Penfolds Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2018
97 POINT RATED PENFOLDS BIN 311 CHARDONNAY
- 97 Point Rated Andrew Caillard
- 95 Point Rated James Suckling
- 93 Point Rated Angus Hughson & Campbell Mattinson
- Halliday 5 Red Star Rated Winery & Winner Of Winery Of Year
Vintage: | 2018 |
Source/Region: | Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and Tumbarumba. |
Grape Variety: | Chardonnay |
Cellaring: | Drink now cellar up to 2025 |
Bottle Top: | Stelvin |
Alcohol Content: | 13.00 |
Standard Drinks: | 7.70 |
Rating: | 97 |
Full-flavoured, endowed with a concentrated fruit spectrum of citrus, grapefruit and white peach.Hints of sherbet, camomile and goats cheese complex the aromatic offer – a chardonnay cast assembled from three States of Australia. Certainly, there’s quite the performance happening in the glass, with barely a swirl of the glass and some air required to light up the stage!First and foremost, this wine extolls freshness, yet not at the expense of an endearing richness and generosity of flavour.Whilst some may perceive it to be slightly ‘larger-framed’ than in previous years it nevertheless retains trademark Bin 311 mineral acidity and linearity.Rockmelon and white peach fruits are pronounced. Underlying sherbet and fresh lemon tart impressions coupled with a lovely creaminess add to the structural and flavour pool.
Bin 311 Chardonnay truly reflects the winemakers’ mantra ‘we always go where the fruit grows best and where it best suits style’. In 2018, fruit sourcing moved to multi-regional cool-climate regions; Adelaide Hills, Tumbarumba, Tasmania. In true Bin 311 style, it exhibits lemon/lime aromas and a mineral acid backbone, complemented by barrel fermentation and maturation in seasoned oak.Minimal filtration is employed, preserving elegant fruit flavours.
97 Points - Andrew Caillard MW
"Pale colour. Fresh grapefruit, pear, apricot stone fruit aromas with flinty, matchstick notes. Classic in proportion with fresh grapefruit, lemon curd flavours with hints of marzipan, al-dente textures, fine long crisp acidity, attractive creamy richness and density, with underlying yeasty complexity. Finishes minerally with marzipan grilled nut notes. Absurdly complex and sophisticated showing all the shining class of Australian winemaking technology and precision viticulture. Fantastic value."
95 Points - James Suckling
"This moves into refined and very striking style with a wealth of lemons, white peaches and nectarines on offer, as well as nicely curated hazelnut-oak. The smoothly honed palate has deep-set peach flavors and a succulent, cool-mineral and grapefruit finish. The finest Bin 311 to date."
93 Points - Campbell Mattinson
"Toast, ginger, grapefruit. A bold, assertive introduction. I’m not seeing a lot of finesse but I’m seeing work, fruit, vanilla pods, a certain tautness, fruit wading through trees. There are matchstick characters here, not flared, held beneath the toast. Not my favourite 311 but no doubt still a very good one."
93 Points - Angus Hughson
92 Points - Joe Czerwinski Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2018 Bin 311 Chardonnay is a multiregional blend sourced from Adelaide Hills (43%), Tumbarumba and Tasmania—it was previously a single-region bottling. Essentially, it's now a blend of barrels that didn't make it into the Reserve Bin label from the Adelaide Hills and barrels from Tumbarumba and Tassie that didn't make the Yattarna grade. Fermented and aged in 30% new French oak (20% second use and 50% older), it reveals hints of vanilla buttercream on the nose, paired with notes of pineapple, orange, pear and melon. It's medium-bodied, plump and creamy across the palate, then crisp and focused on the finish."
Huon Hooke
"Light yellow hue and a nutty, toasty nose, showing some oak, while the palate is very dry and savoury, rather simple and unevolved, but has decent depth of flavour, weight and length. It just needs time to build some more interest. Nice dry finish."
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