Dry Red No 2 is Yarra Yering's Shiraz-based red, a Rhône-style blend from the estate's original 1969 vineyard at the foot of the Warramate Hills in the Yarra Valley. Expect dark fruit, spice rack spices and a gentle waft of cedar, backed by firm, old-school tannin. It's a serious, structured red built to age.
Yarra Yering has never labelled its top two reds by grape variety - they're numbered instead, and have been since Bailey Carrodus planted the vineyard in 1969. Dry Red No 1 leans Cabernet, Dry Red No 2 leans Shiraz. Both are treated as a genuine blend rather than a single-variety wine with a bit added.
This is a wine for someone who already likes savoury, spice-driven Shiraz and wants to see what a 55-year-old vineyard and minimal winemaking can do with it. Open it for a proper dinner rather than a quick glass, or put a few bottles away and see what a decade or two does to it.
What it tastes like
Dark fruit and spice rack spice lead, with a gentle waft of cedar running underneath. The tannin is firm and old-school, in keeping with the estate's style across both Dry Reds, and the finish carries real length. It's medium to full-bodied rather than heavy, with the acidity and structure doing as much work as the fruit.
This isn't a fruit-forward, drink-now Shiraz. The structure is the point, and it's built to reward patience rather than convenience.
Style at a glance
- Body: Medium to full
- Sweetness: Dry
- Tannin: Firm, classic, old-school
- Oak: 15 months in French oak barriques, 30% new
- Style: Structured, savoury, Rhône-style Shiraz blend built to cellar
Food
This wants something with real flavour to match its structure: a slow-braised lamb shoulder, char-grilled venison, a peppered steak, or duck breast with five-spice. A mushroom and thyme tart works for something meat-free, and it's worth trying against a hard, aged cheese once the wine has a few years on it.
Who makes it
Dr Bailey Carrodus founded Yarra Yering in 1969, planting the first vines on a north-facing block of grey silty clay loam over gravel at the foot of the Warramate Hills. His 1973 vintage was the first wine made in the Yarra Valley in nearly 50 years, and it helped bring the region back as a serious place to grow wine, alongside neighbours Mount Mary and Yeringberg. Carrodus ran the estate until he died in 2008, when it passed to two long-time admirers of the wines who kept the original approach in place.
Sarah Crowe has been winemaker since 2013, and was named James Halliday's Winemaker of the Year in 2017 for her debut vintage. She works alongside viticulturist Andrew George, who joined in 2012 with more than two decades of Yarra Valley experience. Together they've kept Yarra Yering at the top of Australian wine: the estate has been named Winery of the Year three times, most recently in 2026.
About the vintage
2021 was a strong year across Victoria's cool-climate regions, with the Halliday Wine Companion calling it close to an idyllic season for the Yarra Valley: healthy yields, well-timed rain and temperatures that tracked historical norms gave the fruit time to ripen properly. Growers who kept yields down on their heavier-bearing reds, Shiraz among them, got the most out of the year.
At Yarra Yering the season began cool, with good moisture through winter and spring. A single hot spell in late January was followed by 70mm of rain, and then six weeks of settled, dry, cool weather ran through to harvest - an unhurried finish that let the fruit develop real flavour complexity while keeping alcohol levels moderate and the acid fresh. Sarah Crowe has called 2021 a strong vintage across every variety at the estate, and it shows in Dry Red No 2: the tannins are firm and classic, in keeping with the wine's reputation, and more than one critic has suggested this could turn out to be the longest-lived of the estate's 2021 reds.
Critic scores and ratings
- 98 POINTS - Huon Hooke - The Real Review - "deep, bright colour and a marvellous array of spice aromas," with "meaty, charcuterie nuances" and "stacks of umami," finishing with real drying grip.
- 96 POINTS - Halliday Wine Companion
When to drink it
Critics have suggested a drinking window of 2023 to 2041 for this vintage. It's already showing well, but the structure means it has a long way to go yet - this is a wine worth cellaring properly if you have the patience.
Technical details
| Producer |
Yarra Yering |
| Wine |
Dry Red No 2 |
| Vintage |
2021 |
| Variety |
96% Shiraz, 2% Viognier, 1% Marsanne, 1% Mataro |
| Vineyard |
Estate vineyard, Warramate Hills, Yarra Valley (Shiraz block planted 1969) |
| Region |
Yarra Valley |
| Country |
Australia |
| Alcohol |
14.0% |
| Oak |
15 months in French oak barriques, 30% new |
| Cellaring |
2023 to 2041 |
| Serving temperature |
Best served around 16-18°C |
Where to buy
The Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2 2021 is available in store at The Winery's Queenstown and Arrowtown stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine.
Questions we are often asked
What does Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2 taste like?
Dark fruit and spice rack spice, with a gentle waft of cedar and firm, old-school tannin. It's a medium to full-bodied, structured Shiraz-based blend from the Yarra Valley in Victoria, Australia.
What grapes are in Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2?
The 2021 is 96% Shiraz, with small amounts of Viognier, Marsanne and Mataro. It's one of two numbered reds at Yarra Yering - Dry Red No 1 is Cabernet-based, Dry Red No 2 is Shiraz-based.
How long will Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2 2021 keep?
Critics have put its drinking window at 2023 to 2041. It's a structured wine built to reward proper cellaring.
What food goes with Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2?
Something with real flavour: slow-braised lamb shoulder, char-grilled venison, a peppered steak, or duck breast with five-spice. A mushroom and thyme tart works well without meat.
Where can I buy Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2 2021?
The Winery stocks Yarra Yering Dry Red No 2 2021 in its Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
