2023 Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1, Yarra Valley

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.  Drink 2025-2040.

99 points Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2025

Deep and bright purple-red colour; cassis and dried-herb aromas, thyme, oregano, and classical mulberry/cassis cabernet fruit. A wonderful set of perfumes. The wine is full bodied and intensely flavoured, with delicious style and bell-clear varietal cues. Some saline notes at the finish amongst the velvety tannins. Very smart cabernet blend, albeit very young at this stage and ideally should be cellared a few years. Drink 2027-2045.

97 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, June 2025

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. Drink 2025-2040.

96 points Ray Jordan for Wine Pilot, April 2025

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. Drink or hold. 

96 points James Suckling, March 2025

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. Drink 2025-2043.

94+ points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, June 2025

Hand-harvested and sorted by individual berries. Cabernet is crushed for structure, while Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot undergo whole berry fermentation for fragrance and weight. Mostly fermented in half-tonne fermenters, hand plunged twice daily. Some of the Cabernet ferments up to 8 weeks on skins in 3,500L oak cask for complexity. Matured 15 months in French oak barriques, 35% new.

Deep crimson, the nose is complex and immediate, with black cherry, blackcurrant, bay leaf and cedar, clove spice, graphite and a characteristic ironstone minerality. The palate is concentrated and refined with fine tannins, excellent acidity and a long, structured finish.

A fine wine that will reward the patient.