Yabby Lake Tasmania
Victoria's Yabby Lake was established at Tuerong – on the Mornington Peninsula – by the Kirby family in 1998. Under the direction of general manager and chief winemaker Tom Carson, the company has developed an enviable reputation for producing premium cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from its single vineyard and single block sites.
Seeking to expand their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir footprint – but constrained by the lack of additional land on the Mornington Peninsula – the family purchased the 42ha Mallow property at Campania in the Coal River Valley in August 2022.
Located 10km north of the historic township of Richmond, the former grazing and cropping land already provided a home to 5ha of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was planted in 2017. The vines were established on a gentle north-facing slope overlooking rich river flats cultivated for pasture.
A further 4ha were added in 2023. Roughly 80 percent of the site's current 9ha plantings are devoted to six clones of Pinot Noir – 115, 777, 667, Pommard, G5V15, and Abel.
The vineyard's Chardonnay clones include 76, 95, and Mendoza.
The Coal River Valley is renowned for producing deep, flavoursome wines. The Yabby Lake winery team at Tuerong have relished their opportunities to explore the distinctive characters of their recent purchase and have produced impressive releases from the 2023 and 2024 vintages.
In August 2025, the 2024 Yabby Lake Tasmania Single Vineyard Pinot Noir was awarded the Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the prestigious Royal Sydney Wine Show. It had already won gold at the 2025 Royal Queensland Wine Awards.
Pinot Noir doesn't exactly hog the limelight on this former farming property. The 2024 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Tasmanian Chardonnay was judged the top gold medal wine in its class at the 2026 Tasmanian Wine Show.
Visitors to the Coal River Valley will have to make do with simply admiring vineyard views for the foreseeable future. There is no cellar door on the property, nor are there any plans to construct one.
Key details:
Robert Kirby: owner/operator
Mem Kirby: owner/operator
Tom Carson: general manager/winemaker
Martin Sampson: company viticulturist
Vineyard/cellar door address:
345 Estate Road, Campania TAS 7029
No vineyard cellar door
Telephone:
+61 (3) 5974 3729
Email:
admin@yabbylake.com
Website:
www.yabbylake.com
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in the Coal River Valley highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Six Friends (MJT 15.9°C; 786 GDD); Pooley Cooinda Vale (MJT 16.8°C; 929 GDD); SISU (MJT 16.8°C; 929 GDD) figure among the coolest sites.
Richmond Park Estate and Strelley Farm Estate (both MJT 18.0°C; 1189 GDD) are considered to be among the warmest, along with Coal Valley Vineyard and Cross Rivulet Winery (both MJT 17.9°C; 1185 GDD).
Vineyard sites on the Australian mainland are far warmer than those in Tasmania.
South Australia's Piccadilly Valley* (MJT 20.4°C; 1730 GDD) and Macedon Ranges* (MJT 19.9°C; 1365 GDD) in Victoria are regarded as the coolest GIs in their respective states.
Climate data* for Estate Road, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 491mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 278mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 106mm
- Mean January temperature: 17.8°C
- Growing degree-days: 1131 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 1
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 16
Climate data* for Tuerong Road, Mornington Peninsula 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 725mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 369mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 172mm
- Mean January temperature: 20.2°C
- Growing degree-days: 1624 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 5
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 1
*Source: My Climate View, utilising past data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Funded by the Australian Government.
Last page update: January 2026