For the Australian Chardonnay Aficionados

[Matt@5453]

I saw this yesterday:

Penfolds to release a very different version of Yattarna

Meet Australia's most expensive current release white wine - a quirky blend of multiple vintages of Penfolds premium Yattarna chardonnay.

The wine - to be known as Penfolds V - is the companiy's first multi-vintage chardonnay.

The composition of Penfolds V spans five Yattarna vintages: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2021 (the 2021 vintage is a future release), selected and blended by Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago and white winemaker Kym Schroeter.

The wines is described as "complex and expressive on the palate".

“It’s different," says Gago.

"It’s both intriguing and confronting. An evocative wine that epitomises the finesse, restraint, and character of modern Australian chardonnay."

Penfolds Yattarna was first released in 1995 after 144 winemaking trials.

Penfolds V will be available to purchase from April 2023.
Only 2,220 bottles will be available worldwide with an RRP of $875.00. See www.penfolds.com.

[Ian S]

I wonder how this would stack up against true Aussie benchmark Chardonnays, that you could get a whole case of for the same price or less?

[sjw_11]

I am not sure I want to pay $875 to be intrigued and confronted.

[Alan Foo]

I will be out of my mind if I were to buy that bottle.

[mychurch]

Multi vintage wines area interesting but a the price is madness. Le Soula make a vintage NV white (so released every year with a different composition) and it’s a great wine that makes you think - £20 in the UK. I know the wine will be discounted - it’s the Penfolds way - but I think even the most loyal of Penfolds fans would rather a couple of bottles of NV Krug over this.

I suppose somewhere in the cellar they have an orange wine and a Pet Nat - their young winemakers will be wanting to experiment. Those wines would be much more interesting than this SuperCuvee White, but I guess they would not fit the Penfolds House style.

[VinoEd]

Who actually buys this stuff???

[Rossco]

Who actually buys this stuff???

Couldn't have put it better myself. Surely only w@nk PR Marketing in overdrive trying to make all their other overpriced
wines look like a bargain.

Hard Pass

[Ian S]

Who actually buys this stuff???

It's a good challenge, and I must admit to being intrigued by who. Is it:

- Russian oligarchs trying to find a safe 'liquid' asset?
- Those seeking a status symbol? I find this odd, as a track record ought to be more attractive than a newly minted label, but as champagne has shown, newly minted brands can sell with the right marketing (I presume Kanye was unavailable for the launch ).
- Speculators? Feels like a stupid gamble, clearly paying over the odds, and 2,200 bottles isn't especially exclusive (no more so than Best's 1999 FHT from memory)
- Wine investment schemes? Better to gamble someone else's money than one's own.
- Few / no-one, but the intention is merely to imply elevated value to the brand, making their other wines seem relative bargains?
- Anyone else?

[mychurch]

Wine lovers buy Penfolds. We here may not like them, but my gripe with them is just that the QPR is low and they lack a sense of terrior. Cant say that they are not well made wines though and if you have enough money and are after a good drink, rather than a good drink that is an expression of a particular place, then Penfolds is a safe bet.

[Polymer]

Wine lovers buy Penfolds. We here may not like them, but my gripe with them is just that the QPR is low and they lack a sense of terrior. Cant say that they are not well made wines though and if you have enough money and are after a good drink, rather than a good drink that is an expression of a particular place, then Penfolds is a safe bet.

Couldn't you say there are lots of other safe bets though?

I think this is more...if you like wine..but don't really know much about it (and don't want to ask anyone)..and have the money to spare..yes, Penfolds is probably a safe bet...

[JamieAdelaide]

Who buys them? Rich people of which there are many! Someone sent me a photo of a wedding reception in Melbourne last week where Grange was the served red. Had to laugh, a can of Coke next to one giant glass. Keep guzzling them rich folk- the tax revenue enormous which helps pay for NDIS and nuclear subs.

[GraemeG]

I imagine Penfolds will be kicking themselves now that everyone is chasing Taylor's Jaraman - the best chardonnay in the world, apparently, according to news media this morning!

[phillisc]

I imagine Penfolds will be kicking themselves now that everyone is chasing Taylor's Jaraman - the best chardonnay in the world, apparently, according to news media this morning!

And at 1/35 the price cheers Craig

[ticklenow1]

Wine lovers buy Penfolds. We here may not like them, but my gripe with them is just that the QPR is low and they lack a sense of terrior. Cant say that they are not well made wines though and if you have enough money and are after a good drink, rather than a good drink that is an expression of a particular place, then Penfolds is a safe bet.

