2023 Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1

99 points & 2026 Halliday Cabernet & Blends of the Year

Dry Red No. 1 is where it all began for Yarra Yering, and in 2023, it’s once again a masterclass in what makes the Yarra Valley one of Australia’s great Cabernet regions.

This is a wine built on the strength of its foundation - Cabernet Sauvignon from the very first plantings in 1969 - blended with Merlot, Malbec and a splash of Petit Verdot from neighbouring blocks. Every parcel is treated with reverence: whole berry ferments for fragrance, open-top fermenters for texture, a mix of new and seasoned oak, and one third of the Cabernet gets the royal treatment with eight weeks on skins in a 3,500L oak cask.

This is a glorious wine. A wine of depth and quiet power. Dark fruit, fine tannins, just enough grip, and a savoury undercurrent that builds with every sip. It’s polished, but not flashy - in every sense a benchmark of the famous Yarra Valley Cabernet wine style.

It's a wine destined for great things. Winemaker Sarah Crowe knocked this out of the park. It should be an essential part of any serious Australian cellar.

99 points and 2026 Cabernet & Blends of the Year
"Classic cool-climate cabernet aromas of black cherry, blackcurrants, cedar, licorice and subtle iodine. The palate is simultaneously concentrated, structured and refined, finishing with an ironstone minerality."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

97 points
"Very smart cabernet blend, albeit very young at this stage and ideally should be cellared a few years."
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

96 points
"I suspect some pretty good fruit has found its way into this exceptional wine from the challenging vintage. Old vines in difficult times show their worth."
- Ray (Wine Pilot)

95 points
"If ever the word classic was apt, it’s here and now."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

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