2020 Bin 311 Chardonnay

Full screwcapped bottle 1,335 g. Penfolds keep us on our toes for our list of appellations in the database. This particular trio from three different states also applies to their 2019 Pinot Noir. Quintessential Australia, quintessential Penfolds. Matured for eight months in French oak barriques (41% new). Smells really quite leesy. Very pale. This from the vintage with the fires in Adelaide Hills but there is not a smidgeon of smoke taint in this crystalline wine that's so pure and lean it almost smells like a Riesling! Once you get past the lees… Light and fresh and very much in the current idiom of crisper Australian Chardonnays. Tight and contained with a hint of lime. I'd be inclined to wait until next year before enjoying this. (JR)

Has a very well-made feel with vibrant chardonnay fruit – lemon, peach and nectarine – as well as nicely placed barrel-fermentation complexity. Quite zesty and linear palate with flavors that run from citrus to peach and melon, and there’s good purity throughout. Sourced from Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Henty. Drink now. Screw cap.

Limpid yellow. Pungent lemon curd, dried pear and nectarine aromas are complemented by smoky mineral, fennel and vanilla nuances. Chewy and sharply focused on the palate, offering concentrated citrus and orchard fruit flavors that show firm tension and a floral nuance that builds with air. A hint of marzipan lingers as mineral and floral notes carry through the firm finish.