2024 Yarra Yering Crecy Chardonnay

The Crécy Chardonnay is a specific study in clones and texture from Yarra Yering’s estate. It’s a blend of their original old-vine clones alongside newer, modern selections (Clones 548 and 95) planted across seven different plots.

The 2024 season was a cool one for the Yarra Valley, which really suits this style. Winemaking was hands-on and traditional: whole-bunch pressed and fermented in French oak (40% new), followed by 100% malolactic fermentation. It then spent 14 months on its primary yeast lees - 10 in barrel and 4 in tank - specifically to build weight and a creamy, layered texture.

The cool vintage delivers a sharp line of lemon citrus and minerality, but the "malo" and time on lees provide a soft, yoghurty creaminess that balances the acidity. There’s a pithy intensity and a gentle phenolic grip from the oak that gives the wine serious structure. It’s a compelling, well-balanced Chardonnay that is impressive now but will clearly flesh out and gain even more depth with a few years in the cellar.

95 points
"Pop a few of this wine into your stash and you’d be doing well. It’s built to age well... The air of confidence, that really wins you over. This is excellent, but I wouldn’t touch it for a few more years."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)