2018 Bin 311 Chardonnay

Bottled under screwcap, the 2018 Chardonnay Bin 311 comes all from cool climate sites in southeastern Australia and was brought up in French oak. Its light gold hue is followed by a racy perfume of stone fruits, crushed citrus, white flowers, and salty minerality. With plenty of richness, medium body, and nicely integrated acidity, this rock-solid Chardonnay is drinking great today yet has the class and balance to evolve for 4-6 years or more. It’s an impressive Chardonnay.

43% Adelaide Hills, plus Tumbarumba and a bit of Tasmania. TA 6.9 g/l, pH 3.19. 10 months in French oak barriques (30% new, 20% one-year-old, 50% seasoned). They have gone from one to three single-vineyard regions. The 2018 Bin 311 showcases cool-climate Chardonnay from three of Penfolds favourite regions for this varietal: Adelaide Hills, Tumbarumba and Tasmania. All three regions enjoyed a relatively wet winter and spring which set the vines up well for the growing season. Tumbarumba had good rainfall right up to December, when a dry spell set in, while February temperatures were quite cool allowing for slow, consistent ripening. The Adelaide Hills had a very hot finish to the growing season with several heat spikes in January. Tasmania enjoyed clear and warm conditions over fruit set from January with no extreme heat days during the lead up to vintage. Harvest was an orderly affair, with grapes ripening evenly across the three regions. The grapes showed strong varietal character with desirable acidity. A little bit of oak still in evidence. Lots of juice and freshness. Seems just the right amount of fruit and acid – though not that obviously cool climate to a European palate. Nicely accessible. GV relative to the other Chardonnays in this collection. (JR)

Well put together with a hit of lime and nothing too clumsy. Earthbound rather than soaraway. Lighty and agreeably bitter on the end. (JR)