Showcasing terroir

We’re delighted to present three new vintage releases from our Single Vineyard collection, including the addition of a Cabernet Sauvignon from our esteemed Spring Lane vineyard.

With all Single Vineyard wines, when a particular parcel is appreciated by our winemakers as unique or special, it is kept separate from blends and celebrated in its own right. Single Vineyard wines may not always represent our traditional house style, but rather showcase our unique Yarra Valley terroir and all it has to offer.

Let the wines speak for themselves…

2023 Y28 Block Chardonnay

A special parcel of Chardonnay from our Y28 block, typically responsible for producing Reserve-level Chardonnay. This wine is an expression of purity and finesse, showcasing the terroir of our estate’s Y28 vineyard. With a westerly facing slope and 75m elevation, this site produces a wine that demonstrates flavours of yellow stone fruits, crushed cashew and slight flint notes, bound in a beautifully fine and tense acidity.

 

2023 Laura Barnes Pinot Noir

Laura Barnes was the first Yarra Valley vineyard bought by the proprietors of Yering Station, the Rathbone family, named after their adored grandmother. The 2023 Laura Barnes is expressive of this significant site, displaying savoury foraged mushroom notes, with beautifully ripe cherry lifting the back of the palate.

 

2022 Spring Lane Cabernet Sauvignon 

The 2022 marks the first Single Vineyard release from our Spring Lane site since 2012. The culmination of terroir, winemaking and the vintage conditions of 2022 culminated to produce an earthen Cabernet Sauvignon that displays bright and crunchy red currants with lifts of plump blueberries, spice and oak nuances and fine tannins.

 

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We are proud to announce that we have ranked #34 in The Real Review’s Top Wineries Australia, 2024.

The Real Review Top Wineries Certificate is awarded to a select group of wineries that consistently produce excellent wine. This year, The Real Review tweaked their algorithm to give more acknowledgement to wineries that make more than one grape variety to an outstanding level.

Of the approximate 400 wineries involved, Yering Station were acknowledged for moving up an impressive amount in this year’s rankings.

Discover Our Top Scorers

 

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Amanda Flynn | Winemaker

This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on Amanda Flynn – one of our esteemed winemakers here at Yering Station. Join us in honouring her remarkable journey and invaluable contributions to our winemaking. Amanda’s dedication and expertise are extraordinary; she exemplifies strength, passion and sincerity in all that she does.

Introduction

Studying oenology at CSU and working alongside winemakers at Dominique Portet and Peter Mackey, she honed her craft. Amanda has also spent time winemaking and managing viticulture on an 8-acre property in West Gippsland. Completing AWRI AWAC and judging Australian wine shows further enriched her expertise. As a winemaker at Yering Station, Amanda strives to embody the purest expression of our cool climate fruit. Day to day, Amanda is responsible for quality control in the winery, along with contributing toward blending decision-making, management of workflow and staff development.

On being a woman in wine 

Amanda describes the experience as “fantastic. It is such an exciting and engaging industry to be a part of. We are seeing more and more women in higher management levels across both the winery and viticultural sectors. Pushing and changing the old way of doing things. Bringing a different perspective to the table.”

“Build connections. Keep investing in yourself to continue to learn, there are many great opportunities available. And most importantly… Have fun!”

Family values

“Harvest is difficult on all families across all agricultural sectors, but trying to fulfil your role as mum as well as a winemaker can be particularly difficult. I’m very lucky that I have support during the harvest period.

Both of my children have grown up in the winery. They have been in the vineyards, racking barrels, helping on the bottling line. The pandemic meant that my daughter had her science classes performing enzymatic testing for me. They both learn a lot during a day at work with mum, and they love being a part of ‘the crew’.”

Amanda’s inspiration

“I have three women who have been a great help and inspiration over the course of my career.

The first was Sandra de Pury of Yeringberg. Sandra was the first person to employ me as a cellar hand for the 2014 harvest. Since then, she has continued to be a great support of mine in both career and personal life.

The second is Janine Miller – I worked with Janine at a large contract facility in the Yarra Valley and she has taught me some of the best cellar craft I know. I would hands down say she is the most competent and professional cellar master I’ve worked with.

The third is Sam Connew from Stargazer – Sam was my mentor as part of the Wine Industry Mentor Program. She has given me some invaluable advice and has been a great sounding board. We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of the wonderful women who contribute to the success of Yering Station – across our vineyards, winery, administration, hospitality and corporate operations. Today and every day, we recognize your contributions to our team and industry. Thank you for your inspiring presence.”

