2015 Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley

This finely crafted wine is incredibly shy at first with gentle strawberry tones. However, with a lot of air, it slowly opens to reveal layered red fruit and a surprisingly opulent mid palate. It is in a very primary state right now; almost singular in expression. Though I expect it will evolve majestically. It is elegant in stature, though the fruit expression is simply glorious. Decant if drinking young. Though it really needs time in the cellar to metamorphosise and bloom. (Screwcap)

96 points Toni Paterson MW, The Real Review

For the stat geeks - fruit off four sites, hand-picked, destemmed with whole berries into small open top fermenters, aged in French oak puncheons 35% new for 11 months. For the flavour junkies, this is a beautifully subtle and detailed wine. Finesse and elegance it's drivers with silky fine tannins neatly threaded through the barely medium-bodied palate, refreshing acidity and a delicate mix of spiced cherries.

96 points Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

Yering Station holds a special place in Australian wine history, with vines first planted on the property in 1838, making it Victoria’s first vineyard. The modern estate has become one of the Yarra Valley’s most recognised producers, and the Reserve wines represent its most serious vineyard selections. With more than a decade behind it, the 2015 Reserve offers the increasingly rare pleasure of properly mature Yarra Valley Pinot.

The 2015 season delivered excellent ripeness while retaining the freshness so important to Pinot in the Yarra. The valley’s cool nights, undulating vineyards and varied clay-loam soils encourage slow flavour development, giving the wine perfume and fine structure rather than simple weight. Bottle age has now softened the primary fruit and brought the savoury, earthy characters beautifully forward.

Garnet with a gently brick-red rim, the nose opens with Morello cherry, dried strawberry and cranberry before revealing rose petal, orange peel and dried thyme. With air come porcini, forest floor, black tea and a little sweet spice. The palate is silky and composed, with red fruit sitting behind fine, softened tannins and fresh acidity. Cherry skin, mushroom and tea leaf unfold through the middle before a long, earthy finish with dried herbs and spice.

This is ready for roast duck with porcini, pork tenderloin with mustard and mushrooms, roast quail with lentils, truffled mushroom tart or crispy-skinned salmon with braised leeks. Our pick is the duck, crisp skin, earthy mushrooms and those glorious roasting juices against mature Yarra Pinot is enough to make sharing the bottle feel unnecessarily generous.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2030.