Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2024
Style: White Wine
Closure: Screwcap
Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2024
Warehouse
34 Redland Drive
Vermont VIC 3133
Australia
Critic Score: 20/20 and 98
Alcohol: 12.5%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: 2045
"Grand cru quality, drinking wonderfully now with plenty of time to unravel in the cellar." Ryan Montgomery
Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay was launched in 1998 with the 1995 vintage. The name was chosen to honour the 144 winemaking trials it took Penfolds to perfect their flagship white wine and marked a new chapter in the Penfolds story. The inaugural 1995 vintage was arguably the most eagerly anticipated white wine release in Australian history – dubbed by the media as "White Grange", it reached the front pages of Australia’s national newspapers.
Fruit selection is the critical element of Yattarna Chardonnay because it ultimately determines the character of the style. Although multi-vineyard and multi-regional sourcing includes New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, there has been an increasing component of cool-climate Chardonnay from the Derwent Valley, Coal River and Central Highland in Tasmania.
"This is a stony, pebbly, amazingly linear and resonant Yattarna, this remarkable thing about this vintage is that it starts strongly, with epic fruit notes, ginger, oak and amazing crunch, and then manages to maintain this volume of flavour for minutes. It doesn’t dip or meander for a second. The finish, which seems never to truly resolve, is heroic and the acidity, which does an incredible job of transporting the fruit perfectly down the tracks, is all-powerful, and it is likely to protect this wine for decades. I cannot remember a finer first-taste of Yattarna." Matthew Jukes
The 2024 Yattarna was sourced from three regions across three different states - Tumbarumba in NSW (75%), South Australia's Adelaide Hills (13%) and Tasmnaia (12%). Matured for eight months in French oak barriques (56% new and 24% one year old).
"Bright pale gold with a green hue. The nose is focused and precise, revealing restrained complexity rather than overt generosity. Mineral elements dominate, ferrous, flinty and slate-like, evocative of wet stone freshly cut and interwoven with oyster shell, sea spray and crisp fresh linen. With a gentle swirl, subtle sweet and savoury accents emerge. Nougat with pistachio, green olive brine, curry leaf, roasted macadamia, slivered almond and brioche. A hint of struck‑match and toasty oak spice round everything out. The palate shows lovely skin‑derived phenolic grip and remarkable length, lingering with quiet authority. Bright acidity frames layers of sea salt, caper, ocean freshness and raw kingfish sashimi, underpinned by an iron‑like mineral grip and fine lemon curd creaminess. Alcohol and oak are almost imperceptible. A style reminiscent of the 2019 vintage, defined by restraint, precision and endurance. Peak drinking: 2027–2047." Penfolds
Expert reviews
"This is a stony, pebbly, amazingly linear and resonant Yattarna, this remarkable thing about this vintage is that it starts strongly, with epic fruit notes, ginger, oak and amazing crunch, and then manages to maintain this volume of flavour for minutes. It doesn’t dip or meander for a second. The finish, which seems never to truly resolve, is heroic and the acidity, which does an incredible job of transporting the fruit perfectly down the tracks, is all-powerful, and it is likely to protect this wine for decades. I cannot remember a finer first-taste of Yattarna." Matthew Jukes - 20+/20 points
"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. Drink: 2026–2046." Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot - 98 points
"The 2024 Yattarna Chardonnay is creamy, sleek and so polished. This is a brilliant wine. This and the Reserve Bin A usually duke it out for my favorite wines of the release each year, and in the end, I don't suppose it matters too much which wins. The Yattarna is stylistically typified by streamlined composure, length and compact complexity, while the Reserve Bin A is more flinty and more immediately seductive. I love them both. Anyway, both of these wines in this year's release look fantastic. Drink: 2026 - 2044." Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 98 points
"The quality and prestige of this renowned bottling jumps from the glass, balancing deep unctuous aromas of grilled lemon, orchard fruits and citrus blossom intertwined with a reductive salty edge of wet stone, flint and cashew. The palate is packed with flavor and complexity that is almost overwhelming until the salivating acidity cuts right through, leaving a tense and flamboyant finish. Grand cru quality, drinking wonderfully now with plenty of time to unravel in the cellar. Made from fruit grown in Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. Drink or hold. Screw cap." Ryan Montgomery, JamesSuckling.com - 98 points
