A look-back at Vintage 2025 in the Yarra Valley. With words from Rod Harrison (Chief Viticulturist) and Brendan Hawker (Chief Winemaker).
With higher-than-normal rainfall over the previous seasons, vine canopies were looking incredible leading into the harvest season. Our winter pruning was a breeze, with perfect pruning conditions across our five vineyard sites.
Vintage 2025 was off to an early start thanks to a warm, dry spring and summer. “It was far warmer than the prior seasons. We quickly realised we were going to need a bulletproof program,” says Rod. Our dedicated vineyard team worked tirelessly around the clock, with a close eye on irrigation and water storage. By mid-Jan, we’d began netting our blocks as required, given a small amount of bird pressure. Before we knew it, we were picking.
Our first Yarra Valley grapes made their way into the winery on February 7, and within just two weeks we had processed half our total crush. By the end of the month, all of our chardonnay and pinot noir grapes were safely in the winery. Quite the pace!
“It didn’t let up—we were doing split shifts to get the fruit into the winery. I can’t express my gratitude toward the winery and vineyard team enough. They did a phenomenal job. I don’t think I have experienced a vintage quite like this one—it was a whirlwind,” reflects Rod.
Despite the compressed harvest window, the wines are showing great promise.
Brendan remarks, “Our pinot noirs are already impressing with stunning depth of colour, beautifully ripe tannins and delicate nuance in perfume and flavour—all framed through a slightly riper lens. The chardonnays, too, are showing excellent character. Expect a little more body than the last two vintages, with elegancy, texture and bright acidity maintained.”
The shift to cooler weather following mid-March rains, means our shiraz and cabernets are looking fantastic as well. The change in conditions slowed sugar accumulation, allowing these later-ripening varieties time to flavour and develop their characteristic tannin profile. An ideal finish to the season. For a final pick, Rod and Brendan gathered the team for a small, slow-paced handpick of nebbiolo at our Muirs property.
As for now, Brendan notes “We still have a small amount of cabernet and nebbiolo on skins, but most of the wines have now been tucked away for their winter slumber. We’ve also just farewelled our fantastic cosmopolitan vintage crew—a vibrant group of young winemakers from Italy, Argentina, Chile, Spain, the USA and Australia.”
With vintage wrapped, our viticulture and winemaking crew now get to enjoy a rare luxury in our region—Easter holidays! A well-deserved break for our talented and hardworking team who can now spend quality time with their families. We look forward to bringing you our wines from Vintage 2025.
Here’s to the women of Yering Station—the makers, the growers, the storytellers.
In honouring the wonderful women across our team, we acknowledge their impact, leadership and diversity—all of which ultimately drives our success. Hear our Winemaker, Amanda Flynn, speak to what the celebration of International Women’s Day means to her.
Accelerate Action
This International Women’s Day, we embrace the theme: Accelerate Action. Today and always, we celebrate and advocate for gender equality in the wine industry. Together, let’s continue to accelerate progress for a more inclusive future.
Vineyards are healthy, canopies thriving, varieties naturally well-balanced. Happy days in the Yarra Valley.
“All varieties are well-balanced, requiring next to no manipulation.“
– Rod Harrison, Chief Viticulturist
HARVEST 2025 BEGINS
February 7 saw our first pick of the season—which went to chardonnay from Block Y23 on our ‘home’ site located within our estate. A steady stream of chardonnay and pinot noir have made their way into the winery since then.
An early stand-out has been our 76-clone chardonnay which was hand-picked from our Springlane vineyard. This parcel looks incredible, and at large we’re seeing our chardonnays show definite natural acidity and gorgeous, crispy stone fruit notes. Another exciting hand-pick—this time of our pinot noir—took place in the early morning hours on February 13. This block has incredible pedigree, boasting a legacy of producing every single parcel of our finest pinot noir— Scarlett—in the years it was produced. We’re excited to see this parcel develop in the winery.
