2024 Medhurst Yarra Valley Syrah | Cool Climate Yarra Valley Syrah

🔥 ONE OF THE YARRA VALLEY'S GREAT-VALUE COOL-CLIMATE SYRAHS

This Is Ridiculous Value

Every now and then you find a wine where the quality and price simply don't seem to match.

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Yarra Valley, Victoria

RRP $37.50 a bottle

96 Halliday Points for $37.50 – This Is Ridiculous Value

Every now and then you find a wine where the quality and price simply don't seem to match.

The 2024 Medhurst Yarra Valley Syrah is one of those wines.

Halliday Wine Companion awarded it an outstanding 96 points, with reviewer Philip Rich describing a concentrated, energetic wine built around red and black fruits, peppercorn, violets, spice and savoury complexity. Most tellingly, he said it “boxes well above its weight.”

At an RRP of only $37.50, that's exactly what this wine does.

This is proper cool-climate Yarra Valley Syrah—perfumed, spicy, energetic and beautifully structured—at a price that makes it incredibly easy to recommend.

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

96 Points – Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion

That's an enormous score for a wine at this price.

Halliday records the 2024 as 13.5% alcohol, while Rich's review notes that the fruit comes from a single estate block, with some whole berries and whole bunches included during fermentation and maturation involving 25% new oak.

The review praises the wine's concentration and balance, particularly its combination of fruit, florals, pepper, spice and youthful tannin.

This isn't merely a good-value everyday red.

This is seriously accomplished Yarra Valley Syrah.

Tasting Notes

Expect a wonderfully aromatic Syrah showing:

• Raspberry
• Red cherry
• Blackberry
• Black plum
• Blue fruits
• Violets
• Cracked peppercorn
• Exotic spice
• Black olive and tapenade
• Fine French oak
• Savoury herbs
• Persistent fine tannins

The first thing that strikes you is the perfume.

Red and black fruits leap from the glass alongside violets, peppercorn and spice, before a darker savoury note of tapenade appears underneath. Halliday's assessment particularly highlights the concentration of the aromatics and the wine's long, spice-infused finish.

The palate has plenty of flavour but doesn't become heavy.

It's energetic, beautifully balanced and structured by youthful, persistent tannins.

That's the cool-climate Syrah difference.

Single-Block, Estate-Grown Syrah

Here's where the wine gets even more impressive.

Despite sitting in Medhurst's more accessible Yarra Valley range, Halliday notes that the 2024 Syrah is made entirely from estate-grown fruit from a single block.

That's important.

Medhurst's estate is located at Gruyere on the western side of the Warramate Ranges, with vineyards ranging from approximately 130 to 220 metres above sea level. The original vineyard was planted in 2000, with the site selected for its favourable microclimate, north-facing slopes and drainage.

So you're getting genuine estate provenance at a remarkably approachable price.

Why Call It Syrah Rather Than Shiraz?

This is a great question.

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape variety.

But in Australia, producers often use the word Syrah to signal a stylistic difference.

Think less:

Big • Ripe • Powerful • Jammy

And more:

Perfumed • Peppery • Savoury • Medium-bodied • Elegant

That's exactly the territory this Medhurst occupies.

At 13.5% alcohol, it has plenty of flavour without relying on excessive ripeness or alcohol.

If you're a fan of Northern Rhône Syrah, this is the side of Australian Shiraz you need to explore.

Pepper + Violets + Dark Fruit

One of the great things about cool-climate Syrah is that it's about far more than fruit.

Yes, there's plenty of red and black fruit here.

But then you get:

Violets.

Peppercorn.

Spice.

Tapenade.

Those savoury and floral notes are what make the wine so compelling.

Instead of tasting like a mouthful of ripe Shiraz fruit, there's a constant interplay between fruit, flowers, spice and savouriness.

That's why great Syrah can be such an interesting wine at the dinner table.

Some Whole Bunch + 25% New Oak

The winemaking is equally interesting.

Halliday's review notes the use of some whole berries and whole bunches during fermentation, with 25% new oak.

Whole-bunch fermentation can bring additional perfume, spice and structural complexity to Syrah.

And importantly, the oak doesn't dominate.

At 25% new oak, there's enough to contribute structure and complexity while leaving the fruit, pepper and violet characters front and centre.

It's a very contemporary approach to Australian Syrah.

Medhurst Syrah vs Medhurst Estate Shiraz

This is where the Medhurst range gets really interesting.

The winery currently produces both a Yarra Valley Syrah and an Estate Shiraz, giving you two different expressions of the same grape variety.

2024 Medhurst Yarra Valley Syrah – RRP $37.50

Perfumed • Energetic • Peppery • Floral • Savoury

96 Points Halliday

2024 Medhurst Estate Shiraz – RRP $57.50

Deeper • Weightier • Mulberry • Black Cherry • Blood Plum • Fennel

97 Points Halliday

That's a brilliant pair to taste side-by-side.

The Syrah gives you the more fragrant, peppery and immediately accessible expression.

The Estate Shiraz steps up the concentration, weight and structure.

And frankly, both represent outstanding value.

For Northern Rhône Drinkers

If your idea of Shiraz is Barossa Valley richness, this wine may surprise you.

The closest stylistic reference point is arguably Northern Rhône Syrah.

Not because Medhurst is trying to copy France, but because the cooler Yarra Valley climate naturally allows Syrah to develop ripe flavour while retaining perfume, acidity and peppery complexity.

Halliday has previously highlighted the ability of the Yarra Valley's cooler climate to produce elegant, intensely flavoured Syrah rather than monolithic wines.

Think Crozes-Hermitage or Saint-Joseph rather than enormous Australian Shiraz.

That's a very attractive proposition at $37.50.

Food Pairings

This would be fantastic with:

• Lamb cutlets
• Butterflied leg of lamb
• Duck breast
• Chargrilled pork
• Beef fillet
• Wood-fired pizza
• Mushroom dishes
• Charcuterie
• Grilled sausages
• Hard cheeses

I'd go straight for chargrilled lamb cutlets with rosemary and garlic.

The pepper, violet, dark fruit and savoury characters would be perfect alongside lamb.

Serve it slightly cool at around 15–17°C.

Drinking & Cellaring

This is already incredibly appealing.

The fruit is vibrant, the aromatics are expressive and the balance makes it very easy to drink now.

But Halliday's review specifically highlights its persistent youthful tannins and says it should provide plenty of enjoyment over the ensuing years.

Drink now–2032+.

I'd happily drink it young for its fruit, violet and pepper characters, but there's enough structure here to watch the wine become more savoury with bottle age.

Why We Love It

This could be one of the best-value cool-climate Syrahs we've seen in a long time.

Look at what you're getting:

96 Points – Halliday Wine Companion
Single-block estate-grown fruit
Some whole-bunch fermentation
25% new oak
13.5% alcohol

And your RRP?

$37.50.

Then look at the flavour profile:

Red fruit. Black fruit. Violets. Peppercorn. Spice. Tapenade. Fine tannins.

This is precisely why the Yarra Valley is producing some of Australia's most exciting modern Shiraz and Syrah.

If you love Clonakilla, By Farr, Yarra Yering, Mount Langi Ghiran or Northern Rhône Syrah, this is absolutely worth putting in the glass.

96 Halliday points for $37.50. Philip Rich says it “boxes well above its weight.” We couldn't agree more.

The 2024 Medhurst Yarra Valley Syrah is an absolute bargain.