"There's a recurring theme here. As is the norm, the new Yattarna release is a supremely focused, textural wine, leaving the drinker questioning how Penfolds manages to get so much complexity and flavour within that taut, mineral-laden framework. Citrus and white nectarine at its core, with hints of clover blossom, wet stone, soft spice, crème fraîche, crushed shells, grilled nuts, almond paste and apple turnover. Those fruit flavours are keenly poised on the palate, with a filigreed, harmonious composition and a long stretch of flavour. There's just a slip of phenolic texture and a swift mineral cadence that propels the wine forward. It really is a beautiful wine. Drink by 2036." Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points
"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. Drink: 2027-2045." Lisa Cardelli, Wine Pilot – 98 points
"Yattarna this year brings flint, white peach, cedarwood, hay, oatmeal, lemonade and mineral characters in refined but substantial measure. This is a wine. It’s so neat, so wild, so powerful and so refined, with finesse as a finishing act. The word Yattarna means “little by little, gradually” and that’s exactly how this wine will evolve; and majestically so. But even as a young wine, this is as complete a chardonnay as you could hope to encounter. Drink: 2028 - 2035+." Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 97 points
"Pale colour. Pure fruited with grapefruit, camomile, flinty aromas with hints of lanolin. Pristine grapefruit, lemon glacé, hint flinty flavours, fine slinky textures, mid palate creaminess and fresh long indelible acidity. Bittersweet notes at the finish. Lovely density and torque with a nervy and long line of acidity. Delicious now, but should reveal something special and memorable in years to come." Andrew Caillard MW - 97 points
"Light bright yellow colour; a very restrained, waxy and lemon pith bouquet, a smidgin of lightly browned toast starting up. Taut, restrained palate: a very fine wine. Citron, candied lemon peel. Searing intensity, tremendous persistence. Superb wine, and it will blossom given a little time. Drink: 2025–2037." Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 96 points
"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. " Tom Kline, Wine Pilot – 96 points
"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. Drink: 2026–2040." Jeni Port, Wine Pilot – 95 points
Yattarna
After a long period of experimentation, Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay was launched in 1998 with the 1995 vintage. The name was chosen to honour the 144 winemaking trials it took Penfolds to perfect their flagship white wine and marked a new chapter in the Penfolds story.
The inaugural 1995 vintage was arguably the most eagerly anticipated white wine release in Australian history – dubbed by the media as "White Grange", it reached the front pages of Australia’s national newspapers.
At the presentation of the Tucker Seabrook Perpetual Trophy at the 1997 Sydney Royal Wine Show, the late Len Evans, Chairman of Judges, described the wine as "a revelation" and "a step forward for Australian chardonnay".
Over the years there has been an evolution of winemaking perspectives, a more critical approach to cool-climate grape sourcing and how oak contributes to the style and aging capacity of Yattarna Chardonnay. Technical adaptations and refinements over two decades have led to a distinct Penfolds winemaking signature of pure fruits, flinty complexity, volume and mineral freshness.
Fruit selection is the critical element of Yattarna Chardonnay because it ultimately determines the character of the style. Although multi-vineyard and multi-regional sourcing includes New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, there has been an increasing reliance on the cool spectrum of flavours derived from higher-altitude and lower-latitude vineyards. Hence why there is an increasing component of Derwent Valley, Coal River and Central Highland chardonnay from Tasmania.
Whole bunch pressing, barrel fermentation including use of wild yeasts, malolactic fermentation and yeast stirring (battonage) have also been important elements in creating a wine of superb fruit complexity, texture and mineral length.
The elegantly styled Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna epitomises the finesse, restraint and character of modern Australian chardonnay. It is best enjoyed within a 3 to 12-year time frame – the wines benefit from some bottle age. Expert cellaring conditions may extend the wine’s longevity to some degree.
Selectively sourcing only the very best chardonnay fruit from cool-climate regions, coupled with clever winemaking, the style continues to evolve. Yattarna reflects Penfolds patience and continued commitment to its original goal, its very name being drawn from local indigenous language, meaning 'little by little, gradually'. Each vintage provides the opportunity to further raise the quality bar.
Peter Gago
The following text is taken from an article by Ken Gargett in Quill & Pad, https://quillandpad.com
Peter Gago has what many people in the wine world think is the best job on the planet. He is chief winemaker for Penfolds, based in South Australia and one of Australia’s oldest wine producers.