On February 17 we began picking shiraz as rosé with some stellar fruit entering the winery.
We look forward to seeing the season continue to unfold; to stay tuned visit our social media pages. We look forward to sharing a season wrap in due course, but for now, back to it!
Our 2022 Village Pinot Noir has cracked Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2024 — placing at #88 amongst wines from across the globe.
The 2022 Yering Station Village Pinot Noir has earned a coveted spot at #88 on Wine Spectator Magazine’s Top 100 Wines of 2024 list. This wine was the only Pinot Noir from Australia to make the Top 100, and one of two Australian wines featured on this year’s list.
Each year, Wine Spectator editors survey the wines reviewed over the previous 12 months and select their Top 100; a selection of iconic wineries, top values and emerging brands, based on quality, value, availability and excitement.
“We are incredibly proud to have the 2022 Yering Station Village Pinot Noir recognized as one of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2024,”
“The Yarra Valley has long been known for producing exceptional Pinot Noir and this accolade is a testament to the dedication of our team. Over the past several years, we have fine-tuned our approach to winemaking paying close attention to every detail from the vineyard to cellar. The result is a wine that captures the distinctive style of the Yarra Valley and reflects what the cool climate region does best–bright, vibrant fruit flavours which speak for themselves.”
– Darren Rathbone
Leading the winemaking team with passion and integrity, Chief Winemaker Brendan Hawker is dedicated to crafting wines that authentically express their origin, cultivation and vintage.
Wine Spectator is the world’s leading authority on wine. The Top 100 list has been an annual highlight since 1988, showcasing the best of wine from the past year, wineries worth watching in the future, and the producers and wines that Wine Spectator’s editors are most enthusiastic about. The 100 bottles were chosen from over 10,500 wines reviewed in blind tastings by Wine Spectator’s editors. Selections are based on four criteria: quality (based on score), value (based on price), availability (based on the number of cases made or imported into the U.S.) and the “X-factor”—a compelling story and excitement behind the wine.
“Strawberry, blood orange and cranberry flavors are firm and juicy in this red, showing plenty of spice, earth and herb notes on a sleek and polished frame. Offers a pretty violet accent, a touch of toast and a wild thyme detail on the finish.”
– MaryAnn Worobiec
Same wine, new elevated look
Keep an eye out for our Village Pinot Noir on shelves and wine lists with its new look label.
On the evening of Saturday August 17th, we had the honour of sharing our new release, vintage 2022 Reserve Collection with our devoted dinner guests. Hosted at our signature Yarra Valley restaurant, we showcased our highly accoladed 2022 Reserve Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz Viognier.
The night
The night commenced with a welcome drink of our Small Batch Gin cocktail and our 2019 Yarrabank Cuvée, paired with mouthwatering canapés, as guests mingled and found their seats at the stunning tablescapes. An introductory word from Matthew Metcalfe (DTC and Wine Club Manager) and Chief Winemaker Brendan Hawker, set the tone for the evening, with the first two Reserve wines introduced, and paired with their respective courses.
Throughout the evening, our guests tasted their way through a 4-course menu specially curated by Head Chef Colin Swalwell. Each elegant dish was matched with a new release Reserve wine, with the addition of our dessert pairing, the 2024 Cane Cut Viognier, decanted directly from the barrel. This wine is not set for release until 2025, meaning our dinner attendees were the first to try this more-ish delicacy, and it was certainly a crowd pleaser.
The team
A special mention to our viticultural team, led by Rod Harrison, our winemaking team, led by Brendan Hawker and our hospitality staff, lead by Rachael Scicluna, for creating such special wines and putting on a spectacular event.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone that attended, and made the night as special as it was. We greatly appreciate the interactions we had with every one of you, and can’t wait for the next chance to catchup and celebrate all things Yering Station.
Want to be a part of our events in the future?
For exclusive invitations to events, join our Wine Club family. Wine Club members are entitled to discounts of up to 25%, first access to special releases, access to back vintage wines, and invitation to exclusive events.
