Yabby Lake Vineyard, Single Block Release Block 6 Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula

Xmas Wines 2025 (Osaka) : Pale garnet appearance. Primary aromas of raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, red plum, black tea, black pepper. Secondary notes of clove, nutmeg, toast. Tertiary notes of forest floor, mushroom. High acid. Medium, velvety tannin now perfectly integrated. Medium alcohol. Quite full bodied at medium+. Pronounced flavor intensity and long finish. Outstanding quality from a North easterly facing block. This still has the bright fruitiness of primary Australia fruit but great concentration and complexity from tertiary notes. …

Ripe raspberry and red cherries. With time in the glass a lovely cola character came out. A surprising amount of tannin that built up slowly in the mouth. Really good.

Screwcap, 14% alc. Bottle 757 of 3528. Raspberry, dark cherry, mulberry, graphite, star anise on the nose. The palate is richly flavoured, slightly rounded, yet with astringent tannins that push through the long finish. Tobacco, woody spices, and a bright acidity. Opinion: Very seductive Pinot that is in a good place now but not falling over any time soon. Drink now-six years.

Rather than getting into the descriptors, I will come from another angle. This wine right now is out of balance. The front palate is fruit dominant, the middle is thin and the back palate has oak. Acid does not combine these separate elements into a coherent experience. I can see what the wine maker was trying to do and the inspirations behind the wine. Let’s just say it would be better had the team stuck to making a good Australian …

Dark black cherry colour, high acid, tight raspberry nose with elements of oak, lots of whole bunch characteristics, structured tannins, has some spice but seems rather stemmy right now, with a dry finish. I preferred this a lot more when it was young. That said, with alot more time in the glass it began to offer up more on the nose as well as the palate, but I just can’t help think that the acid and oak is dominating whatever …

Very structured for an Australian Pinot. Love those tannins. Dark berries, strawberry, almost some liquorice, stems, undergrowth, spice. Good length and nice complexity. Will age further but not sure it will improve from here. Impressive.

Screwcap, 14% alc. Love the detail on the label; 40% whole bunch, Clones: D2V4 75%, MV6 25%, Sub-block 6.3, Soil: light to medium clay. Bottle 753 of 3528. Cloudy crimson with a slight bricking at rim. Intriguing nose of tobacco, cherry, iodine, raspberry, balanced savoury oak, some whole-bunch aroma, and five spice. The aroma keeps dragging you back to the glass. These aromas a joined by a nuttiness and slight stalkiness to the palate, which is only just medium bodied …

A big, brooding Pinot. It’s taking on some secondary characteristics now as you would expect after 10 years. Still has prominent tannins which I suspect will hold the wine up for a few more years to come.