Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2018
| Varietal
Chardonnay
|
Chardonnay |
|---|---|
| Vintage
2018
|
2018 |
| Country
Australia
|
Australia |
| Region
Adelaide Hills
|
Adelaide Hills |
| Volume
750 mL
|
750 mL |
| Closure
Screw Cap
|
Screw Cap |
| Alc/Vol
13%
|
13% |
| Peak Drinking
2021 - 2035
|
2021 - 2035 |
| Winemaker
The Penfolds Team
|
The Penfolds Team |
| 96 points - James Halliday |
| 95 points - Andrew Caillard MW |
| 95 points - Campbell Mattinson |
James Halliday
"Matured for 8 months in French barriques (40% new). Bright straw-green; as ever, Penfolds has this label nailed. It is a magical combination of power and finesse, thanks in part to low pH and high acidity. It is just starting to stretch its legs."
Andrew Caillard MW
"Pale colour. Intense grapefruit, nectarine aromas with flinty grilled nut complexity. Well concentrated and classical with grapefruit, nectarine, lemon curd flavours, fine loose knit chalky textures, fine marzipan flinty, herb notes, savoury oak complexity and fresh linear striking acidity. Generously concentrated and creamy with lovely mineral length."
Campbell Mattinson
"This is a fine-fingered wine. A flavoursome one. It feels complete. It pumps texture and fruit through satin and silk. It throws smoke, white peach, cedar-infused cream, mineral. It’s so fine, so seamless, so in command. A superb white wine. No doubting it."
This wine has all the great characters of Grand Cru chardonnay, but it’s very much from South Australia.
– Kym Schroeter, Penfolds White Winemaker
Pale straw with a bright lemon rim
Not the archetypical stone-fruited Bin A this vintage – to the fore: lemon curd, mandarin and nashi pear with a skerrick of shortbread and creamy custard/vanilla slice sans icing.
Also noteworthy – a touch of spice (cardamom and caraway) and a subtle suggestion of ground almond.
This tasting’s final impression signing off on a quartz-like minerality, and wet river-stone flintiness. Very much looking forward to evolution in the bottle...
Initially, an intriguing subtle (fluffy/pillowy) gentleness! Flavours of mandarin and yoghurt with a rich mid-palate.
A glycerolic viscosity interlocks with the natural acidity inducing a mouth-watering juiciness and just a rasp of flint at the very end, adding length and zest.
So youthful. All evident on the palate would indicate that this wine needs time!
Short-term – catalyse/accelerate via a decant. Or wait.
Adelaide Hills attired alternatively.
Vintage Conditions
The Adelaide Hills enjoyed above average rainfall from winter until early summer. From January, the rainfall steadily decreased with only half the average falling between New Year and vintage. There was only one significant frost event on November 7th, but this was largely controlled by sprinkler mitigation systems across the region. A hail storm on October 29th caused some damage to canopies, however this weather event did not have a significant impact on the crop. Summer was warm, especially through January and February with 12 summer days above 35 degrees. The altitude of the region protected the grapes from extremes that were experienced elsewhere. A dry and orderly vintage provided excellent parcels of chardonnay harvested across the region.
| GRAPE VARIETY
Chardonnay
|
Chardonnay |
|---|---|
| VINEYARD REGION
Adelaide Hills
|
Adelaide Hills |
| wine analysis
Alc/Vol: 13%, pH: 3.06, Acidity: 7.1g/L
|
Alc/Vol: 13%, pH: 3.06, Acidity: 7.1g/L |
| MATURATION
Eight months in French oak barriques (40% new, 35% 1-y.o., 25% seasoned)
|
Eight months in French oak barriques (40% new, 35% 1-y.o., 25% seasoned) |
The Reserve Bin A Story
Reserve Bin A Chardonnay has established a strong following since it was first released in 1994. The impressive successes at wine shows, both in Australia and the UK, has contributed to the significant worldwide attention to this hallmark Penfolds style. The early vintages included some Tumbarumba fruit and since 2003 it has been released entirely under screwcap. Reserve Bin A was not made in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2011.
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