2023 Yarra Yering Underhill Shiraz, Yarra Valley

A wine that is always on the list of wines to watch in any vintage. The vines were planted on this vineyard in 1973. It was whole bunch and whole berry fermented, contributing to the highly perfumed and deeply concentrated palate. It was matured in large format oak to allow the natural vibrancy of the fruit to emerge without the intrusion of too much oak. Love this wine. Drink 2025-2045.

97 points Ray Jordan for Wine Pilot, April 2025

From a shiraz vineyard planted in '73 adjacent to Yarra Yering. 10% whole bunches and matured mainly in puncheons (15% new). Perfumed with aromas of cherry, cassis, a floral nuance and freshly ground black pepper. On the palate this medium-bodied and elegant wine is a little more compact and precise than the Dry Red No. 2. The tannins are superfine and persistent and, while this may not quite have the staying power of the previous two vintages, it will still age gracefully for a decade, if not two! Drink 2025-2035.

97 points Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion, April 2025

Dense ruby with rich purple tones at the rim. Blueberry, ground cumin and fennel with a touch of reductive lift on the nose. Loaded with blue fruits at the core, intense yet not overbearing. There's layers of cured meats, subtle Sichuan pepper spice and floral lifts along the line with deeper wakame and iodine tones underneath. It’s all bound by a supple acidity and finely wrought tannins, gentle in their guidance but resolute in their persistence, carrying it for an age to an eventual bright and fresh finish.

97 points Stuar Knox for The Real Review, June 2025

Floral aromas of blueberries, wild blackberries, violets, graphite and raspberry compote. The palate is medium-bodied with superfine tannins, focused acidity and flavors of dark cherries, blood oranges and pepper. This is a really pure and plush wine with underlying tension and power. Drink or hold.

95 points James Suckling, March 2025

The 2023 Shiraz Underhill is a single-block single-variety Shiraz/Syrah, planted in 1973. A combination of whole bunches and whole berries makes for a supple, spicy rendition of Syrah, with everything from pressed roses, sumac, roasted sweet beets, pomegranate molasses and tapenade. This is a beautiful wine, with cocoa-powder tannins that lace the long finish. Drink 2025-2033.

94 point Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, June 2025

The 2023 Shiraz Underhill is delicate and detailed, delivering impressive layers of white pepper and rubbed sage with a plummy core. Pliant tannins provide an approachable package, yet there is good integrity, length and balance that will serve it well over the medium term. Drink 2026-2035.

92 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, January 2026

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.

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.

Lifted and perfumed, the nose shows plum, black cherry, lavender, pepper and smoked meat with an ironstone and forest floor undercurrent. The palate is mid-weight and precise with fine tannins, bright acidity and a long pepper-laced finish. Approachable now with a good decant, and better still from 2027 through the mid-2030s.

Enjoy with Slow-roasted lamb or washed rind and aged alpine style cheese. Would be delicious with Cantonese roast duck after careful cellaring. Will develop more spice, earth and gaminess with age.