Penfolds, Yattarna, 2024
Penfolds, Yattarna, 2024
- 75cl
- 12.5%
- White Still
- Chardonnay
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Drinking window: 2026 - 2042
Est. delivery in 2027
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay is the winery’s high-end white wine—sometimes even called “the White Grange.” Launched back in 1998 after 144 developmental trials, its name comes from an Indigenous Australian phrase meaning "little by little, gradually," which perfectly captures the thoughtful evolution behind it. Yattarna is a blend of Chardonnay from several cool-climate regions—typically Tasmania, Tumbarumba, and the Adelaide Hills—which adds bright freshness, textural depth, and complexity
Penfolds is one of Australia’s most iconic wineries, with a history stretching back to 1844 when Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold planted their first vines in Magill, South Australia. From those modest beginnings, it has grown into a global benchmark for quality.
What the critics say:
"Stands head and shoulders above so many in the lineup, delivering grip, lift and joy. Slowly stretches out through the palate, gunsmoke, preserved lemons, elderflowers, white pear, delicious, full of impact and personality, skilful winemaking teasing out a ton of character."
"The 2024 Yattarna Chardonnay is creamy, sleek and so polished. This is a brilliant wine. This and the Reserve Bin A usually duke it out for my favorite wines of the release each year, and in the end, I don't suppose it matters too much which wins. The Yattarna is stylistically typified by streamlined composure, length and compact complexity, while the Reserve Bin A is more flinty and more immediately seductive. I love them both. Anyway, both of these wines in this year's release look fantastic. This Chardonnay mimics the Grange in that it is also a multiregional blend. This has ever been the case, and this wine was often (I'm not sure it still is) referred to as "white Grange." In 2024, it was sourced from Tumbarumba (75%), Adelaide Hills (13%) and Tasmania (12%). The 2024 Yattarna Chardonnay season was shaped by cool-climate conditions across Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania—it feels crazy to lump the three in as one, given their differences and distance apart, but the generalization works ok in this context. Mild summer weather, extended hang time and minimal heat stress allowed slow, even ripening, while staggered harvest timing supported balance across the blend. It has an alcohol content of 12.5%, with 6.6 grams per liter of acidity and a pH of 3.19. The wine was matured for eight months in French oak barriques, 56% new and 24% one year old."
"A stunner of a vintage for Penfolds' top Chardonnay! Immediately intriguing with its savoury and mineral nose; think briny salinity, struck flint and slate, but with hints of brioche, macadamia and blossom too. Such depth to the palate, which has a taut mineral core, elegantly layered with oyster shell, green olive and creamy golden citrus; framed by precise acidity and with incredible persistence."
Yattarna draws from a shifting selection of cool-climate sites, typically including Adelaide Hills and Tasmania, chosen vintage by vintage for their ability to deliver tension and length rather than tropical generosity. Tasmanian fruit in particular brings a maritime freshness and fine acidity that anchors the blend. The soils vary across contributing sites — from loam and clay in the Hills to the free-draining soils of Tasmania's Derwent Valley — but the unifying factor is a cool growing season that preserves natural acidity and allows phenolic ripeness without sacrificing precision.
Yattarna carries a South Australia geographical indication, though it typically incorporates fruit from Tasmania as well — a multi-state approach that is perfectly legal under Australian labelling rules and central to Penfolds' house style of blending for quality rather than geography. Australia's GI system is comparatively permissive by European standards, allowing producers to draw from multiple regions within a state or across states, provided the label reflects the blend's origins. This freedom is what gives Penfolds the latitude to make Yattarna as a concept wine rather than a place wine, chasing a style rather than a postcode.
We'll be honest: 2024 in South Australia threw winemakers some proper curveballs. The growing season started promisingly enough, but then delivered a cocktail of challenges that kept everyone on their toes. What emerged from this meteorological drama was a vintage that demanded every ounce of skill in the vineyard and cellar, separating the wheat from the chaff in spectacular fashion.
The wines that made it through show remarkable concentration and vivacity—think tightly wound Rieslings from Eden Valley that practically hum with energy, and Barossa Shiraz with more savoury backbone than we've seen in years. This isn't a vintage for the impatient; these wines are built for the long haul and will reward cellaring until 2030 and beyond. We're particularly taken with the McLaren Vale expressions, which somehow managed to capture both power and restraint in the same glass.
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