying the Shiraz had been to increase the amount of No.2 Dry Red, but about the same time the EU recognized YY as a viticultural sub-region in its own right, and we could not blend in material from outside the original site. The division of Australian vineyards into regions etc has now been reviewed and these restrictions no longer apply. Later additions of 8 and 12 hectares have been incorporated into YY.
TASTING NOTES
Yarra Yering's flagship releases are always viscous berry bombs containing more than one variety. Assigning the ever changing cuvees blend numbers has liberated the estate winemakers to modify the mix as they develop their ideas about the styles. The No.2 Dry Red from this vintage is Shiraz with a small proportion of Viognier and Marsanne. Chewy and delicious it offers the magnificent mature flavours of a dashing Cotes Rhone, perfectly harmonized Shiraz fruit and tannins, soaring prominently against a backwash of quenching fruit acids and sunny palate warmth.
Colour is dreamy, very blue-red with robes of velvet purple. The bouquet is immediate and quite anxious, after a short breathing there are genie like vapours of rich expressive spices, a redolent nose of pepper and plums. Massively powerful with thick chewy fruit, a marmalade like acid and an astonishingly complex spectrum of flavours - sweet ripe and plummy with vanilla spice. Long and very impressive, this dandy No.2 is a treat, hard to resist and to put it plainly, delicious.
|
