Yarra Valley (and neighboring Mornington Peninsula) may be Australia’s prime spots for Pinot Noir and Yarra Yering’s 2006 Pinot Noir does not disappoint. Medium ruby-colored, it offers up a super-expressive bouquet of smoke, spice box, roses, black cherry, and raspberry. Silky on the palate, it is intense and full-flavored while remaining elegant. Its flawless balance should allow it to blossom for several more years and drink well through 2018. Ancient by Australian standards, this artisanal winery was started in 1969 by Dr. Bailey Carrodus. It now encompasses 78 dry-farmed acres with all of the wines produced from estate-grown fruit. I visited the winery in September 2008, just a few days after Dr. Carrodus died after a long illness. It appears that he planned for the transition which should hopefully be seamless because this is a gem of a winery. I tasted a number of small projects which are not exported but are fascinating wines and will report on them on my blog space on www.erobertparker.com. Importer: Gavin Speight, Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 258-9552