2015 Bin 311 Chardonnay
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Acidity 6.5 g/l, pH 3.29. 100% old French oak for nine months. All Chardonnays get 100% MLF but they are trying to avoid any butteriness (unlike the early 1990s) and there is very little stirring. Lots of the vineyards in this high-elevation New South Wales wine region used to provide base for sparkling wine.Quite a leesy nose. Cool fruit and masses of acidity. Tight and fresh. Very tight, lean and almost Chablis-like. Racy. Quite long. Absolutely up my boulevard. Should improve in bottle. 13.5%
Critic scores
Average Score
James Halliday
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Chardonnay Bin 311 from Tumbarumba bursts forth with ripe apricots and cream on the nose, giving way to subtle butterscotch and popcorn notes plus a touch of ginger. Really fine and graceful on the palate with an alluring satiny texture and a pleasant savory/toasty edge, it finishes long with a zesty lift.
Acidity 6.5 g/l, pH 3.29. 100% old French oak for nine months. All Chardonnays get 100% MLF but they are trying to avoid any butteriness (unlike the early 1990s) and there is very little stirring. Lots of the vineyards in this high-elevation New South Wales wine region used to provide base for sparkling wine. Quite a leesy nose. Cool fruit and masses of acidity. Tight and fresh. Very tight, lean and almost Chablis-like. Racy. Quite long. Absolutely up my boulevard. Should improve in bottle. (JR)
Intense grapefruit/white peach/melon aromas and flavours drive through the palate in a chariot of natural acidity, making French oak an incidental extra. When Tumbarumba has a good (ie dry) vintage, everything falls into place. 13.5% alc. Sep 2016, www.winecompanion.com.au, Drink: 2016-2045
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.