Membership also features a rolling subscription of your favourite Yering Station wines delivered to your doorstep – fully personalised to your own preferences. Simply choose your favourite wines, the number of bottles you’d like to receive and how often you’d like to receive them.
Discover our 2025 Halliday Wine Companion results, as reviewed by Philip Rich
We are delighted to present our 2025 Halliday Wine Companion results, just announced last night. We are honoured to be awarded another Top 5-Red Star winery rating, along with incredible scores on our wines.
Our 2022 Reserve Collection
Our recently released flagship collection gathered great acclaim, described as “a class act from beginning to end.”
2022 Reserve Shiraz Viognier | 97 Points
“Co-fermented with 3% viognier and matured for 16 months in 35% new French barriques. A gorgeous crimson purple, this explodes from the glass with its alluring bouquet redolent of dark morello cherries, star anise, black peppercorns and crushed violets. Medium to full bodied, this has terrific depth, structure and persistence, and while approachable now, with food, patience will be, as they say, its own reward. A class act from beginning to end.”
2022 Reserve Pinot Noir | 96 Points
“A light, bright ruby red. Ultra fragrant with its aromas of red cherries, cranberry, blood oranges, rose petal, nutmeg shavings and a dusting of cinnamon. And while it’s light on its feet, the flavours keep building on the palate, which finishes with silky, persistent tannins on the lingering finish. A wine that’s destined to provide considerable pleasure over the next six to eight years.”
2022 Reserve Chardonnay | 95 Points
“Barrel fermented and matured in French puncheons (14% new). A deep-ish, bright green gold. Perfectly ripened white nectarines, pear skin and lightly grilled cashew are woven together in this complex Yarra chardonnay. On the palate, this is textured and structured, finishing chalky, grapefruit pithy and long.”
Single Vineyard Series
Our Single Vineyard wines, those that are appreciated by our winemakers as unique or special, kept separate from blends and celebrated in their own right, were deservedly awarded brilliant scores and glowing reviews, as well.
“…A discreet bouquet featuring perfectly ripened black cherries, boysenberries, light cedar scents, fennel seeds and just a hint of lavender. Elegant, persistent and finely structured, this should age gracefully over the next seven to 10 years.”
Philip Rich on our 2022 Single Vineyard Spring Lane Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 Points
Highlights from across our collection
Yering Station
2023 Yering Station Chardonnay | 95 Points
“An attractive nose of stone fruits, orange blossoms and grilled nuts leads onto the palate, which has good depth and persistence. There’s a little orange pith on the long, refreshing finish.”
2022 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier | 94 Points
“… A deep, plummy red. Bright and perfumed… this flows evenly across the palate with superfine, persistent tannins…”
Village
2023 Village Rose | 95 Points
“… A cracking wine with its aromas of small red fruits, blood orange and garrigues… The perfect wine for hot nights and whatever is going on the barbecue!”
Yarrabank
2019 Yarrabank Cuvee | 94 Points
“… A well-crafted wine with its bouquet of brioche, baked apple, citrus and lemon verbena… Nicely poised and ready to drink, or, as the French would say, ‘a point’.”
These accolades are an absolute testament to the unerring passion and efforts of our dedicated winemaking and viticulture teams, led by Brendan Hawker and Rod Harrison.
Each year we release our very best wine as flagship Reserves and today, we are thrilled to release those of our exceptional Vintage 2022. Only the most premium fruit is channelled into this collection, meaning some years there may be one sole standout wine. This year, our Vintage 2022 Flagship wines include our Reserve Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz Viognier.
Vintage 2022
The 2022 Vintage for Yering Station, as for much of Victoria, was marred by a difficult cool and wet spring. Particularly so in October where we had over double the average monthly rainfall. This made for poor flowering and fruit set, resulting in our crops being down by 60% at the get go. A mild to warm January followed with a helpful burst of rain by the end of the month which topped up soils nicely for a very dry February (only 1mm fell).