Max Schubert created Grange with the experimental first wine, the 1951, after he returned from Bordeaux and wanted to establish an Aussie First Growth. The story of Grange has been told many times, and as fascinating as it is I won’t rehash it again. Schubert ruled at Penfolds right through to the 1976 vintage, when he handed the reins to Don Ditter. Ditter made the wines right through to the 1986 vintage when John Duval stepped up. Duval was chief winemaker until the 2002 vintage, when he left to do his own thing, very successfully.
Since that time, Peter Gago has been the chief winemaker. It should be noted that although the role of chief winemaker at Penfolds will always be inextricably linked with Grange, there are a great many other wines in the portfolio for which this position assumes ultimate responsibility.
Alongside the winemaking, in which he is still heavily involved, a usual week in non-Covid times sees Gago flying around the world to tastings, dinners, events, festivals, and promotions. I suspect that only David Attenborough (outside of pilots and crew) has racked up more flying miles. I remember seeing him one day when he seemed even more pleased with the world than usual. Turns out he’d just run into his wife, Gail, now retired but a long-term and highly regarded member of the South Australian parliament, at the airport. Gago had not been aware that they would both be in the same country that week, let alone cross paths, such is his usual peripatetic lifestyle.
Gago has friends and admirers all around the globe, from the rich and famous to young, aspiring wine lovers, and will spend time talking to them all. I suspect that if he wanted to start dropping names, the din would reverberate for days, but you could not find a humbler man. Gago is a serious music buff and you’d be amazed at the number of rock stars who revere him, much in the way their fans might do for them (for instance, after crawling over broken glass to get a ticket to a Bruce Springsteen concert I saw Gago sitting in prime seats with Springsteen’s family, after which they went for dinner and knocked off a few bottles of Grange).
Gago is probably as close to a rock star himself in the world of wine, although perhaps more modest rather than flamboyant. And I have no idea if he can sing.
The thing that most amazes me with Gago is that every time you talk to him, he is bubbling with genuine enthusiasm, not just for Grange but for all his wines. He just loves what he is doing. One gets the feeling that every morning he wakes up and pinches himself to make sure it is real.
Among his many attributes, Gago has the gift of the gab like few others. Only once have I ever seen him lost for words and caught off guard. Many years ago, at the annual release – held in a very fancy location near the shores of Sydney Harbor; it is always a fancy location somewhere and also always includes great champagne to kick off the day as Gago is fanatical about the world’s best bubbles – the then current chairman or CEO of whichever corporate entity was then the owner of Penfolds attended the day. Forgive me for my failure to remember just where the corporate snakes and ladders left Penfolds that day and for failing to remember the relevant gentleman’s name. He had only been appointed as a temporary executive while the search for a more permanent one was ongoing, but unlike any of the CEOs before and after, this man had a genuine interest and came to a couple of tastings to learn.
Anyway, as we sipped our champagne on the lawns overlooking Sydney Harbor and chatted, our friend suddenly posed a question to Gago. He had been meaning to ask, he said, just how much Grange the company made. There were five or six writers in this little group and suddenly, every single one of us had pad and pen poised. The production of Grange is a national secret that is not to be disclosed under pain of death (general consensus puts it at, depending on the vintage, between 5,000 and 15,000 cases, with most releases in the mid range, but this is pure speculation).
Gago was at a loss. The boss of bosses had just asked him a direct question and Gago is far too polite not to answer but knew he couldn’t give that information out in public. He managed a fair bit of mumbling and generalizations and I think he suggested they meet later. Pads and pens all went back into bags, and we could not help grinning while Gago looked like he’d just swallowed a bad oyster.
Gago was born in England in 1957, but his family moved to Melbourne when he was only six years of age. Originally a math teacher (teaching is still a passion), he undertook a science degree at the University of Melbourne and then attended Roseworthy College, a famous Australian winemaking college, graduating as Dux (the highest ranking academic performance -ed), which will surprise no one.
In 1989 he joined Penfolds as a sparkling winemaker, working with Ed Carr, who has established a career in sparkling wine (now with Arras) as successful as Gago’s is with table wines. He moved to reds and quickly rose through the ranks until succeeding Duval in 2002. In the 73 years since Schubert was first appointed, Gago is only the fourth chief winemaker.
During his tenure, he has stacked up an extraordinary array of bling, as has Penfolds under his stewardship (Gago heads a team of eight winemakers for table wines and a couple more for fortifieds). He has several “Winemaker of the Year” awards from different entities and publications, both from Australia and abroad, but the accolades go well beyond that.
