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Yarra Yering – Yarra Valley, VIC
"In 1973 Dr Bailey Carrodus released the first commercial vintage in the Yarra Valley in 50 years. Almost another 50 years on, the wines crafted from the fabled site that he chose so meticulously at the foot of the Warramate Hills have stepped forward as the very finest in the country. Winemaker Sarah Crowe embraced the vision and legacy so clearly set by Dr Carrodus from the outset, winning her the accolade of Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year in 2017 for the wines of 2014, her very first vintage at Yarra Yering.
The entrance to Yarra Yering's Yarra Valley Tasting Room and cellar door.
Winemaker Sarah Crowe embraced the vision and legacy so clearly set by Dr Carrodus from the outset, winning her the accolade of Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year in 2017.
Sarah is an intuitive winemaker with a profound insight into the contribution of each component in a blend. Her acute attention to the finer details has elevated the beautiful fruit from this site, through less reliance on new oak, and the resulting wine is immaculately preserved under screw caps.
Her wines in this edition hail from the 2019 harvest, marking the 50th anniversary of the planting of the vines. Even in this warm season in the Yarra, her wines carry a beguiling grace and breathtaking refinement. Every wine she has put forward this year is exceptional, and none more so than cabernet sauvignon and its blends – the true hero variety of the Yarra.
In the panel taste-off for Red Wine of the Year, the winner of Cabernet and Family (Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2019) went head-to-head with the winner of Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarra Yering Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2019) and it effectively became a two-horse race. The blend took the honours and went all the way to Wine of the Year." – JF & TS
Pictured from left to right: vineyard manager Andrew George and winemaker and general manager Sarah Crowe.
Her wines in this edition hail from the 2019 harvest, marking the 50th anniversary of the planting of the vines. Even in this warm season in the Yarra, her wines carry a beguiling grace and breathtaking refinement. Every wine she has put forward this year is exceptional, and none more so than cabernet sauvignon and its blends – the true hero variety of the Yarra.
In the panel taste-off for Red Wine of the Year, the winner of Cabernet and Family (Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2019) went head-to-head with the winner of Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarra Yering Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon 2019) and it effectively became a two-horse race. The blend took the honours and went all the way to Wine of the Year." – JF & TS
Tyson Stelzer on our 2022 Winery of the Year
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Join United Cellars and Yarra Yering winemaker Sarah Crowe on 14 October for an evening of sumptuous food and wine at the two-hatted Bentley Restaurant. Tickets on sale here.
Shop the 2022 Halliday Awards range.
Previous Winery of the Year recipients were Paringa Estate (2007), Balnaves of Coonawarra (2008), Brookland Valley (2009), Tyrrell’s (2010), Larry Cherubino Wines (2011), Port Phillip Estate/Kooyong (2012), Kilikanoon (2013), Penfolds (2014), Hentley Farm Wines (2015), Tahbilk (2016), Mount Pleasant (2017), Mount Mary (2018), Seville Estate (2019), Jim Barry Wines (2020) and Henschke (2021).*This is an edited extract from the 2022 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by Jane Faulkner, James Halliday, Erin Larkin, Tony Love, Ned Goodwin MW, Jeni Port and chief editor Tyson Stelzer.
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