Sorrento Sunset 5:35 PM
Winter Insider · August 2026 Winter 2026
Tom Carson's single-block Chardonnay and Pinot Noir program, poured from a relaxed cellar door with one of the Peninsula's loveliest lunch decks.
Known for Block 1 Pinot NoirJimmy Watson Memorial Trophy WinnerTom Carson Single-Block ProgramJames Halliday 5-Red-Star Winery
Photo · Peninsula Insider
Why we’d goThe Block 1 Pinot was the first Pinot to ever win the Jimmy Watson Trophy, the cellar door is the right place to understand why, and the deck is reason enough to stay.
Yabby Lake sits slightly east of the main wine-country road, and that off-axis position has worked in its favour. The Kirby family planted the vineyard in 1998 and hired Tom Carson to run the winemaking, and what the team has built in the years since is one of the most serious single-block programs in the country. The flagship Block 1 Pinot Noir became the first Pinot ever to win the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in 2014. The Block 1 Chardonnay is, quietly, one of the best Chardonnays in Australia.
The cellar door is open daily and is deliberately more relaxed than the winemaking philosophy suggests. Seated tastings on the deck, a short early-lunch menu, and room to work through a full flight at your own pace. This is the cellar door we recommend when someone wants to understand why Peninsula Chardonnay is currently among the most interesting in the country.
Order the Block 1 flight. Stay for lunch. Buy the single-vineyard Chardonnay on the way out, it rewards five years in the cellar.
Worth knowing
If you only do one thing
Order the Block 1 tasting flight, stay for lunch on the deck, and buy the single-vineyard Chardonnay on the way out, it rewards five years in the cellar.
Works well with
Onannon · Barmah Park Farm Kitchen
Filed under Cellar DoorLong LunchViewAll YearCouplesGroupFirst Timers
Editor's verdict
Yabby Lake made Peninsula wine history in 2012 when the Block 1 Pinot Noir became the first Pinot Noir to win the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy. Tom Carson's single-block release series genuinely rewards side-by-side comparison. The Kirby family's estate is understated in presentation but uncompromising in quality.
Walk-in daily 10am–4pm for groups under 6. Groups of 6+ require bookings. Charged per person, redeemable on wine purchase. Dogs welcome outdoors on leash.
1 Good Food Guide hat.
1 Chef Hat, Good Food Guide 2026. Classic seasonal fare with a Modern Australian approach.
Cuisine: Modern Australian.
Not sure how to build a day around Yabby Lake Vineyard?
Search Peninsula InsiderIn the journal
These pieces give you the context a listing page never does - the when, the why, and the who-it’s-for.
9 April 2026
Everyone sells the Mornington Peninsula as a pinot noir region. They are half right. The quiet argument of the last three vintages is that the chardonnay is now the more interesting bottle on the table, and the one worth cellaring.
10 April 2026
The drive to make on your first visit, or the one to send a friend on when you are out of time to explain why you keep coming back. Coffee, ridge, hinterland, ocean, village, bay - in that order, in four hours.
Nearby picks
112 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South VIC 3937 · $$
Shashi and Rohit Singh's biodynamic family estate, one of the Peninsula's only serious Syrah programs alongside the Amrit single-vineyard range.
51 Stanleys Rd, Merricks VIC 3916 · $$
A thoughtfully managed Merricks estate making elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that rewards the drive to find it.
3007 Frankston-Flinders Rd, Moorooduc VIC 3933 · $$$
A rustic, intimate cellar door running a five-wine, five-canape pairing from a hatted-standard kitchen, the most structured tasting format on the Peninsula.
Build a day around this
Peninsula Insider guides that put this stop into the context of a full day or weekend.
Verified Apr 2026 by Peninsula Insider How we check
Is this your venue? Claim it
The Insider Note
One pick, one weather-proof backup, one thing to skip. Written on the Peninsula, sent when there is something worth knowing.
Wednesdays
The next issue lands Wednesday. Check your inbox for a note confirming the address.