Australia’s cool-climate Chardonnay revolution happened while a lot of Americans were still avoiding the entire continent, and the Yarra Valley was its epicenter. Yering Station has been there the whole time — Victoria’s first vineyard, planted in 1838 — and Little Yering is their everyday bottling, the one that shows you what the region does without any ceremony. Fermented mostly in stainless steel with a portion in French oak and some time on the lees, it lands squarely between crisp and creamy. Citrus and white peach up front, a little textural weight through the middle, and enough acidity to keep it honest. A fine reason to stop generalizing about Aussie Chardonnay.
