Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2022

People think this is a Tasmanian-only wine,” says Peter Gago, Penfolds chief winemaker. “It is not.” Indeed, there is more Tumbarumba fruit in ‘22 than blending partners Tasmania and Adelaide Hills combined. With Tumbarumba enjoying a top ’22 vintage, the choice was obvious. Looks good in bright lemon hues, smells great, too, as it brings forward lifted honeysuckle, white flowers, hay and a wealth of citrus with an intriguing whisper of Asian-inspired lemongrass and kaffir lime. For all of its firmness on the palate, its youth and earnest structure on display, it does express itself rather well, building on a groundwork of citrus, white peach and yellow apple before exploring almond meal, custard peach underscored with notes of creamy, toasty oak with bright, brisk lemony acidity throughout. Complexity is building, texture as well. Quality Australian Chardonnay can now safely be considered a cellaring option with Yattarna leading the way. Something to consider with the ’22 and its serious base of cool climate acidity. 97 points.

This is a wine of seamless power. There’s nougat here but it doesn’t poke; there are floral notes but it doesn’t tip into honeysuckle; there’s ample fruit but it itself is in touch with its savoury side. I like the grip of this wine; I like the subtlety of this grip. I like too that its fruit, clad only in almond-like robes, stares down the road of the finish, lead by its own power rather than by winemaking. Yes, this is a white wine. It’s an example of flare at its most controlled.

One of the best of recent vintages in Tumbarumba has elevated this to the majority composition of Yattarna and the highest proportion of the blend yet. I love its tension and focus, eminently coiled, backward and crunchy even at more than three years of age. Almost ripe fig, white peach, beurre bosc pear and the themes, well framed in the creamy demeanour and supple texture of eminently supportive French oak fermentation. There is an impressive core of fruit presence, tensioned with fully ripe yet impressively energetic acid line that carries a long and enduring finish.