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2018 Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay
Australian Release

2018 Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay

Sale price$190
/ 750 mL

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Due to state regulations, we’re only able to ship this wine to the following states: AK, CA, DC, FL, MA, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OR, SC, TN, WV, and WI.

Overview

Launched in 1998 with the 1995 vintage, Yattarna is the result of one of the most comprehensive, focused and highly publicised wine development projects ever conducted in Australia. The aspiration and independence of mind across generations of Penfolds winemakers inspired the ambition to create a white wine that would set the standard for ultra-fine Australian chardonnay. Selectively sourcing only the very best chardonnay fruit from cool-climate regions, coupled with clever winemaking, the style continues to evolve. Yattarna reflects Penfolds patience and continued commitment to its original goal, its very name being drawn from local indigenous language, meaning ‘little by little, gradually’. Each vintage provides the opportunity to further raise the quality bar.
2018 Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay
2018 Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay Sale price$190

Awards & Accolades

96

James Suckling, July 2020

"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."

93

Joe Cerzinski, Robert Parkers Wine Advocate, July 2020

"Cool-climate fruit from Tasmania, Tumbarumba and the Adelaide Hills, barrel fermented and matured eight months in 60% new French barriques, the 2018 Yattarna Chardonnay starts off with aromas of roasted nuts and toasted bread set against a backdrop of tart, citrusy fruit. Medium-bodied, there's just enough flesh to let you know this is Chardonnay—maybe a hint of underripe peach or nectarine—but this is more about line and length, with a strong backbone of acidity that drives the flavors forward into a long, mouth-puckering finish. Impressive, yes. But is it really that enjoyable? Maybe down the road, which is the intention."

"Arguably ... on par with the exceptional 2012 and 2017 vintages of Yattarna."

– Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker

2018 Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay

Taste Description

PALATE

At once, substantial flavour coupled with a textural dynamic; mouth-filling, engulfing –opens up aka mid-symphony, no instrument idle.

White stone fruits –just ripe nectarine and freshly-sliced peach, and the most subtle adornment of oak and zesty acidity.

A wonderful line struts across the mid-palate, not brazenly, yet with real purpose/destination and persistence.

Amplified innate potential; beautifully poised and defined.

More? Enough will not be enough.

VINTAGE CONDITIONS

All three regions enjoyed a relatively wet winter and spring, setting the vines up with healthy soil moisture profiles for the ensuing growing season. Tasmania experienced clear and generally warm conditions from January onwards, with no extreme heat spells leading into harvest. The temperature only breached 35°C once in January, resulting in optimal conditions for ripening.

Tumbarumba had plentiful rainfall right up to December, when a dry spell set in. In February, temperatures were generally cool allowing for slow, consistent ripening. The Adelaide Hills fruit-set was slightly above average. The region experienced a warm finish to the growing season, however well-developed canopies shielded the fruit from adversity and ensured the berries ripened evenly. Harvest was an orderly affair across the three regions, with chardonnay exhibiting outstanding varietal characteristics with bracing natural acidity.

The Yattarna Story

The release of Yattarna Chardonnay, after 144 winemaking trials, marked a new chapter in the Penfolds story. The inaugural 1995 vintage was arguably the most talked about and early anticipated white wine in Australian history - dubbed by the media as “White Grange”, it reached the front pages of Australia’s national newspapers.