2015 Mornington Peninsula, Single Block Release, Block 1 Pinot Noir, Yabby Lake Vineyard
About Producer
Founded in 1998, Yabby Lake Vineyard is positioned on a north-facing slope that captures maximum daily sunshine and is refreshed by nightly cool sea breezes. Since 2008, the estate is conducting the ‘Single Block Release’ programme to explore the nuances of its vineyard and gain a deeper understanding of its character.
Varietals
Pinot Noir.
About Appellation
Surrounded on three sides by the sea and rippled with ridges and hills from volcanic activity during the Tertiary period between 20 and 40 million years ago, Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria’s key wine regions, located to the South of the Melbourne metropolis. Vines were first planted on the Peninsula in 1886 but in the 1920s, many of the vineyards were abandoned or uprooted. The renaissance of the region’s wine industry began in 1972 under the aegis of a group of aspiring vignerons who recognised the potential of the unique maritime climate of the Mornington Peninsula for producing high quality cool climate varieties. Relatively high summer humidity combined with abundant sunshine hours and plentiful rainfall during winter and spring create perfect conditions for the region’s signature varieties pinot noir and chardonnay.
Tasting Notes
Inviting nose of red berries, spicebox, game bird, forest floor and floral scents, polished mouthfeel with satiny texture, good depth and excellent focus, multilayered flavours of cherry, raspberry, plum, blood orange, cinnamon and clove interwoven with sous-bois undertones, well-knit acidity and fine-grained tannins leading onto a long, expressive finish. From a single block sitting on light sandy clay loam, 100% whole bunch fermented and matured for 11 months in French oak (20% new), this is a superb wine with graceful poise, amazing purity of fruit and remarkable precision. Rich yet beautifully sculpted, it’s a wonderful mix of power, fragrance and finesse kept in perfect balance and well supported by a mouthfilling tension that meanders pleasantly throughout the palate. Stunningly redolent of a great Volnay premier cru, it’s a brilliant rendition of its cool climate terroir indeed. (10/2023)