Pt Leo Estate may have only opened last October but the Mornington Peninsula vineyard has already become a must-visit Victorian destination. This is perhaps in part to the impressive sculpture collection strewn throughout the grounds, and the Pt Leo Estate Restaurant which offers sweeping views towards nearby Western Port Bay. Now Pt Leo Estate has welcomed a second, more refined dining option in Laura. Named after the celebrated Jaume Plensa sculpture, the 45-seater Laura was conjured up by culinary director Phil Wood’s in ode to the Mornington Peninsula and its produce. The restaurant is focused around a set-course menu of up to six dishes which celebrate the cool-climate in which it sits. Opening on March 8, the restaurant hosts a menu that will rotate with the season and its resulting produce. You can expect dishes to be laden in Flinders Island mussels, topped with seaweed butter and dehydrated tomatoes and local corn polenta, or John Dory paired with pickled vine leaves, grapes, pine-nuts and burnt butter. There’s a 600-strong wine list that accompanies fare, designed by head sommelier Andrew Murch and firmly focused on local and regional wines. Rounding out a strong menu is a strong team of staff led by restaurant manager Ainslie Lubbock and new recruit Madeleine Morgan (ex-Rockpool Dining Group), who has joined as restaurant manager. “Laura is a love letter to the Mornington,” says Wood. “The menu paints a portrait of the region using the highest quality ingredients that I can find, focusing on six key areas: land, ocean, vineyards, livestock, dairy and orchard. I’m really excited to show people what we’ve created, and what I’ve discovered.”