Penfolds Max's Chardonnay

Max Schubert, the winemaker who built Penfolds' reputation on Shiraz and American oak, lends his name to a Chardonnay that sits at the opposite end of the house's stylistic spectrum — a deliberate nod to the cool-climate whites his legacy made possible. Adelaide Hills, the high-altitude spine of the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, supplies the fruit: elevated sites deliver a naturally long, cool growing season that preserves acidity and restrains phenolic ripeness, producing Chardonnay with tension rather than weight. Penfolds specifies whole-bunch pressing of hand-picked fruit — the same entry point used for the flagship Yattarna (Bin 144) — minimising phenolic extraction before fermentation and setting the structural foundation for a leaner, site-expressive style. The winemaking approach prioritises freshness over oak saturation, a meaningful departure from the house's signature American-hogshead richness that defines the red portfolio. What distinguishes Max's within the Penfolds white hierarchy is its single-region Adelaide Hills identity: where Yattarna draws on Tasmania, Henty, and Tumbarumba to build complexity through multi-regional blending, Max's Chardonnay commits to one cool-climate address, making it the most terroir-legible white in the lineup. Current vintage; drink on release through 3–5 years for primary fruit clarity.