Lillydale Estate

14/08/2026

🍷 A Pinot Noir worth talking about.

We’re incredibly proud to see our 2025 Lillydale Estate Reserve Pinot Noir recognised by Young Gun of Wine in their recent exploration of Yarra Valley’s Best Pinot Noir.

The wines were tasted blind by an expert panel, with each panellist selecting their standout six. Our Reserve Pinot Noir was selected by Doug Neal, winemaker at Altera Terra and Gaffy & Neal.

Doug described our Pinot as:

🍒 Rich and silky
🍷 Dark cherry and red plum
🌿 Savoury and beautifully textured
🔥 Powerful and deep
✨ With a “tremendously long finish” and the potential to “go the long haul.”

For us, this is exactly what we love about Yarra Valley Pinot Noir — elegance and finesse, but with depth, structure and character.

A wonderful recognition for our winemaking team and for Lillydale Estate.

🥂 2025 Lillydale Estate Reserve Pinot Noir
Yarra Valley, Victoria

Read the full Young Gun of Wine feature:
https://younggunofwine.com/yarra-valleys-best-pinot-noir/

The Yarra Valley makes a compelling case for the being Australia’s prime producer of pinot noir thanks to a large roster of high-quality wines from makers both large and small. But what does, or should, Yarra Valley pinot noir actually look like? Inside: the full backstory, plus the top wines to e...

18/04/2026

Vale Alex White, founder of Lillydale Vineyards - now Lillydale Estate.

Alex was one of the pioneers of the rebirth of the Yarra Valley wine industry in the 1970s.

He was a research scientist at Carlton United Breweries when he discovered wine and in 1976, with Martin Grinsberg and his then wife Judith, planted Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Lillydale Estate site and the wines they made were very highly regarded and awarded.

The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines remain.

Alex was a key figure in the Yarra Valley Industry in the 1970s and 1980s, the President of the Yarra Valley Wine Growers Association (now Wine Yarra Valley) for four years and instrumental in the first winery tourism signage and the infamous grape grazing festival.

Alex passed away on the 14th March 2026 and we acknowledge his contribution and influence.