2021 Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz, Yarra Valley

Champion Wine of the Show, Red Wine of the Show, Shiraz Trophy and Top Gold 2023 National Wine Show of Australia

Gold and Best Shiraz 2022 Yarra Valley Wine Show

Gold 2022 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards

Gold 2022 Royal Queensland Awards

Sourced from a single block planted in 1973. Fermented with a combination of whole bunches and whole berries. Half the wine was fermented and matured in a 3500L French foudre (purchased in 2019), the other half in French puncheons (10% new). A medium–deep and very bright crimson. Lifted and immediately appealing with its aromas of black raspberries and violets alongside a cornucopia of spices including cracked black pepper, anise and fennel seeds. A gorgeous medium-weighted, intensely flavoured and long Yarra Valley shiraz with enough tannin to suggest patience will be rewarded. Great stuff. Drink 2023-2035.

98 points Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion (Special Value), August 2023

Deep, strong and bright purple-red colour; high-toned white pepper aromas, a whiff of reduction; char, spice and meaty smallgoods aromas. A full-bodied, powerful, soft and fleshy textured wine with ample powdery tannins and a lasting array of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and pepper characters. Amazing length. A ripping shiraz. Released in 2023, the Underhill vineyard's 50th year. Drink 2023-2041.

97 points Huone Hooke for The Real Review, May 2023

The Underhill vineyard is a single block of Shiraz planted in 1973 adjacent to the Yarra Yering estate. Where the Dry Red No. 2 draws on a broader Rhône-inspired blend, Underhill is 100% Shiraz, and entirely about what this patch of west-facing clay soil in the Yarra Valley can do. The 2021 is the most decorated Underhill in the wine's history.

Hand-picked, fermented in open vessels with whole bunch and whole berry, matured for 12 to 15 months in seasoned French oak puncheons with minimal new oak. The winemaking is deliberately unobtrusive, letting the site and the variety do the work.

Deep crimson, the nose is lifted and immediately appealing — black raspberry, violet, blue and black plum, with cracked black pepper, anise and fennel seeds. The palate is fuller and more expansive than the cooler vintages, with powdery tannins, excellent length and a cured meat and smoke-char interest on the back palate. Generous in its youth but built for the long haul.

A wine that with some bottle age would drink beautifully across multiple dishes at the table. A younger wine could be paired for example with some traditional soy marinated Korean galbi.