Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill Yarra Valley 2010

This winery has an army of devoted followers who will traverse “there and back again” in the hopes of getting access to these illustrious wines. We’re still baffled that we were able to score any of these, especially something like this that is just so perfectly aged and drinking spectacularly in the here and now!

“Underhill” is 100% shiraz from an 8-acre block planted in 1973. The wine opens with a top layer of lavender, sage, and morel mushrooms and an initial palate of iron and salted earth with an almost primordial depth of compacted flavors. After a few (ie; many) swirls in the glass, the wine roars to life with pure red plums, black figs, brandied cherries, and mouth-watering acidity. The chalky tannins stir up elements of baker’s chocolate and Burgundy’s decadent black truffles on a nearly eternal finish.

The grapes are hand-harvested, sorted, and fermented with partial whole clusters, undergoing manual punch-downs twice a day. Following fermentation, the wine is aged for 12 months in 50% new French oak. A monumental wine that you don’t want to miss!