Yering Station Yarra Valley Reserve Shiraz Viognier 2024

Shiraz brings the dark purple fruited intrigue, Viognier the lifted prettiness and the rest is this up tempo, vibrant force of nature. From the first sniff, the first sip, it’s on a roll. Brilliant violet purple-crimson hues. Makes an early impressive statement with a fragrance alive in lifted aromatics of rose petal, dark plums, chocolate, spice. The lightest pinch of Viognier – 3% – wields so much in the colour and aromatic departments. On the palate, warmer textural elements come into play, fresh and smooth, and long running in dark fruits, plum, anise, liquorice, chocolate  and a lifted pepperiness – just a splash. The oak – 14 months in French oak – and ripe tannins are nicely incorporated, merging into the mouth-filling ripe flavours. A serious statement about a blend well-suited to the Valley’s cooler climate.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic