Description

Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 23 is a stunner. Initially it is dark and oaky, it opens with a beautiful perfume,  I get red fruits with a sour edge, cherry and cranberry with some plum. Smokey, woody, and a touch of bitter digestive. The palate has great acidity and tannin. It is both dark and brooding and lively and seductive. Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 23 is the kind of Pinot I could drink a lot of and it is a showcase of Tom Carson’s mastery of the grape. Buy it now and drink it over the next 15 years.

The story of Yabby Lake starts in 1998. Their Tuerong vineyard provides the mature grapes for their stunning single-vineyard wines. Tom Carson is chief winemaker and a steady hand to ensure the quality of the wines is always outstanding. Their second label, Red Claw, offers great value wines too.

Yabby Lake Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula 2023 Wine Review

James Suckling
96 Points
JamesSuckling.com
31 October 2024

“Wonderfully expressive and lifted with aromas of damson plums, potpourri and blood oranges. The medium-bodied palate has finely integrated tannins and focused acidity, giving multifaceted notes of wild raspberries, blueberry bush, dried herbs and spices. Very complex and complete. 20% whole-cluster fermentation. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”

Campbell Mattinson
94 points
The Wine Front
21 October 2024
“I thought this was a bit simple at first but it grew and grew and ended up being anything but. It tastes of peanut shells and black cherries, cloves and assorted sweet spices, with smoky reduction and twiggy herb-chinotto notes also contributing. It’s one of those wines that tightens as it breathes too. In the end this wine’s quality is abundantly clear.“

Mornington Peninsula 

Mornington is one of the star regions in Melbourne’s dress circle. Varied success depending on terroir and winemaker, but the best are outstanding. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can excel with Riesling, Pinot Gris and Sparkling, all capable of impressive wines too.

Pinot Noir

This is the most elusive grape. It is relatively early ripening and extremely sensitive to terroir. Its perfect place on earth is the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. So haunting are great red Burgundy’s charms that growers everywhere try to emulate them. Pinot Noir is not just a one-trick pony, it can make great reds, rosé, sparkling and even sweet wines, whites on occasion and I’ve tasted a decent fortified Pinot Noir too.