In 2017, in what is termed “the Queen’s Birthday Honors List,” he was awarded the highly prestigious Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the wine industry. For non-Aussies, that is a big one! A year later, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia and named the Great Wine Capitals Ambassador for South Australia.
Very recently, Gago was awarded perhaps the most prestigious honor of all in the wine world: admission to the Decanter Hall of Fame (previously they honored the Decanter Man – or Woman – of the Year, but that changed). Decanter is a highly respected English wine magazine that established its hall of fame in 1984 with Serge Hochar from Château Musar in Lebanon the first recipient. There is only a single addition per year. Gago is the fourth Australian following Max Schubert in 1988, Len Evans in 1997, and Brian Croser in 2004. That two of the four chief winemakers from a single producer have made this list (Schubert and Gago) is unprecedented but shows just where Penfolds sits in the pantheon of wine producers around the globe.
And should you still remain unconvinced then take a moment to look at some of the names Gago has joined: Parker, Spurrier, Tchelistcheff, Robinson, Moueix, de Villaine, Antinori, Lichine, Gaja, Symington, Loosen, Guigal, Torres, Draper, Peynaud, Mondavi, and so many more. There is no question that the name Peter Gago sits very comfortably alongside them all.
What is most important is that across the board the Penfolds wines have never been better, and while it is a team effort, in the end we can thank Gago.
About the winery
After the success of early sherries and fortified wines, founders Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold planted the vine cuttings they had carried on their voyage over to Australia. In 1844 the fledging vineyard was officially established as the Penfolds wine company at Magill Estate.
As the company grew, so too did Dr Penfold's medical reputation, leaving much of the running of the winery to Mary Penfold. Early forays into Clarets and Rieslings proved increasingly popular, and on Christopher's death in 1870, Mary assumed total responsibility for the winery. Mary's reign at the helm of Penfolds saw years of determination and endeavour.
By the time Mary Penfold retired in 1884 (ceding management to her daughter, Georgina) Penfolds was producing 1/3 of all South Australia's wine. She'd set an agenda that continues today, experimenting with new methods in wine production. By Mary's death in 1896, the Penfolds legacy was well on its way to fruition. By 1907, Penfolds had become South Australia's largest winery.
In 1948, history was made again as Max Schubert became the company's first Chief Winemaker. A loyal company man and true innovator, Schubert would propel Penfolds onto the global stage with his experimentation of long-lasting wines - the creation of Penfolds Grange in the 1950s.
In 1959 (while Schubert was perfecting his Grange experiment in secret), the tradition of ‘bin wines' began. The first, a Shiraz wine with the grapes of the company's own Barossa Valley vineyards was simply named after the storage area of the cellars where it is aged. And so Kalimna Bin 28 becomes the first official Penfolds Bin number wine.
In 1960, the Penfolds board instructed Max Schubert to officially re-start production on Grange. His determination and the quality of the aged wine had won them over.
Soon, the medals began flowing and Grange quickly became one of the most revered wines around the world. In 1988 Schubert was named Decanter Magazine's Man of the Year, and on the 50th anniversary of its birth, Penfolds Grange was given a heritage listing in South Australia.
Despite great success, Penfolds never rests on its laurels. In 2012 Penfolds released its most innovative project to date - 12 handcrafted ampoules of the rare 2004 Kalimna Block Cabernet Sauvignon.
Two years later, Penfolds celebrated the 170th anniversary – having just picked up a perfect score of 100 for the 2008 Grange in two of the world's most influential wine magazines. Today, Penfolds continues to hold dear the philosophies and legends – '1844 to evermore!'.
Tasmania
Tasmania is a small island located below mainland Australia. It produces less than 1% of Australia’s wine but enjoys a global reputation as a leading producer of premium cool climate wines. It is prized for its top-class sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.
Tasmania is home to more than 230 wineries across 7 wine regions*. The reigions Coal River Valley, East Coast, Pipers River and Tamar Valley produce around 90% of Tasmania's wine, while the other three regions Derwent Valley, Huon Valley and North West produce the remaining 10%. * Please note these 7 wine areas are considered here to be subregions of Tasmania to aid site navigation.
Tasmania is the coldest wine State in Australia. Its climate is temperate, with a distinct maritime influence from the Tasman Sea to the east, Bass Strait to the north and the Indian Ocean to the west. Summer days are temperate while winter sees some of the coldest temperatures in Australia. It's unique climate and soils combine to create ideal growing conditions for cool-climate grape varieties.