Yarra Yering

History

Yarra Yering was founded in 1969 by Bailey Carrodus, a plant physiologist who planted vines on a gently sloping property in the Coldstream area of the Yarra Valley at a time when the region had been largely dormant since the nineteenth century. Carrodus was not a winemaker by training but brought a scientist's rigour and an unusual degree of independence to everything he did. He made wine quietly and without much industry engagement for decades, building a cult following largely through word of mouth. The estate's Dry Red No. 1 (a Bordeaux-blend) and Dry Red No. 2 (a Rhone-style blend anchored by Shiraz) became reference points for what the Yarra Valley could produce at its most serious.

Carrodus died in 2008, and the property was subsequently acquired by a small group of investors with Sarah Crowe appointed as winemaker. Crowe has won considerable recognition in her own right, including Winemaker of the Year honours from at least one major Australian publication. The estate has continued without radical reinvention, though Crowe has brought her own sensibility to the wines while respecting the framework Carrodus established.

Vineyards

The estate sits in the upper Yarra Valley, where the climate is cooler and the growing season longer than in the lower reaches closer to Melbourne. Elevations and aspect vary across the property, contributing to meaningful differences between blocks. Soils are predominantly grey and red loams over clay. Vines include some of the oldest Shiraz plantings in the Yarra Valley, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Marsanne, among others. The diversity of varieties reflects Carrodus's original ambition to work across multiple European archetypes rather than specialise. Specific farming certifications are not prominently documented, though the estate has generally operated with minimal intervention in the vineyard.

Winemaking

Carrodus was known for making wines with minimal interference, long macerations on the Dry Reds, and a preference for older French oak. Crowe has maintained a broadly similar philosophy: native or ambient yeasts are used, and the wines are made without heavy extraction or excessive new oak. The Dry Red No. 1 and Dry Red No. 2 remain the flagship bottlings and are among the more age-worthy wines produced in the valley. In addition to these, the estate produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and the Underhill Shiraz (sourced from a specific block), as well as the Light Dry Red, which sits in a lighter, more immediately accessible register. The New Territories wines incorporate non-traditional varieties and blends, extending the range without displacing the core lineup. Filtration is minimal and the wines are typically bottled unfined or lightly so.