Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1 2024

98 POINTS

Philip Rich - Halliday Wine Companion

A blend of 70/16/11/3% cabernet sauvignon/merlot/malbec/petit verdot, the cabernet coming from the original '69-planted vineyard. Matured in barrique (35% new). A pure and focused bouquet of pure cassis, gravel and subtle cedar. Equally impressive on the concentrated yet elegant palate. The fine-grained, persistent tannins are in perfect harmony with the fruit. Seamless. A great Dry Red No. 1 in very fine form; a wine that will age effortlessly over the next decade, if not two.

96 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

The 2024 vintage of Dry Red Wine No. 1 is a blend of: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% merlot, 11% malbec and 3% petit verdot. This is a beautiful release. It’s classically styled, classically structured and classically long. It tastes of bay and blackcurrant, cedar and olives, plums and assorted dried leaves. It’s autumnal, sweet with fruit, fresh, mouthwatering and satisfying at once. The length of the finish here, pulsed with dusty tannin, is a magic to behold in itself. This is one of those “beauty lives here” wines.

95 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2024 Dry Red No 1 is herbal, leafy and succulent. It leads with resinous pipe tobacco, peat, raspberry seed, violet, blood orange notes and licorice. The palate is vibrant, alive and so delicate, however, the "just ripe" aspect of the fruit can sometimes feel a little too al denté—as it does here. It's all a matter of preference, of course—this is a widely admired and respected wine, for good reason. The great Australian wines of old were famously lower in alcohol—many things contributed to this—and as older wines now, their green aspects are one of the elements that help them taste so fresh and charming. I do wonder at that and whether the things I find challenging now will, in fact, be great assets in time. We shall see, as they say. In the meantime, this is a beautiful wine. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.