Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz Yarra Valley – 2017

Vineyard
1973 planted, 8 acre block of Shiraz at the western extremity of Yarra Yering.

Winemaking
Hand harvested, bunches across a sorting table and destemmed with no crushing to retain whole berries. Fermentation in the Yarra Yering half-tonne open-fermenters, hand plunged twice daily. Some use of stalk baskets to build structure and interest.
A component of whole bunch fermentation gives some volume and plushness to the fruit palate. Air bag pressed to release the last fermenting juice from the many whole berries remaining. The wine was then aged for 12 months in French oak puncheons (500L) – only 25% new oak.

Wine
Perfumed cool climate Shiraz that’s medium bodied with a little lick of spice. Loaded with dark cherries and red plums interlaced with a cured meat lift. The palate leads with a bright and elegant fruit intensity, the use of whole berries shines through with a lovely slippery composure. The finely boned tannins shaping a long palate supported by a hint of oak char on the finish.

Cellaring
One of the Yarra Yering wines to give itself up sooner rather than later it will often look wonderful at 5-10 years of age. This vineyard has a proven pedigree and it will continue to evolve for many more years under suitable cellaring conditions should you want to leave it for 10+ years. 13.0% Alc.

Accolades

“The fruit for this 2017 Shiraz Underhill was handpicked from vines planted in 1973, and there was a combination of 75% whole berry and 25% whole bunches in the ferment. In a word: lovely. So lovely. The 2017 Shiraz Underhill has gained a sheath of savory exotic spice that overlays the purple and red fruit. This is vital and alive yet maturing and elegant. It shows firm but lithe tannins and an array of buoyant forest fruit. It has fresh blackberries for days. The aftertaste leaves a trail of dried herbs—bay and oregano, largely. This is a super, super wine. Elegant.” 96+/100 Wine Advocate. Order here

Other accolades
97 Points – James Halliday, Wine Companion
96 Points – Huon Hooke, therealreview.com
95 Points – James Suckling, jamessuckling.com