Yeringberg New Release 2022 Vintage
Yarra Valley pioneers, the de Pury family are renowned for wines of finesse and elegance that epitomise the finest the region can produce. JAMES HALLIDAY
There's something timeless about Yeringberg, and it's not just the sign on the discreet gate at the start of the long winding driveway, nor the National Trust-classified timber 19th-century winery. It's the owners – the de Pury family – and their unhurried attitude. HUON HOOKE
Elegance is the keyword: the wines are medium bodied at best and moderate in alcohol. Fine boned, subtle, well-balanced, very drinkable wines are the end result. And the better vintages age beautifully for at least 25 years. DECANTER
The future could not be more exciting for one of the Yarra’s oldest and most important producers. PHILIP RICH
People throw descriptors and hyperbole around in the wine trade. It's a business after all and there's a lot on the line for producers to try and find a foothold in a crowded market. I get it, but that's why when it comes time to write an offer for a producer like Yeringberg there's no need to add another layer of guff to the story. Their tale was written long before there was such a thing as a marketing department or social media. They predate the need to convince you of their worth, that job has been happening since the 1860s, most recently in the hands of Guil de Pury and now his uber-talented daughter Sandra. They are a true icon of Australian wine.
In the last few vintages I've fallen in love again with these wines; partly because I've gravitated back to the traditional Yarra styling - understated but intense - but also because I think Sandra has elevated the wines to an even higher plain. That has happened in a quiet, incremental way; a trademark de Pury no-nonsense way,. Little by little she's tightened and tweaked. The wines still carry the compelling styling of before, but Sandra has somehow made them even more detailed and transparent.
?????I don't wish to re-write the same story you probably all know but I will say that you can't help but be struck by the place when you visit here. It couldn't be less like the big modern Yarra wineries that surround it. No big signs, no shiny cellar door, no stainless steel architect designed winery - although concrete floors and a new press have been added in recent times! You feel like wine is a part of the wider farming business of the property. But, it's a time capsule and vinous treasure and somehow the DNA of the place is in the wines. Sounds dumb, but there's a relaxed, timeless quality to the wines and the style that you feel as you walk around the place.
The 2022s are wonderful, each wine an exercise in restraint - clarion clear varietal expression, effortless flow leaving a palate staining impression via balance and siren song textures rather than alcohol and artifice. It's a compelling set of wines from go to woe and sure, the big dogs in the stable (cabernets and marsanne roussanne) shine but I also loved the viognier and the shiraz; the former showing lovely varietal expression of apricot, honey and ginger but with restrained textures so it doesn't tip over the oil edge that viognier sometimes can. In the shiraz you have medium weight red and blue fruits, spice, slippery texture and flow.
Last year the 2021 Cabernets was my wine of the year. The 2022 will go the same way. It's fabulous again as is the Roussanne Marsanne. Wonderful wines heading the stable.
?????
A couple of other points. I've included a couple of extras this year. The first wine is the BabyBerg, a white field blend dominated by roussanne and marsanne with the former seeing some extra time on skins to create some nice phenolic grip which elevates the more dour elements in the Rhone white varieties. Don't read skin contact and get scared here. Remember this is a Yeringberg wine and Sandra has managed the process beautifully and produced a wine that's a great mid-week bistro style white that will sing with food.
While we were there, the winery also offered us the chance to sell some older stock. I've listed those wines below with third party reviews. They're a lovely set of wines and show the vintages (2016 & 2014) and also show how well these wines age. By the way, the 2022s are a good example of a vintage that should see some cellar time. They will reward you in spades.
Finally, this is a great vintage for the property BUT it's a small one so get in quick.
Cheers and enjoy
Michael
There's something timeless about Yeringberg, and it's not just the sign on the discreet gate at the start of the long winding driveway, nor the National Trust-classified timber 19th-century winery. It's the owners – the de Pury family – and their unhurried attitude. HUON HOOKE
Elegance is the keyword: the wines are medium bodied at best and moderate in alcohol. Fine boned, subtle, well-balanced, very drinkable wines are the end result. And the better vintages age beautifully for at least 25 years. DECANTER
The future could not be more exciting for one of the Yarra’s oldest and most important producers. PHILIP RICH
People throw descriptors and hyperbole around in the wine trade. It's a business after all and there's a lot on the line for producers to try and find a foothold in a crowded market. I get it, but that's why when it comes time to write an offer for a producer like Yeringberg there's no need to add another layer of guff to the story. Their tale was written long before there was such a thing as a marketing department or social media. They predate the need to convince you of their worth, that job has been happening since the 1860s, most recently in the hands of Guil de Pury and now his uber-talented daughter Sandra. They are a true icon of Australian wine.