To the women of Yering Station

We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of the wonderful women who contribute to the success of Yering Station – across our vineyards, winery, administration, hospitality and corporate operations. Today and every day, we recognize your contributions to our team and industry. Thank you for your inspiring presence.

Introducing Small Batch Gin.

A creative exploration, and our first-ever Gin release.

 

Rooted in our rich Yarra Valley terroir where our centuries-long journey began, this exciting release represents the values that steer our present-day vision — a harmonious fusion of tradition and innovation.

A grape’s bold leap

As it goes in wine, our team relentlessly drove this creative exploration with an unerring pursuit of excellence. Now extending our craft into the delicate artistry of distillation, this release represents a new chapter in our storybook.

 

An ode to our regional home

Honouring our incredible terroir, our Small Batch Gin is made from our Yarra Valley grapes, as well as distilled and bottled locally. We are equal parts proud and grateful to be able to craft a spirit that captures the true essence of our regional home and present it to the world.

 

01, our first batch release

Our first release celebrates the citrus notes eminent in our cool climate terroir – the nurturing ground for our Chardonnay. These vibrant citrus characters take centre stage; kumquat, lemon verbena, juicy ruby red grapefruit and the only rind of Meyer lemons. Rounded out with lifted notes of spicy pink peppercorn, orange blossom, ginger and vanilla. Enjoy this special release with your favourite dry tonic or sipped on its own.

Tasting Notes

Orange blossoms, cumquats, lemon verbena, the oily rind of Meyer lemons and juicy ruby red grapefruits. This beautifully aromatic gin is complimented with lifted notes of spicy pink peppercorn, ginger and vanilla. To be enjoyed with your favourite dry tonic or sipping on its own, ideally on a long warm summer evening | as described by our winemakers

 

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Yering Station is a Certified Member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.

“With a commitment to land comes responsibility. We’re very proud of our efforts in this space. We believe that sustainability isn’t just a goal, it’s a journey. One we embrace wholeheartedly, integrating, and continuing to integrate, sustainable practices into all facets of our operations.”

Rod Harrison, Chief Viticulturist.

Yering Station is proud to announce Sustainable Winegrowing Australia member certification for both our vineyards and our winery. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is Australia’s national program for grapegrowers and winemakers committed to making sustainable wine.

The voluntary program takes a holistic approach to managing, supporting, and promoting sustainability and is modelled on global best practices and aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with progress towards these monitored annually. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is a collaboration between The Australian Wine Research Institute, Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine.

“Our sustainability commitments are unerring, with our team constantly seeking out ways to implement new and innovative sustainability practises in our vineyards and our winery. We look forward to maintaining this important work, as part of the continuous improvement built into the SWA program.”

Brendan Hawker, Chief Winemaker

Read on to discover our ongoing sustainability commitments we employ across our estate.

It’s here. Starward Whisky x Yering Station: A Collaboration with Pinot Noir Wine Barrels. ⁠

Meet the Pinot Noir Cask Single Malt Whisky in a 1L bottle format, finished in our Yarra Valley Pinot Noir barrels. ⁠

Bursting with the flavours of Victoria, we hope you enjoy this very special, limited release. Gaining full access to our award-winning Pinot Noir barrels, Starward’s distillers worked with our winemakers on finishing their red wine barrel matured single malt whisky in a combination of our fresh and charred French oak puncheons which once held our Pinot Noir.

“What a fantastic opportunity this has been for Yering Station to collaborate with such a progressive and iconic Melbourne producer as Starward. A lot of hard work and dedication from our vineyard and winery teams goes into the growing and making of our wines, and it is a thrill for the entire team to see the beautiful dark cherry and the black forest influence from our Pinot Noir contribute to this delicious drink.” – Brendan Hawker, Chief Winemaker

The process

1. The Starward spirit was matured in a combination of fresh and charred American Oak and French Oak red wine barrels, for just over three years.
2. Their distillers then melded these parcels together and filled a combination of fresh and charred puncheon barrels that previously held our coveted Pinot Noir.
3. The whisky then spent almost two years in these barrels, soaking up all of the juicy and fruit-forward pinot characteristics.
4. This resulted in a single malt whisky, rich with notes of forest berries, sweet vanilla and oak spice.

