Yabby Lake lunch with Tom Carson

australia chardonnay pinot noir

Yabby Lake lunch with Tom Carson

Tom Carson is one of the bright hopes of Australian wine. He was previously with Yering Station in the Yarra Valley, but a few years back moved to a much smaller operation in the Mornington Peninsula, Yabby Lake.

Here, he’s fashioning some superb Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Today, at a lunch held at the wonderful Ransomes Dock restaurant, we had a chance to taste his debut vintage, 2008, in the presence of the man himself.

A full report will follow. For now, all I will say is that these are some of the most significant expressions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir coming out of Australia. I was thrilled by the Block 6 Chardonnay 2008, which is taut, fresh, intense and pure. It’s one of Australia’s best three or four.

Then, the Block 2 Pinot Noir 2008 and Block 5 Pinot Noir 2008 also thrilled. Block 2 is sensational, and drinking well now, but will develop nicely over a decade. Block 5 is much more structured and backward, and will repay cellaring. These wines are peers of the world’s greatest Pinot Noirs, in my opinion. I’m really interested to see how they develop with time, and also how subsequent vintages look, as the vines get a bit of age.

8 Comments on Yabby Lake lunch with Tom CarsonTagged , , ,
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

8 thoughts on “Yabby Lake lunch with Tom Carson

  1. Such a wicked path to go down. But good clean fun. What Chardonnay loving Aussie wouldn’t add Curly Flat (neighbours of Bindi) or Cullens Kevin John, Coldstream Reserve, Leabrook Estate, Tyrrells Vat 47, by Farr, Voyager Estate, Tarra Warra reserve, Ashton Hills, Stefano Lubiana…perhaps even Piero, Barretts and Moss Wood would make a number of lists. And not even trying to think of the Penfolds Reserve (Bin A and Bin 07) range. Or (unproven) newcomers Marchand and Burch or Giant Steps.
    Safe to say there is a lot of drinking pleasure left in the old dog Chardonnay yet.

  2. Is the 2008 vintage Tom’s debut? I remember tasting the ’04 Pinot and Chardonnay with Tod Dexter in Melbourne in 2005 and I thought that Tod came on-board fairly soon after that. I do know that Tod Dexter also has his own vineyards that used to go to the Stonier wines but now are in Dexter Wines. Has he left Yabby Lake? Have you tasted any of the Dexter Wines? They are distributed by Boutinot Limited in the UK.

Leave a Reply

Back To Top