Penfolds Reserve Bin 06A Chardonnay 2006 Monday, May 5 2008
Tasting Notes and Australia and Adelaide Hills and Variety and White and chardonnay
If the top end white wines from Penfold’s once used to lag behind the reds, then I’m not sure they do any longer. This looked great over two days, in fact much better on the second where it insistently nudged itself up to 95 points.
It smells of lemon, nuts, white peach, yeast and clove spice oak - a paradox of wildness and refinement. On the palate fine and tight with penetrating grapefruity acidity running through a milky texture. There’s flavours of lemon, white peach, spicy ginger and clove oak offset by more savoury yeasty characters. It’s flinty and a little nervous too finishing with with spicy oak and savoury lemon curd flavours. Expensive but first class.
Other vintages : 2005
Rated : 95 Points
Tasted : Apr08
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $90
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2009 - 2015
Source : Winery Sample
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May 5th, 2008 at 9:57 am| Quote |
I had this at home over a couple of days and then tasted it again when I visited Penfolds last week. I reckon it’s about as good as Aussie chardonnay gets. Feather in the cap for Adelaide Hills chardonnay.
Campbell.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:21 am| Quote |
Yes and Oliver Crawford looks like he could be one of Robin Hood’s merry men. Got me thinking about AH chardonnay - this and the 06 Petaluma and Mount Adam all have a good whack of MLF and yet they are not creamy or overdone - still flinty and tight. I think there’s a few stylistic babies going out with the Chardonnay bathwater (and I’m familiar with the concept personally) at present. Seems to work well with the Adelaide Hills fruit.
GW
May 5th, 2008 at 10:34 pm| Quote |
“a paradox of wildness and refinement”
Yes, good. This creates a tension which can make a wine really exciting, I think.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:40 am| Quote |
You’d want it to be pretty bloody good for $90! How many other Aussie chards are asking for that sort of cash?!?
May 8th, 2008 at 6:47 am| Quote |
Leeuwin Art Series, Giaconda, Penfolds Yattarna, Petaluma Tiers, Tapanappa Tiers (slightly less). Maybe one or two others.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:49 am| Quote |
And a whole second tier around $60.
GW
May 8th, 2008 at 7:57 am| Quote |
The Bin 03A is still around for $60 and is a very snappy wine too.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:19 pm| Quote |
Had the 94a a few nights ago, did not show its age in the least. Drank like a 5 year old chardonnay. Personally i think this wine will easily see its 20th birthday, even the colour was amazingly pale. The guy i got it off says he prefers this to most yattarna’s! I gave it 19.0 (dont know how that converts)
July 7th, 2008 at 3:42 pm| Quote |
I guess that’s about 95/96 points or so. It must have been well cellared. Older versions that I’ve bought have been hit and miss.
I generally agree with the Yattarna comment, at least from the handful or so that I’ve had, and excepting the last two vintages (the first Yattarnas were oakey, oily beasts.) The ‘99 Yattarna was the first that was any good (gave it 94 points, about 2 years ago), though still slightly confrontational.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:40 pm| Quote |
It was bought from a wine store with some cellared wines that i highly regard, never had a bad wine, although generally not cheap.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:42 pm| Quote |
Stoneageromeo said :
Yep, $90 aint cheap, but you’d generally be struggling to find a white burgundy made with a similar level of care and attention. I think sometimes we (as in Australia) undervalue our wines, especially our white’s, a great deal.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:11 am| Quote |
Too true Rawshack. Best “cheap” white Burg I had recently was a Bouchard Père & Fils Mersault Perrières 2005 at a paltry $130 or so. Admittedly was a 2005, but it wasn’t that great for the price (94/95 points, but I wonder if I would’ve rated it so highly blind …) so an exceptional Aussie chard at $80 or so isn’t all that much a rip-off by way of comparison, provided you like the style of course.