Harvest began in the Yarra on the 25th of February with some brilliant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, mostly all off before the first major rain event on the 5th of March. This set up the remainder of the month with mostly dry and mild conditions, with cool nights, seeing the Shiraz and Cabernet into optimal maturity. Stylistically, these Reserves show their colours through the lens of another La Nina growing season, with lots of perfume and flavour, bright, vibrant palates and a subtle increase in structural density driven by the lower crop levels.
2022 Reserve Chardonnay
The blend was barrel selected from two different vineyards, our block Y28 from the Yering Station vineyard and from grower Copperhead vineyard in Coldstream. Both are Mendoza clone and were hand harvested and whole bunch pressed. The juice was then fermented with solids in French Oak 500L puncheons (14% new), the majority using wild yeast for fermentation. MLF was avoided and the wines were matured on their gross less for 10 months and then another 5 months with lees in tank after blending. The 2022’s have a beautiful density to them, with this Chardonnay showing beautiful texture and poise on the palate, along with the white florals, fruit power and savoury elements we so love from these two vineyards.
Colour: Pale straw gold.
Nose: White blossom, crushed cashews and hazelnuts with white nectarine and mandarin fruits.
Palate: A beautiful, textured silken and poised palate. Full of juicy peach, nectarine, almond praline and toasty French oak highlights. Flavour and texture glide effortlessly across the palate thanks to the bright, mineral acidity which provides the backbone of this wine’s structure, carrying each element through to a long finish.
Cellaring: Drinking beautifully now but will also reward patient cellaring over the next 10+ years.
2022 Reserve Pinot Noir
Barrel selected from 7 different parcels, with the resulting blend being a majority from blocks Y06 & Y07 at Yering Station and again from the Copperhead vineyard in Coldstream. Gravity fed handling of grapes, fermented in small open top fermenters were gently hand plunged or pumped over accordingly. Barrel matured in 500L French Oak puncheons (10% new) for 10 months. Through blending we seek a harmonious balance of the inherent intricate detail that each parcel of fruit, and barrel shows. Bringing together a core of ripe cherry fruit and silky tannin, that Y06 and Y07 does so well, with lovely perfumed and whole bunch highlights from Copperhead drives the body of the wine. Other barrels were chosen for their darker, brooding elements and their spice.
Colour: Light garnet red.
Nose: Crushed strawberries, ripe cherries and delicate pink florals dance around a complex line of freshly tilled earth.
Palate: Pretty red fruits fill the front of the palate which extends to reveal darker, more brooding elements. Lovely, fragrant spices build along with the gently firm yet supple tannin profile. The finish is expansive; full of complexity, energy and deep satisfaction.
Cellaring: Drinking beautifully now but will also reward patient cellaring over the next 10+ years.
2022 Reserve Shiraz Viognier
Another beautiful vintage of Yarra Valley Shiraz, 60% of which comes from Block C04 at the Carr Vineyard in Coldstream. C04 is 2 acre patch in the middle of 6 acre vineyard, identified and kept separate for its thinner top soil. This patch always drives a deep and dark fruited wine with beautiful warm spice and structural tannin. The remainder of the blend is barrel selected from the other blocks at Carrs along with a splash from Warramunda Estate’s Best clone Shiraz. The parcels of fruit were co fermented with 3% Viognier picked on demand from our Yering Station and Spring Lane vineyard, which lends a delicious velvet like texture to the tannin, along with highlighting the lovely spice and dark floral characters. The wine was barrel matured in 228L French Oak (26% new) for 18 months.
Colour: Deep, dark ruby.
Nose: Blackberry, blood plum, liquorice, five spice and polished leather.
Palate: Dark cherries, sour plums and ripe raspberries shine bright. Soon after savoury elements begin to evolve; graphite, black olive, warm spices and oak toast. These build alongside a tannin profile that flows through velvet and velour arriving at a crescendo of balanced fruit, spice and texture which drive through the long finish.
