Winemaking

Often described as compelling, visceral and ethereal, the wines of Yarra Yering have remained true to style since their inception, defiantly eschewing the trend towards ripe, high-alcohol wines of diminished varietal and regional character.

In his search for purity, Dr Carrodus has maintained his classically proportioned, elegant style of winemaking. The approach is entirely by hand. Grapes are hand-harvested into small containers before being gently lowered into an antique crusher-destemmer.

From there the must flows into custom designed fermenters - vintage tea chests lined with stainless steel and propped on wheels. When necessary, cooling is achieved by lowering ice blocks into these unique vessels.

Maturation is carried out in lightly toasted barrels before the wines are bottles in the simplest of packaging, reflecting the purity of the wines with in.

Viticulture

After a lengthy search, Dr. Carrodus found a hillside in the Yarra Valley that met his stringent requirements - a north facing slope of grey, silty clay loam with bands of well-draining gravel, high enough out of the Valley to avoid the common late spring frosts.

His choice paid off handsomely: this marginal climate proves challenging cooler years, yet the dry-farmed 80 acre vineyard supports some 15 varietals, highlighting the unique site's diversity. The mainstays Shiraz, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive, along with blending partners Viognier, Roussanne, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

Portuguese varieties have also been planted for the Valley's only Vintage Port, while other experimental plantings include Italian varietals Sangiovese and Barbera. With vines hand pruned to yield no more than 2 tons to the acre, Dr. Carrodus consistently achieves optimal fruit ripeness and concentration year on year.