A note from Starward

“We knew that collaborating with Yarra Valley’s cool climate pinot noir specialists and first vineyard, Yering Station, would be a truly special chance to harness incredible local ingredients that celebrate the very best of Victorian flavours. Using the best quality French oak, these rare puncheon barrels capture those deliciously bright and fruity Pinot Noir notes, bringing forward a new depth of flavour in our whisky.”

Enjoy this limited release that celebrates the very best of Victoria.

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The Occasion

On Saturday August 19th, we were delighted to share with club members, a wine not made since 2017, our 2021 Scarlett Pinot Noir. Officially launched on 1 August, the Scarlett Release Dinner attendees were among the first to experience the otherworldly beauty of this special wine.

Hosted in Society’s ‘West Private Dining Room’ in Melbourne’s CBD, we showcased the 99-point flagship 2021 Scarlett release, and celebrated 10-years of Scarlett with an incredible line up spanning the four releases: 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2021. Attendees tasted their way through a specially curated 6-course menu, matched with these outstanding Pinot Noir wines, along with our 2017 Yarrabank Cuvee, 2021 Reserve Chardonnay & 2021 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Team

Engagement by Rod Harrison (chief viticulturalist), Darren Rathbone (CEO and group winemaker), Brendan Hawker (chief winemaker) and Guillaume Bonange (brand ambassador).

The Wine of Honour

As with our best parcel of Shiraz in Coldstream, Nathan Scarlett also identified a 3-acre patch of Pinot Noir amongst a greater 6.7-acre block at our Yering Station vineyard where the topsoil was significantly deeper than the rest. The vines here are less stressed and more vigorous, resulting in fruit that boasts an effortless balance and an inherently powerful purity. Hand harvested, this wine’s fruit was split into two small fermenters – one with 20% whole bunches and the other completely destemmed. Gentle maceration followed a cold soak. Post-pressing, the wine was barrelled down for maturation in a mix of 500L and 228L French oak for 9 months. After careful barrel selection the final blend reflects 3% whole bunch and 29% new oak.

“There’s a vibrancy and luminosity here unlike almost any other Aussie Pinot Noir. If you’re serious about your Pinots then this small volume beauty should be on your bucket list.” Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot | 99 points

Thank you

Thank you to everyone that attended, and made the night as special as it was. We greatly appreciate the interactions we had with every one of you, and can’t wait for the next chance to catchup and celebrate all things Yering Station.

Want to be a part of our events in the future?

For exclusive invitations to events like these and more, join our Wine Club family. Wine Club members are entitled to discounts of up to 25%, first access to special releases, access to back vintage wines, and invitation to exclusive events such as the Scarlett Release Dinner, as well as plenty more.

Membership also features a rolling subscription of your favourite Yering Station wines delivered to your doorstep – fully personalised to your own preferences. Simply choose your favourite wines, the number of bottles you’d like to receive and how often you’d like to receive them.

Read more about Our Wine Club here:

Find Out More

Today marks the proud release of the 2021 Scarlett, our pinnacle Pinot Noir. This release is the first of such calibre since 2017 and the fourth ever-release, preceded by the 2013, 2015 and 2017 vintages.

The Scarlett Pinot Noir is our finest wine produced at Yering Station, with every vintage analysed to determine worthiness of the esteemed Scarlett label. This year the 2021 Scarlett has well and truly performed to such standards, creating a beautifully vibrant, premium Yarra Valley Pinot Noir.

The origin story

The Scarlett is a very special label, born out of the precision viticulture program led by Yering Station’s late chief viticulturalist Nathan Scarlett. Nathan identified a 3-acre patch of Pinot Noir amongst the greater 6.7-acre Y07 block at our Yering Station vineyard, a patch that had significantly deeper topsoil than the rest. The vines in this patch are less stressed and more vigorous, resulting in fruit that boasts an effortless balance and an inherently powerful purity.

The 2021 Scarlett, like those of the past, is picked exclusively from this Y07 vineyard, and produced only in the best growing years. Hand harvested, this wine’s fruit was split into two small fermenters – one with 20% whole bunches and the other completely destemmed. Gentle maceration followed a cold soak. Post-pressing, the wine was barrelled down for maturation in a mix of 500L and 228L French oak for 9 months. After careful barrel selection the final blend reflects 3% whole bunch and 29% new oak.