Cellaring: Drinking beautifully now but will also reward patient cellaring over the next 10+ years.
A notable exclusion from the lineup is a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. While we made some beautiful Cabernets in 2022, detailed and elegant, our winemaking team made the decision to release what could’ve been a Reserve as a Single Vineyard, as the wine did not possess the full weight nor power our collectors expect of Yering Station Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
In the lead up to Vintage 2024, our high-vigour vines set the stage for phenomenal winter pruning – providing perfect cane pruning material. The timely moderate temperatures during flowering and fruit set throughout October and November created ideal conditions for the development of quality fruit. Despite facing challenges over the spring and summer, namely high rainfall and humidity, our dedicated vineyard team worked tirelessly around the clock.
A Chardonnay hand-pick of Mendoza clone from our expressive Y02 block marked our first harvest of the season on February 9th. A week or so earlier than expected thanks to the consistently warm temperatures over the past few weeks. Long-term forecasts predict ideal vintage weather to continue – warm days and cool nights. Here’s to an excellent season ahead. It certainly looks like the year of Chardonnay and Pinot.
Wrapping Up
April 5th
April 4th marked the official wrap on Vintage 2024. In what transpired to be a very compressed season, our reds came off thick and fast; Shiraz, Cabernet, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo looking as beautiful as ever.
Our last picks went to Viognier, for our much-adored Cane Cut Viognier, a small-make exclusive to our Cellar Door.
“Fruit quality is looking really fantastic. Some excellent Chardonnay and Pinots are in the bag. Shiraz and Cabernet look very promising also; plenty of ripe fruit, silky tannin and flavour.”
Brendan Hawker, Chief Winemaker
The Team
Without our brilliant vineyard and winery teams, we would not be able to bring our iconic wines to you each vintage. Thank you to everyone involved, from our Chief Winemaker Brendan Hawker, Chief Viticulturalist Rod Harrison, our senior winemakers, cellar hands, and everybody else that dedicate time and effort to the trade. Here’s to Vintage 2024!
We’re delighted to present three new vintage releases from our Single Vineyard collection, including the addition of a Cabernet Sauvignon from our esteemed Spring Lane vineyard.
With all Single Vineyard wines, when a particular parcel is appreciated by our winemakers as unique or special, it is kept separate from blends and celebrated in its own right. Single Vineyard wines may not always represent our traditional house style, but rather showcase our unique Yarra Valley terroir and all it has to offer.
Let the wines speak for themselves…
2023 Y28 Block Chardonnay
A special parcel of Chardonnay from our Y28 block, typically responsible for producing Reserve-level Chardonnay. This wine is an expression of purity and finesse, showcasing the terroir of our estate’s Y28 vineyard. With a westerly facing slope and 75m elevation, this site produces a wine that demonstrates flavours of yellow stone fruits, crushed cashew and slight flint notes, bound in a beautifully fine and tense acidity.
2023 Laura Barnes Pinot Noir
Laura Barnes was the first Yarra Valley vineyard bought by the proprietors of Yering Station, the Rathbone family, named after their adored grandmother. The 2023 Laura Barnes is expressive of this significant site, displaying savoury foraged mushroom notes, with beautifully ripe cherry lifting the back of the palate.
2022 Spring Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 marks the first Single Vineyard release from our Spring Lane site since 2012. The culmination of terroir, winemaking and the vintage conditions of 2022 culminated to produce an earthen Cabernet Sauvignon that displays bright and crunchy red currants with lifts of plump blueberries, spice and oak nuances and fine tannins.
We are proud to announce that we have ranked #34 in The Real Review’s Top Wineries Australia, 2024.
The Real Review Top Wineries Certificate is awarded to a select group of wineries that consistently produce excellent wine. This year, The Real Review tweaked their algorithm to give more acknowledgement to wineries that make more than one grape variety to an outstanding level.
Of the approximate 400 wineries involved, Yering Station were acknowledged for moving up an impressive amount in this year’s rankings.
Close
