2025 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula

Sitting on the edge of reduction with steely struck match, sliced lemons, white orchard fruits, pastry, wet stone and flint. The palate is tense and nervy with underlying texture waiting to unravel with time in bottle. A fine line of acidity carries through to a salivating, moreish finish. A sleek and stylish new wave Australian chardonnay with excellent precision and poise. Drink or hold.

96 points Ryan Montgomery for James Suckling, September 2026

Rich and captivating to begin with, with a luminous, iridescent light of yellow peach and a dollop of cream, smoked pineapple skin and guava, pink grapefruit, Brazil nuts and almond meal. On the palate, there’s less focus on the oak and more a sum of its parts, slowly coming together. A vein of acidity cuts through the rock-solid, multi-layered texture, knitting together secondary characters and fruitier notes. A vibrant, reassuring length frames a wine of great cellaring potential and distinction. Drink to 2036.

95 points Lisa Cardelli for Wine Pilot, August 2026

While there’s no shortage of fine, mouth-watering acidity pulsing throughout, it’s surprisingly open and flavoursome. And everything is in place so this is balanced. Citrus and white stone fruit, creamy lees, nougatine and some spicy oak unfurl across the finely tuned palate. Refreshing, enjoyable now and will garner more complexity with time. Drink to 2035.

95 points Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion, May 2026

Very light colour; a waft of smoky reduction is the first aroma, with creamy, smoked charcuterie, and custard aromas, the palate equally taut and unevolved, with balanced oak and acidity, the finish very drying Intense and compact, dry and quite in its shell at the present moment. Oak is nicely underplayed. Needs more time and has lots of potential. Drink to 2037.

92 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, July 2026

The Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay has received widespread acclaim, consistently earning high scores and recognition for its precision and elegance, solidifying its place as one of Australia’s finest examples of cool-climate Chardonnay.

Aromas of orchard stone fruit, grapefruit, citrus blossom, a hint of roasted almond and an underlying flinty note. The palate is youthful and intensely concentrated. There is a nice layer of almond meal and cashew nut from the barrel fermentation rounding out the fruit. Will benefit from bottle age (at least five years, but likely to go well past 10 years).

The 2025 season saw warm and extended summer conditions that produced full flavoured wines of intensity and balance. Fruit (70% Mendoza, 30% P58 clones) was handpicked between 22–28th February and whole bunch pressed. The juice was transferred to 500 litre French oak barrels (20% new) for natural fermentation. The wines were aged on lees in oak for a further 10 months, prior to estate bottling in late January 2026.