2016 Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 1

From vines planted in 1969 this is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Totally opaque black dark red core with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Elevated aromatics of ripe red currants, mulberry, well integrated vanillin cedar and tobacco characters drift through the nostrils followed by earthy dried herb and spice notes. Blessed with beautifully textured rich red to blackcurrant and mulberry fruit the medium bodied palate is a little riper and more forward than recent vintages, yet is still all elegance and class. Outstanding length with underlying elements of vanillin cedar, tobacco, dried herbs, traces of bay leaf and spice. Supple mouthfeel with very polished, barely discernible tannins perfectly interwoven with the fruit. Very long ripe red to blackcurrant, mulberry, subtle vanillin cedar, tobacco, dried herb and spice finish.
Drink over the next 10 years.
Alc. 14%

Other Reviews….
66% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, 15% malbec, 3% petit verdot, hand-picked and berry-sorted, the cabernet crushed, the other varieties whole-berry fermented in half-tonne open fermenters, hand-plunged twice-daily, some of the cabernet with extended post-ferment maceration, matured separately in French oak (40% new) for 15 months. Profoundly juicy and rich, yet kept under tight control by the web of ripe tannins, oak part of the structure and texture but not flavour per se. It is a wine that you can sit with for a prolonged examination and discussion, and still not cover all its characteristics or ask all the questions. Drink by 2041.
97 points
James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion