Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1 2023

99 POINTS

Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion

2026 Cabernet & Blends of the Year. Score awarded by the Halliday tasting panel at the annual Awards judging. PR writes: A blend of 58/23/15/4% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/malbec/petit verdot, the cabernet coming from the original '69-planted vineyard. Matured in barrique (35% new). A deep, bright purple. 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. Approachable now with food, but anyone who buys some will want to make sure they still have a bottle, or three, 10 to 15 years from now.

96 POINTS

Ray Jordan - Winepilot

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot planted by Bailey Carrodus way back in 1969. 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. Concentrated fruit with medium weight that presents with a stylish grace that is what this wine has been from the start. Has a typical minerally leafy thread with chalky tannins defining the palate length.

96 POINTS

James Suckling

Aromas of blackcurrants, blood plums, cedar, dried herbs, mocha and graphite. The palate is plush and textural, with a medium- to full-bodied mouthfeel, bright acidity and super-refined tannins that lead to a long, complex finish. A wonderfully crafted wine that is mostly cabernet sauvignon with touches of merlot, malbec and petit verdot. Very drinkable now, but will last for decades.

95 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

2023 was Sarah Crowe’s tenth vintage at the helm of Yarra Yering. I don’t have exact percentages but Dry Red No. 1 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. If ever the word classic was apt, it’s here and now. This wine is polished, fresh and to an extent, fruit forward. And yet everything about it feels or tastes like old money. There’s just nothing earnest or try-hard about it. It’s a complex, lengthy, fluent cabernet with leaf matter and peppercorn characters strewn through redcurrant, musk, mint and red cherries. There’s a smidgen of blackcurrant here too but it doesn’t attempt to be dark or inky or anything like that. It’s more about medium-bodied charm. And charming it certainly is.

94 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2023 Dry Red No 1 comprises a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (23%), Malbec (15%) and Petit Verdot (4%). Aromatically, the wine leads with lead pencil, graphite, blackberry, cassis, peppercorns, bay leaf and sweet pouch tobacco. On the palate, the tannins are fine and flinty, and the enduring sensation through the finish is one of dried herbs, verdant fruit and chalky texture. I have long been enamored with this wine, and that hasn't changed; however, I am noticing more and more the green inflections in the wine, and while I feel this will contribute untold freshness to it as it ages, it is a touch distracting at this early stage. 13.2% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

93 POINTS

Jeremy Oliver

An elegant, stylish, textural and charmingly complete but finer example of a Bordeaux-like red whose heady perfume of violets, cassis, blackberries, dark plums, cedar/dark chocolate oak reveals a faintly minty whiff of dried herbs. It's very fine, translucently clear, very gentle but quite complete, extending long and ultra-refined down a very, fine and faintly gravely backbone, finishing with pleasing drive, freshness and some savoury elements.