I agree with most of your sentiments.

What I will say is that Penfolds whites can be excellent. So much better than the reds for my money. Haven’t bought a Penfolds red in many a year due to there being so much better value out there, but I do buy the odd Chardonnay when the price is right. Picked up some Bin16A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay for $80 ($125 RRP, this week and it’s well worth it ($125 RRP, which is too steep). Excellent wine.

Cheers
Ian

[Sean]

deleted

[phillisc]

Off the back of Matt's suggestion I picked up some Pennies 2022 PH Riesling.
I did hear once that in the trial days of the white Grange, Riesling and semillon were considered, pity I drink a lot more of both, or great can pick up a fantastic wine for less that $40
Cheers Craig

[Ian S]

Wine lovers buy Penfolds. We here may not like them, but my gripe with them is just that the QPR is low and they lack a sense of terrior. Cant say that they are not well made wines though and if you have enough money and are after a good drink, rather than a good drink that is an expression of a particular place, then Penfolds is a safe bet.

Couldn't you say there are lots of other safe bets though?

I think this is more...if you like wine..but don't really know much about it (and don't want to ask anyone)..and have the money to spare..yes, Penfolds is probably a safe bet...

In Australia, yes. I get the impression it's marginalised itself in the UK with the price increases, and it's shelf presence is diminished.

[JamieAdelaide]

I imagine Penfolds will be kicking themselves now that everyone is chasing Taylor's Jaraman - the best chardonnay in the world, apparently, according to news media this morning!

Just finished a six pack of 2005 Jaramans. Great wine- except one bottle was big and flabby- the rest consistent in their expression. Big fan of aged Aussie Chardonnay under screw cap.

[felixp21]

the problem Penfolds have with this laughable venture is that Yattarna wasn't even that good in the first place. Not in the top tier of Aussie chardonnays (if you ignore the Langton's nonsense). Certainly sell close to zero of the stuff in China, and with that economy now nothing other than total disaster, they won't even move their reds over there.
so who is going to buy this? Well, luckily it's only a couple of thousand bottles, so some dimwit will no doubt fall for the hype.

[Ian S]

the problem Penfolds have with this laughable venture is that Yattarna wasn't even that good in the first place. Not in the top tier of Aussie chardonnays (if you ignore the Langton's nonsense). Certainly sell close to zero of the stuff in China, and with that economy now nothing other than total disaster, they won't even move their reds over there.
so who is going to buy this? Well, luckily it's only a couple of thousand bottles, so some dimwit will no doubt fall for the hype.

Gago: "Guys, we have a problem. Yattarna isn't selling enough, because it's too expensive for what's actually in the bottle. We've got past vintages stacking up and they'll be over the hill soon"
Company accountant: "Why don't we mix it all together and charge 5x the price"
Gago: "Righto, give me the plane tickets and I'll jet off to market the shit out of it as normal"

[Matt@5453]

Interesting comments in this thread

Adding a touch of fuel to the fire here, I did have the chance to taste the 2020 Levantine Hill Optume Chardonnay (Yarra Valley), just a lazy $600 per bottle. Note, it does comes with a small screw driver thingy, individually engraved with the bottle number, to undo the screw to get into the wine's wooden case.

I "really" enjoyed the wine, its retrained, and has finesse, the oak balance is lovely. At $600 RRP it is ambitious.

[phillisc]

Umm yes, no one is doubting the quality, however, no one wants to pay for it.
LH sold out of the corresponding Cabernet and Shiraz at $800 each. Maybe the make was a couple of cases each
Cheers Craig

[Con J]

I’ve had the LH Pinot a couple of times and thought it was a really good wine, delicate red fruit and perfumed.

The price I’m not sure I’d pay, did pick up a 2017 Colleen Pinot at auction for around $70 about a third of retail, which is probably where it should be.

Cheers Con.

[Con J]

I would consider this as a NV Blanc de Blanc with no bubbles, age for complexity, young for acid and freshness and in between for fruit.

Those vintages aren’t hard to come by and will the 21 make that much difference. Five bottles way under 1K and a punch bowl.

Cheers Con.

[I Love Shiraz]

Wine lovers buy Penfolds. We here may not like them, but my gripe with them is just that the QPR is low and they lack a sense of terrior. Cant say that they are not well made wines though and if you have enough money and are after a good drink, rather than a good drink that is an expression of a particular place, then Penfolds is a safe bet.

I totally agree with you. Poor value for money but the wines are actually well made. I love terrior, and single vineyard wines, so I find the multi-regional blending of many of their wines abhorrent.