2024 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Tasmania Pinot Noir, Coal River Valley

Perfumed with brooding aromas of dark cherries, rose petals, pencil shavings, cured meats, violets and pomegranate. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins and bright acidity that lead into an earth- and spice-driven finish. A touch of reduction and a tightly wound fruit profile will only bring more complexity. This will open up with more time in the bottle, albeit flashy and polished now. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

97 points jamessuckling.com

Mornington-based Yabby Lake bought a vineyard in the Coal River Valley of southern Tasmania in 2022. This wine deservedly won the trophy for the best pinot noir at the 2025 Sydney Royal Wine Show.

Brilliantly fresh purple-red colour of medium depth, the aromas vegetal and plummy, a hint of green olive, a suggestion of whole-berry fermentation. The wine is quite firm to finish giving it serious structure that bodes well for its future. Excellent concentration of dark cherry flavour and medium-full body. A grown-up pinot of depth, structure and potential. (Screwcap)

95 points Huon Hooke therealreview.com

From the cool, wind swept vineyards of Tasmania’s Coal River Valley, Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Pinot Noir reflects the team’s precision driven approach applied to one of Australia’s most exciting cool climate regions. Known for meticulous vineyard work and site expression on the Mornington Peninsula, Yabby Lake brings that same discipline to Tasmania, where long ripening seasons, low yields and mineral rich soils shape wines of clarity, perfume and structure.

A bright ruby garnet with luminous clarity sits in the glass. Aromas unfold with wild strawberry, red cherry and cranberry layered with rose petal, spice and a subtle earthy mineral note. There is a lifted, finely detailed character here that feels both delicate and quietly complex.

The palate is finely structured and persistent, delivering vibrant red berry fruit framed by ultra fine tannins and bright natural acidity. Notes of pomegranate, dried herbs and gentle savoury nuance build through the mid palate, leading to a long, mineral edged finish that feels both graceful and precise. This Pinot Noir will reward careful cellaring over eight to twelve years, developing truffle, dried florals and autumnal depth.

Duck pancakes with hoisin and fresh herbs, grilled quail with thyme, or a bowl of hand cut pasta with porcini and butter shared slowly as the night settles in. A shift into something different, Miles Davis Kind of Blue easing into Debussy’s Clair de Lune, the wine sitting right in that space between jazz and classical, fluid, detailed and quietly captivating.