This resulted in an ever-expanding wine of perfumed fruit and spices, with elegant, structured tannins leading into a long, fruitful and deeply complex finish. To be enjoyed now or patiently cellared for upwards of 10 years.

“Unlike almost any other Aussie Pinot Noir” – Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot | 99 points

The 2021 Scarlett has been awarded 99pts by Ray Jordan of Wine Pilot, described as having a “combination of ethereal beauty and immense power” with “a vibrancy and luminosity unlike almost any other Aussie Pinot Noir.”

To find out more about the 2021 Scarlett and its supporting flagship Reserves, read what the Halliday Wine Companion had to say here.

With the 2017 Scarlett also receiving a 99 point rating, from James Halliday himself, the 2021 Scarlett is in good company. Watch this space.

Find the 2021 Scarlett Pinot Noir online via our website, or in cellar door.

Pillars of time, place and effort. Our 2021 Flagship Reserve release has landed.
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Today we are thrilled to announce the release of our four exceptional 2021 Reserve wines, marking 185 years since the initial vines were planted at Yering Station.

Each year we release our very best wine as flagship Reserves. Only the most premium fruit is channelled into this collection, meaning some years there may be as few as one sole standout wine. This year however, we are proud to release a quartet for the first time since 2019, the collection also marking Brendan ‘Hawk’ Hawker’s first end-to-end flagship release as chief winemaker.

2021 in the vineyards…

“It’s a beautiful thing working in agriculture. The workflow is dictated by the seasons and the weather and conditions experienced in the vineyards are reflected in the living product of the wines themselves.” – Brendan Hawker

Vintage 2021 commenced with abnormally wet conditions in the Yarra Valley region. Typically, the property receives 34mm of rainfall in January, however in 2021 the sites were shocked by 135mm demanding more intensive vineyard management than average. Despite the trepidation this might have caused the team, spirits remained high as they joked about the Friday afternoon rainfall that tormented them, coming down right in time for some extra weekend work to be added to the schedule.

By February however, the days became cooler, and the rain eased, creating perfect conditions for premium cool climate wine production leading into harvest. Such conditions facilitated a longer ripening period, whilst maintaining the acidity of the fruit, leading to the production of complex flavour profiles and moderate alcohol levels, presented most exquisitely in the 2021 Reserves.

Don’t just take our word for it.

The 2021 Reserves have already demanded attention from the industry, with Shanteh Wale from Wine Pilot awarding the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon 98pts, describing it as “utterly stunning”, and Ray Jordan describing the 2021 Reserve Pinot Noir to be “a wine of tremendous presence and poise”.  Halliday Wine Companion’s piece further speaks to the significance of this release, available to read here.

These wines are produced with ability to drink now, or patiently cellar for the next 10+ years. Available now online or via cellar door.

While the Yarra Valley growing season went into the books as one of the toughest we’ve ever faced, harvest culminated into somewhat of a perfect storybook ending. “We’ve grown some of the best fruit we’ve seen, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay”, says Rod.
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Passion and perseverance were the two all-important pillars that kept our team motoring through winter and spring. August through to December saw some of the wettest months on record with severe flooding experienced across the region. Access to our vineyards was greatly impacted, with flooding rendering our sites almost impossible to get to without getting bogged.

“Our focus was solely on preventing disease; we were in survival mode. We’re a modest viticulture team of four who cover our five sites. 100 hectares in total. The pressure on each member was high.” When the sun came out in January, we rejoiced and so too did our varieties. We were elated to see our vineyards reasonably fruitful, even our younger sites, in contrast to the travesty faced by many of our neighbours.

“An absolute testament to how hard our vineyard team has battled over those months” Brendan reflects.

The picking of our heartland varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, began almost a full three weeks later than usual. Remarkably, only one parcel of fruit was picked in February. Despite the delay, pleasant conditions made picking a breeze. Perfectly warm days and cool nights meant fruit parcels could be delivered to the winery without any haste. In fact, the longer, drawn-out vintage meant that every block and variety had all the time they respectively required.

Of what to expect of our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 2023, Brendan speaks to “low baume, high natural acidities and a high concentration of flavour.” Brendan adds, regarding our Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, “for these later ripening reds, we can expect a year of wildly perfumed and wonderfully elegant wines.”

Our last picks took place on April 21st, drawing the season to a close with Cabernet. In typical style, it was tools down and off to celebrate with a tradition of barbeque and beers.