Vineyard

1863 - 1921

Frederic-Guillaume de Pury, after arriving in Australia from Switzerland in 1852, purchased 500 hectares in the central Yarra Valley in 1863. He planted 32 hectares of vines including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Marsanne, Verdelho, Chasselas, Pinot Blanc, Tokay (made from Harslevelu) & Gouais (for employee ‘rations’ wine). After Frederic-Guillaume's death, his son George continued Yeringberg's wine success with strong sales and multiple wins in local and international wine shows. However, the decline of the world market for Australian table wines after WWI led to the demise of the Yarra Valley wine industry. In 1921 the last vines in the region were pulled out at Yeringberg.

1969 to the present

George's son, Guillaume, saw renewed opportunity in the Yarra Valley for the styles of wines that had historically brought fame to Yeringberg and the region as a whole. He decided to reestablish Yeringberg as a wine producer and in 1969 he replanted the vineyard on the same northeast-facing slope as the original vineyard. The vineyard was expanded further in 1999 and then again in 2021. David de Pury now manages the vineyard and the farm.

THE OLD VINEYARD

The 'Old Vineyard' was planted from 1969 onwards. It is the site of the original vineyard planted in the 1860s and all of the grapes grown here are used to make wines in the Yeringberg range. The vines are above the frost line on a northeast-facing slope with good drainage. Each variety is grown in separate parts of the vineyard and managed slightly differently. For example, the Marsanne frequently overcrops and needs thinning, while the Cabernet Franc often needs leaf plucking to allow extra sunlight onto the bunches to ripen them perfectly.

VarietiesChardonnay, Marsanne, Roussanne, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec & Petit Verdot
Planting Year1969 onwards
RootstockOwn roots
Area2.2 hectares (5.5 acres)
Soil TypeAncient weathered silty grey loam over a mudstone and calcareous siltstone
AspectNortheast-facing slope
Elevation100m (330 feet)

FRONT DRIVE VINEYARD

Planted in 1999, this vineyard faces due north, and is slightly higher, rockier and steeper than the original vineyard. We use some of the Viognier, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon for Yeringberg wines, and sell the remainder of the grapes.

VarietiesViognier, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon
Planting Year1999
RootstockGrafted to phylloxera resistant rootstock
Area9.5 hectares (21 acres)
Soil TypeAncient weathered silty grey loam over mudstone and calcareous siltstone
AspectNorth-facing slope
Elevation100-130m (330-425 feet)

NEW VINEYARDS

Two new vineyard sites have been established since 2020, on south- and east-facing slopes, to mitigate against climate change and to ensure we have vines to replace blocks affected by phylloxera.
The south-facing vineyard is located on Quarry Hill, where local stone was sourced for the cellars. It is planted to Pinot Noir (MV6 & Abel).
The east-facing vineyard is located partly on and further east of the original 19th century No.4 vineyard. It is planted to a range of varieties, mirroring the makeup of the Old Vineyard.

VarietiesMarsanne, Roussanne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Petit Verdot
Planting Year2020 onwards
RootstockGrafted to phylloxera resistant rootstock
Area4.5ha (11.1 acres) for each of the new vineyards
Soil TypeAncient weathered silty grey loam over a mudstone and calcareous siltstone
AspectSouth- and east-facing slopes
Elevation90-150m (300-500 feet)