2024 Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1, Yarra Valley

Gold at the 2026 Yarra Valley Wine Show

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. Drink to 2036.

98 points Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion, April 2026

Deep ruby-red colour with a bright purple tinted rim. Cassis, dried rosemary, crushed granite and cigar box aromatics. A medium bodied delight, the integration of layers is outstanding and takes time to unravel. Black fruit forms the centre stage, with tobacco leaf, cedar wood, dried rosemary and black olive notes ebbing and flowing. It rolls incredibly long, leaving a fine whisper of saline minerality. Enjoyable now, with much more to come. Drink to 2046.

98 points Stuart Knox for The Real Review, December 2025

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. Drink to 2044.

95 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, June 2026

This old school 2024 Bordeaux blend is a surprise packet, starting a little shy but showing its true cards over a couple of days offering up a fine and fresh aromas of crushed leaves, cedar and cassis, all quite seamless. Elegantly framed, vibrant acidity provides impact to a mid-weight package backed by al-dente tannins. While this is an earlier drinking vintage of this Yarra Valley classic, it is guaranteed to deliver plenty over the next 10 plus years. Drink to2040.

93 points Angus Hughson for Wine Pilot, June 2026

Yarra Yering’s Dry Red No. 1 is a Cabernet-based Bordeaux-inspired blend that takes its name from the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon was the first variety to be planted in Yarra Yering’s block No. 1 in 1969, alongside Malbec and Merlot, with additional plantings of the latter in 1990 with some Petit Verdot.

The grapes were hand-harvested and sorted by individual berries. The Cabernet was crushed for structure, while the other varieties underwent whole berry fermentation for fragrance and weight. Fermentation took place mostly in Yarra Yering’s half-tonne tea chest fermenters, with musts hand plunged twice daily. One third of the Cabernet was fermented in a 3,500L oak cask with up to eight weeks on skins for complexity, while the balance matured for fifteen months in French oak barriques of which 35% were new.

The final blend in the 2024 release is 70/17/10/3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

About this producer

Yarra Yering is a Victorian icon established in 1969 by Sydney-born Dr Bailey Carrodus. Yarra local Andrew Gorge has led the team looking after the 36 hectares of vineyards since 2012, with Brokenwood alumna Sarah Crowe joining as his counterpart at the winery a year later. With the luxury of time, quality is prioritised above all else whilst delivering innovation and creativity.