In the last few vintages I've fallen in love again with these wines; partly because I've gravitated back to the traditional Yarra styling - understated but intense - but also because I think Sandra has elevated the wines to an even higher plain. That has happened in a quiet, incremental way; a trademark de Pury no-nonsense way,. Little by little she's tightened and tweaked. The wines still carry the compelling styling of before, but Sandra has somehow made them even more detailed and transparent.
?????I don't wish to re-write the same story you probably all know but I will say that you can't help but be struck by the place when you visit here. It couldn't be less like the big modern Yarra wineries that surround it. No big signs, no shiny cellar door, no stainless steel architect designed winery - although concrete floors and a new press have been added in recent times! You feel like wine is a part of the wider farming business of the property. But, it's a time capsule and vinous treasure and somehow the DNA of the place is in the wines. Sounds dumb, but there's a relaxed, timeless quality to the wines and the style that you feel as you walk around the place.
The 2022s are wonderful, each wine an exercise in restraint - clarion clear varietal expression, effortless flow leaving a palate staining impression via balance and siren song textures rather than alcohol and artifice. It's a compelling set of wines from go to woe and sure, the big dogs in the stable (cabernets and marsanne roussanne) shine but I also loved the viognier and the shiraz; the former showing lovely varietal expression of apricot, honey and ginger but with restrained textures so it doesn't tip over the oil edge that viognier sometimes can. In the shiraz you have medium weight red and blue fruits, spice, slippery texture and flow.
Last year the 2021 Cabernets was my wine of the year. The 2022 will go the same way. It's fabulous again as is the Roussanne Marsanne. Wonderful wines heading the stable.
?????
A couple of other points. I've included a couple of extras this year. The first wine is the BabyBerg, a white field blend dominated by roussanne and marsanne with the former seeing some extra time on skins to create some nice phenolic grip which elevates the more dour elements in the Rhone white varieties. Don't read skin contact and get scared here. Remember this is a Yeringberg wine and Sandra has managed the process beautifully and produced a wine that's a great mid-week bistro style white that will sing with food.
While we were there, the winery also offered us the chance to sell some older stock. I've listed those wines below with third party reviews. They're a lovely set of wines and show the vintages (2016 & 2014) and also show how well these wines age. By the way, the 2022s are a good example of a vintage that should see some cellar time. They will reward you in spades.
Finally, this is a great vintage for the property BUT it's a small one so get in quick.
Cheers and enjoy
Michael
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Yeringberg Shiraz 2022A medium crimson purple. A gentle wine in '22, you'll find aromas of red and blue fruits together with loads of white pepper, spice and fresh flowers. There's a little meatiness too, which follows onto the medium-bodied, elegant yet persistent palate. A touch closed at present; this will open up and become more perfumed and silkier over the next three to five years and beyond. (95) JAMES HALLIDAY'S WINE COMPANION
Perfumed and elegant aromas of dark cherries, Damson plums, cassia bark, potpourri and pepper. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of wild blackberries, sweet spices, violets and dried herbs. Refined and pure with a savory edge. (95) JAMES SUCKLING
2022shirazAustralia506$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Yeringberg Marsanne Rousanne 2016Marsanne 59%, Roussanne 41%. Our white Rhône blend is a subtle wine that displays restraint and quiet power. It starts subdued, with hints of pear, honeysuckle, lanolin and quince. With air it expands, building depth and breadth, showing notes of honey, lemon and jasmine. On the palate, it's both taut and well rounded, savoury and subtly pithy, but also spicy and gently viscous. It's a fabulous food wine that manages to complement both delicate and more fully flavoured dishes and, unusually, satisfies both white and red wine drinkers. Full of promise, the 2016 is certainly enjoyable now, and will continue to evolve over a number of years. SANDRA DE PURY
A 59/41% split, spends 10 months on lees in seasoned barrels and it's a mighty wine for its depth and precision. Flavour wise, it's perfectly proportioned with whispers of stone fruit, honeysuckle, creamed honey and fine acidity. 95 points. JAMES HALLIDAY
An exotic nose showing spicy loquat, dried cloves, white peppers, sage, green apple ice cream and even some camembert. Full-bodied and very layered with pears and peach pith, which are really intensely flavored. Long and very spicy on the finish. Drink now. Screw cap. 94 points JAMES SUCKLING2016Marsanne, RoussaneAustralia506$110.00 As low as $99.00