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  • Country ranking ?

    201
  • Producer ranking ?

    137
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035

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The Story

Bin 311 is considered one of the very finest, best-value cool-climate Chardonnays in Australia. In the context of Penfolds’ Chardonnay, Bin 311 is to Yattarna as Bin 389 is to Grange. The wine is made from declassified parcels of A1-graded Chardonnay grapes that would otherwise go into Yattarna and matured in the same French oak barrels that previously held Yattarna.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

I’ll confess that Bin 311 has never really flicked the switch for me. I've never seen the value, but it does suffer from having to compete with Reserve Bin A and Yattarna every year. There has been a bit of a push to call this the ‘Baby Yattarna’, but this seems to me, way more like marketing-speak than a true reflection of the wine (remind anyone of 389 as the ‘poor man’s Grange’ or ‘baby Grange’, although that had a little more justification). Some speak of the initial Bin 311 from 2005 as a bit special – how often is the first release of a new wine one that stands out (think 1990 Bin 407)? A blend of Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Tumbarumba. Eight months in French barriques, 35% new. 

Finally, however, we have a contender. For me, far and away the best Bin 311 I've seen.

Extremely pale, even for a young wine. Plenty of nutmeggy oak but it shrouds quality fruit. Stonefruits notes, spices, layered and focused. Good complexity. Nice underlying flick of acidity. Good length. Peach notes emerged towards the end. Florals. A wine of finesse. For me, 92 to 93.

Next day, the wine seemed to offer even greater focus and certainly more length. 93.

  • 93p

Pale gold. Fresh grapefruit white apricot aromas with tonic water/ flinty complexity. Supple fruit sweet palate with intense grapefruit, peach, bitter lemon flavours, creamy textures, some al-dente notes and long fresh linear acidity. Finishes crisp with plentiful apricot, peach notes. Seal; screwcap Now-2026 13% alc 93 points
 
A crisp delicious early drinking chardonnay with attractive fruit complexity, creamy textures and mineral line.
 
Tasmania, Adelaide Hills & Tumbarumba
 
Eight months in 35% new and 65% seasoned French oak barriques
 

  • 93p
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Information

Origin

Magill, South Australia

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