-
99
/ 100
James Halliday's Wine Companion -
98
/ 100
Tony Love -
96
/ 100
James Suckling -
96
/ 100
Andrew Caillard MW
White
Classification
Chardonnay
Variety
2018
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
South Australia,
Region
13.0%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
99 / 100"72% Tasmania (predominantly Central Highlands and Coal River Valley, with a little Derwent Valley), 22% Tumbarumba (for minerality and linearity), 6% Adelaide Hills (for richness); matured eight months in 60% new French oak barriques. An ultra-cool climate blend of Tasmania, Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills fruit wastes no time in setting the terms of engagement with a wine of infinite class. The flinty/smoky aromas introducing an almost painful intensity on the mercurial palate, a celebration of white-fleshed stone fruits. It has made light work of 8 months in 100% new French oak. Struts its stuff without a care in the world."
- James Halliday's Wine Companion
98 / 100
"Senior Penfolds white wine maker Kym Schroeter has overseen a very engaging set in three distinctive chardonnay styles. The top shelf 2018 Yattarna is a stunner, a superior wine in every way with extraordinary oak integration given 60% new barrique maturation for eight months. It seems more to be about a textural expression than flavour bombing and is one of the most sophisticated Penfolds chardonnays I've tasted on release"
- Tony Love
96 / 100
"A blend of Tasmania, Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills fruit, this has an intense, stony and mineral freshness with a flinty edge and a wealth of lemon sherbet, white peaches and crushed stones on the nose. Oak is deeply buried. The palate has such striking and intense depth. It’s layered and long and really asserts itself as the most complex and most powerful chardonnay in this release. The depth and pristine grade of fruit here are impressive. Deep, pithy finish. Drink over the next eight years. Screw cap."
- James Suckling
96 / 100
"Pale gold. Elegant style wine with high pitched nectarine, melon aromas with flinty complexity. Intense pure lime grapefruit nectarine flavours, fine looseknit al-dente/ chalky textures, lovely mid-palate richness, underlying savoury oak complexity and fresh persistent crunchy acidity. Expressive and pure fruited with superb vinosity and mineral length. Needs time to uncoil and further develop. Seal; screwcap 2022 – 2032 13% alc 96 points An austere yet voluminous Chardonnay where less is more. A highly individual and expressive wine that needs a few years to develop more complexity and richness. Judging by the recent Penfolds Rewards of Patience tastings, the wine promises a lot more with further bottle age. Tasmania, Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills. Eight months in 60% new and 40% seasoned French oak barriques."
- Andrew Caillard MW
Tasting Notes
The elegantly styled Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna Chardonnay encapsulates the finesse, restraint and character of modern Australian chardonnay. Sourced from the cool underbelly of Australia, including the Adelaide Hills, Derwent Valley, and Victoria for some vintages, it represents the best from multiple vineyards and regions. Burgundian techniques and maturation in French oak (up to 50% new) result in a wine of superb fruit complexity and refinement of flavours, texture and mineral length. This is an excellent bottling of Penfolds's most premium Chard. It offers drinkability now with the promise of a long life ahead. Always a polished, rich style, this vintage deftly balances the barrel and lees characters of oyster shell and nougat with notes of fresh lemon and peach. The palate is linear and focused with a lovely lift of saline acidity, chalky texture and a long salt-and-lemon finish.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity