This wine marks the release of the luxury wines from Penfolds in 2012. For me this wine has had the most refinement over the years. Yattarna was first developed in 1995 but it wasn't until the mid-2000s that it started to hit its glory. The style of Yattarna is more elegant, sophisticated and a little more conservative than the Bin A but I guess that each wine would appeal to a different type of wine consumer. The original name for Yattarna was Bin 144 which is the amount of trials that they undertook before settling on the style that Yattarna is searching to achieve. On a separate note the large majority of this wine comes from a vineyard in the Derwent Valley which has recently been sold to Shaw & Smith. It will be interesting to see if Penfolds can still get access to that quality fruit.
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2009
The wine is so tight with a core of acid running from the tip to the back of my tongue which suggests that it is built for consumption down the track yet there is still the comforting citrus notes that make me want to smash it now. In the mid-palate there is a hint of melon and orange rind wrestling with toasted nuts and wok fried galangal and all of these aspects are calling me into the glass. Complexity is not as issue here but this wine sits in the shadow of the Bin A, not for the flavours but it doesn't have the textural elements that is so enticing in the Bin A. You will have to give this 5 years before it will show itself so if you are splashing out hold back on cracking the tops.
Alcohol: 12.9%
Price: $130
Rated: 93
Drink: 2017 - 2025
The vineyard that shaw and smith purchased is not in the Derwent Valley. However to my knowledge you are correct in that the bulk of the tassie fruit is sourced from a vineyard in the derwent valley.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. Do you know which one Shaw & Smith bought? I cant wait to see what they can do with the fruit.
ReplyDeleteJosh