Langton’s Selections Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir Yering Station was the first vineyard in Victoria, planted in 1838 by William Ryrie. Paul de Castella, a Swiss immigrant who enjoyed considerable notoriety for his wines, acquired it in 1850. He expanded the vineyard using cuttings from Chateau Lafite, which survived the arduous passage to Australia by being packed in moss. Paul de Castella’s brother-in-law, a sea captain, brought the latest winemaking equipment back from the Bordeaux exhibition of 1859. Yering Station’s wines attracted considerable international and local interest, but the end of a strong economic cycle – underpinned by gold and wool and the fashion of the time – led to a depressed market for wine. By the early 1920s the entire Yarra Valley had lost its fledgling wine industry, most of the land being returned to general agricultural use. Yering Station primarily farmed cattle until 1988 when a 20 acre vineyard was planted. In 1996 the current owners, the Rathbone family, acquired Yering Station and immediately expanded The Estate vineyard to 120 acres. Other vineyard sites have also been leased or acquired taking total vineyard holdings to 252 acres. The overall scale of this wine venture is verging on Napa Valley proportions with the whole vertically integrated wine dream on one site. Yering Station entered a partnership with Champagne Devaux and together they make Yarrabank, a sparkling wine based on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. However it is Yering Station’s Reserve wines that make this producer so interesting. The Reserve Pinot Noir is a fabulous wine. Typical Burgundian wine making practices are employed including cold soak pre-fermentation maceration, partial barrel fermentation and pigeage. The wines are matured in a combination of new and 1 year old French oak. The Reserve Pinot Noir does not have any track record on the secondary market but clearly shows a strong commitment to quality and regional expression. The Reserve Shiraz Viognier is also an outstanding example of this very erratic genre. The Reserve Chardonnay – barrel fermented and seasoned in 60% new and 1 and 2 year old French oak – is a beautiful creamy minerally style. Yering Station makes a multitude of varietals. The Estate Range is excellent. The team at Yering Station are leading lights of the contemporary Australian fine wine scene. The Reserve wines are all well received on the secondary wine market. Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's