Yattarna 2020 Penfolds

Tasting Note Yattarna 2020

The color is a pale straw yellow. With an alcohol content of 12.5%, the Yattarna 2020 feels light, yet its very concentrated. The acidity provides structure, leading to a long, dry finish. Served chilled (but not ice-cold), you can appreciate its richer flavors.

Grape Varieties

Only Chardonnay was used, consisting of grapes harvested from two locations. With its high natural acidity and the variety's characteristic clean fruit aromas, enriches the mid-palate. No single region alone could have imparted both of these characteristics to the Yattarna 2020.

Cellaring Potential

A pH of 3.05 is low, and a low pH helps white wine maintain its freshness in the bottle. Together with acidity, this factor grants Yattarna 2020 a long runway: drinkable. Serve it at 10-13°C, slightly warmer than typical white wines, to best highlight its texture.

About Penfolds

The history of Penfolds began in 1844, when the English doctor Christopher Rowson Penfold settled in Magill, near Adelaide, bringing with him English and French vine cuttings, and built a stone cottage called ‘The Grange’ — a name that Max Schubert would adopt a century later. Believing that wine possessed medicinal properties, he mainly produced fortified wines, although clarets and Rieslings soon followed. His wife Mary was involved in winemaking and managed the estate, taking full charge following his death in 1870; by 1881, Penfolds accounted for a third of all wine produced in South Australia. The shift towards table wine production took place under Gladys Penfold Highland, who became chair of the board of directors in 1948 and, in 1950, sent Schubert to Europe, supporting both his research and his ambition to create a superb red wine. Schubert joined the company in 1931 as a messenger, became the first head winemaker in 1948 and, from 1951, created experimental ‘Grange’ vintages until management ordered him to stop – he continued in secret. Production of the ‘Bin’ series began separately in 1959 with ‘Kalimna Bin 28’, named after the storage bunkers at Magilla. The focus is on Shiraz, blended from grapes grown in the Barossa, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra valleys, although ‘Bin 707 Cabernet’ and ‘Yattarna Chardonnay’ are also wines of note. Peter Gago has been in charge of the winery since 2002.

Terroir & Climate

Yattarna is a blend drawn from multiple regions rather than a single vineyard, and that is precisely what makes this wine special. Tumbarumba, the Adelaide Hills and Tasmania are cool-climate Chardonnay sites, and Penfolds selects grapes from among them each year. Cool vineyards maintain high acidity, ensuring that the fruit aromas do not lean too heavily toward mango but retain notes of citrus and green apple. The firm, mineral-rich structure evident in the glass stems directly from this selection process.

Winemaking

This wine undergoes a short and careful oak aging process. It is aged for 8 months in French oak barriques, with 60% in new oak and 40% in one-year-old oak. Although the proportion of new oak is high, the aging period is short. This combination delivers spicy flavors and texture without the heaviness of butter or toasted notes often found in overly heavy Chardonnay wines. Penfolds prioritizes tension over richness, and thanks to the short aging period, citrus fruit aromas come to the forefront.

Food Pairing Yattarna 2023

The high acidity and crisp structure pair well with delicate proteins and clean fats.
Rich cream sauces will overpower the wine's flavors. Keep the recipes simple.

• Grilled Tasmanian scallops, browned butter
• Steamed snapper with ginger and spring onion
• Roast chicken, skin crisp, no heavy sauce
• Fresh goat cheese on toast; the acidity cuts the chalkiness