Penfolds Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2023

Description

After the success of early sherries and fortified wines, founders Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold planted their 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. 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.

Bin 311 Chardonnay truly reflects the winemakers’ mantra and Penfolds always go where the fruit grows best and where it best suits style’. In the previous release of Bin 311, 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 mostly seasoned oak. Minimal filtration is employed, preserving elegant fruit flavours.

Grilled banana and crushed nuts, white beach sand and brine dominate the aromatics of this 2023 Bin 311 Chardonnay. On the palate, the wine is complex and creamy, with a citrus line of acid that cuts through the almost opulent fruit in the mouth. It doesn’t quite get to melons and cumquat, but it nudges those riper ideas. There’s an opulence and width to this release, yet the acidity keeps it on track. The wine matured for eight months in French barriques (21% new). It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.17 and 6.7 grams per liter of total acidity. Sealed under screw cap. [Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate 18/07/2024]