Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2021 1.5L

Beautifully concentrated chardonnay with superb pure grapefruit, lime, stone fruit flavours, fine lacy textures, impressive mid-palate generosity, underlying marzipan, vanilla notes and fresh flinty complexity. Finishes minerally and long. Electrifying wine with wonderful volume, fruit definition, weight, complexity and energy. Highlights a marvellous vintage and years of improving the style.

I can’t recall a better Yattarna than this one, going all the way back to the initial 1995. Sure, it has the advantage of hailing from a great vintage, but the team has not missed a beat here. Everything in its place. An immaculate Chardonnay, simply world-class. A very pale lemon color, this is a beautifully elegant Chardonnay, wonderfully refined. Pristine, exquisitely structured, impeccable balance and finesse. There are notes of citrus—notably, fresh lemons, more Amalfi than Meyer. A hint of woodsmoke and wet stones with that fine minerally backing. Gentle nuts and toast. There are hints of oatmeal on the palate, and a whiff of honey. Such a gorgeous texture, so seductive. Juicy acidity and incredible length, with complexity already emerging. This is a brilliant wine, with a future of at least ten to 15 years. There is serious intensity on such a long finish. The inimitable Len Evans used to say that no variety had such a persistent finish as quality Chardonnay. This wine provides compelling evidence to support that. Anyone with well-cellared bottles in a decade will think this score miserly, but for now, 98.

The confidence with which Yattarna delivers incredible concentration in the presence of profound tension, heightened fruit definition with outstanding oak support and grand endurance yet immediately enticing allure is reminiscent of the inimitable grand cru set of Montrachet itself. Pristine white fruits are set to a scintillating and mineral-fine acid line of profound energy that sets off a brilliant, glittering finish of pinpoint accuracy and enduring drive. It is again one of the finest Australian chardonnays of the year.

Aromatically reticent upon pouring, the 2021 Yattarna Chardonnay offers pan-fried shallots and cumin seeds, Greek yogurt, saffron, curry leaf and brine. In the mouth, the wine is firm and concentrated; the phenolics hold the fruit to ransom and exude a fierceness that I personally find quite pleasurable, but they may confront some. This has structure and line and is ductile, porous, open weave and spicy, and it's true to form in style and unerringly long through the finish. It's a wine that will come alive in time, but at this early stage in its life, it offers a most favorable view of Australian Chardonnay (from three regions: Tasmania, 81%; Tumbarumba, 10%; and Adelaide Hills, 9%). 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink: 2023 - 2041.