Penfolds Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2025
- 96
- $125
- Drink by: 2072-2040
Share
100% Adelaide Hills fruit. It is remarkably reserved on the nose, leaning towards salty minerality and tangy citrus, with a further layer of lemon curd and nutty creaminess. It leaves me scratching my head for a moment, given the whopping 58% new French oak; this is not unashamedly in-your-face. Orchard fruit follows- fresh nectarine, lemongrass and melted butter- but above all, there is the aroma of freshly baked bread and petit pâtisserie, almost pasta frolla in character, with a touch of lemon sherbet. The palate reveals its density and depth, where vanilla bean, sweet oak spices and a hint of exotic frangipani come into play. Yet it remains remarkably layered, with tonic and effortlessly integrated acidity providing tension, salinity, stone-fruit fleshiness and impressive drive well beyond the first sip.
by Tom Kline
Single-region Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed with a portion fermented and matured on solids; eight months in French oak barriques (58% new, 31% one-year-old). Lovely depth from the outset with toasted nuts and stonefruit blossom tones sitting deep in the glass. The floral elements build into the perfume adding further prettiness. There’s a mineral element in the mix adding shape and intrigue, while the fruit emerges more with air in the form of white peach and nectarine. An underlay of flint adds to the array of complexity. It’s quite textural in the mouth — creamy and glossy — with nice concentration and structure to match. Cedar spice, green pear, toasted nuts, nectarine and a touch of preserved lemon salinity. The power through the finish is noteworthy, driving long with confidence and poise as saline-drenched acidity freshens and elongates. This is at once deep and driving, while also preserving a sense of levity and freshness. A classy wine. 94 Points
by Jeni Port
A picture of restraint as a one-year-old, but also one of promise and potential. It is very much early days, but the building blocks are nicely in place. Juicy, fresh white peach, nectarine, Nashi pear and almond biscotti and grilled nut aromas. Framed in brisk acidity, the palate builds in an almond creaminess on the texture and a depth of citrus, stone fruit, apple and Asian pear. A wine of detail, little one- per-centers like a rising leesy mealiness, hints of smart vanillin oak spice in tune with fruit amid a developing complexity. One to watch and enjoy over time. 2026-2040. 94 Points
by Ken Gargett
From the Adelaide Hills, the wine spent eight months in French oak barriques, 58% of them new. The palest shimmering yellow hue, there is serious intensity here, right from the opening. Early complexity is evident, but at the moment, the wine is delightfully fresh. The nose reveals notes of grapefruits, a touch of nectarines, and hazelnuts. Finely balanced and elegant, there is a line of gentle acidity running the length and good concentration throughout. That intensity is maintained for the full journey. A lot to like here and it will certainly improve over the next eight to twelve years, while providing pleasure along the way. A great Bin A? Now, perhaps not, but in ten years it certainly has every chance. 2026 – 2036. 94 Points
Lisa Cardelli is an Italian-born wine professional who has been based in Melbourne since 2010. She worked as a sommelier in some of the city’s leading fine-dining restaurants for over ten years before leaving hospitality to become a wine sales representative. Lisa is now a journalist for Il Globo, the newspaper for Italians in Australia and around the world, where she also curates her own wine column. She continues to write about wine for both local and international publications and is on track to become one of the few prolific bilingual wine writers in Australia. A certified WSET Educator, she teaches at various venues across Melbourne. She also judges at local wine shows and for the prestigious Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards. Lisa was the recipient of the 2022 Wine Communicators of Australia award for Best Published Feature Article, a finalist for the same award in 2024, the recipient of the 2022 Sydney Royal Wine Professional Development Scholarship sponsored by the Len Evans Foundation, and one of twelve carefully selected Len Evans Scholars in 2024.
