Yabby Lake is one of the slightly larger affairs in the region, owning vineyards in Mornington as well as the mighty Heathcote. But unlike so many bigger producers, Yabby maintains a relentless focus on quality, and you can taste it across their formidable range of wines. The Pinots here are simply stunning, with each somehow magically better than the perfect last. Once you get into the single block range, you are at stratospheric heights, but don’t miss their “entry level” Red Claw wines. The Red Claw Pinot is surely one of the best values on the market. And while Yabby is clearly a Pinot specialist (as far as reds go), their 2016 Single Vineyard Syrah was mindblowing. Such an elegant drop and makes for an interesting study in contrasts against their more traditional Heathcote Shiraz. We took a few bottles home.

We find the service at Yabby inconsistent.  (Recently, it has seemed more and more commercial, and less personal.)  On a good day, the well informed staff have the ability to produce an A+ tasting experience.  But other days, not so much but the wine more than makes up for it.