There is nothing like an under the radar wine - it's like exploring a hidden world and flirting with a new personality. It may work, it may not - but when it does it's a fantastic experience. This is one such wine. I picked up this 2002 Yeringberg at about half price at Marquis wine cellars; for some reason it was not selling well and I got the benefit of other people's oversight.
This is not a typical Aussie wine - insofar as typical means big jammy, syrupy fruit bombs with no finess, which is not always a fair characterization of Aussie wines, many of which are nothing like this. However, what typically gets imported into Canada, and especially the mainstream stuff, is usually fruit bomb over-oaked stuff. This is unfortunate since Australia makes some absolutely amazing wine not of this character.
The Yeringberg is from the Yarra Valley in Victoria, near Melbourne and has been around since 1863. It has a rich opulent medium-red colour and consists of Cabernet Sauvignan, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec and so takes on all sorts of interesting characteristics while being very nicely balanced. The nose is heavy on the eucalyptus and cassis, and after about an our it took on a hint of rich meat. The palate has great integration and balance and simply superb acidity. I got notes of tart raspberry with a smooth minty breeze. It was a tad hot on the finish to begin with, but this dissipated with some air. The tannins are silky and help the wine develop consistently from the up front taste through the mid-palate and into the finish. The mid-palate is particularly well done with some great vegetal characteristics.
Final Verdict: seek out more non-typical Aussie wine.
Excellent
$60 at Marquis (purchased for $35 on sale)
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