Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2024
- 98
- $220
- Drink by: 2027-2045
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by Lisa Cardelli
As if it is still rising like a worked bread dough, it feels well amalgamated, packed and impatiently awaiting its chance to unfurl beyond the influence of oak and malolactic fermentation. At this stage, there is fresh bread crust, cultured butter, walnut skin, macadamia and Brazil nut. Then it descends into Meyer lemon, with a zesty, peppery herbal character reminiscent of rocket – more edible herb than green note- alongside grapefruit, peach and freshly whipped cream. A vein of sparkling-water freshness and slate-like minerality runs through its core. It is undoubtedly a nervy Chardonnay, with pointy acidity gradually rolling across the palate, “little by little,” as the cuvée name implies, leaving the tongue with the sensation of a silk glove. The back palate remains rather restrained, where fruit and the developing flavours derived from winemaking regroup and slowly, but surely, emerge. Built to last and evolve gradually, yattarna.
by Ken Gargett
The fruit used here was sourced from vineyards in Tumbarumba, the Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. Maturation was for eight months in French barriques, 56% of which were new. The colour here is the palest straw. On the nose we have an array of intriguing and exquisite fragrances, including green apples, sea breezes, glacéd pineapple, jasmine, almonds and lemon curd. There is superb oak integration, with a nod to hints of oak spiciness. The wine has weight, density and balance with serious length and we see early hints of the complexity which is sure to emerge with time. Elegant and ethereal, it is already, a wine that is completely at ease with itself and harmonious in every aspect. There is a fine line of acidity, but perhaps what really stuns is the amazing length. A really exciting Yattarna that will provide pleasure for at least twenty years. Time in the glass simply saw a positive evolution with more gentle nectarine notes emerging and the texture exhibiting a wonderful creaminess. 2026 – 2046. 98 Points
by Tom Kline
Chardonnay from Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania; eight months in French oak barriques (56% new, 24% one-year-old). First released in 1998 from the 1995 vintage, Yattarna was the product of one of the most exhaustive white wine development projects in Australian history — 144 trial blends made before the wine was launched, a lineage acknowledged in its internal designation as Bin 144. The name itself, drawn from an Indigenous language and meaning “little by little, gradually”, reflects the incremental, exacting way the style has been refined vintage on vintage. There’s a deep-set feel here with nougat and toasted nuts at the fore initially before the onset of nectarine pulp, white peach and cinnamon bun. The spice and cedar notes build with air, as do some lees-derived tones of pastry dough. There’s some citrus blossom in the mix adding prettier notes. Good power and concentration to the palate while still bright and fresh — cedar spice, Bosc pear, white peach, cinnamon, citrus preserves and some soap-like florals. The texture is creamy and svelte, bringing a pillowy feel as the palate drives long with rolling waves of saline acidity. Excellent length here, with little sign of slowing after a minute in the mouth. Very strong. 96 Points
by Jeni Port
A youthful, taut wine with great purity of fruit.
As Tumbarumba steps up in the Yattarna blend (followed by Adelaide Hills, Tasmania), so the fruit expression and the level of brisk acidity becomes more taut and fine-edged but also intensely aromatic. White florals and spring flowers take the lead in lifted scents of lemon, white peach, apple, green melon, almond biscotti. Savoury-edged and lightly textural, the oak (eight months French barriques, 56% new) sits deep, while the fruit flows brightly in citrus and stone fruits with ripe lemon butter, toasted nuts, preserved lemon with light saline notes. A chewy phenolic grip aids an impressive length. One over-riding question with Yattarna today is whether it is released too young. It is a thought that keeps knocking when you taste this youngster. Will you have the patience to age it further? Let’s hope so. 2026 – 2040. 95 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.
