PENFOLDS BIN 389 CABERNET SHIRAZ 2021

Wine Description
Bin 389 was often referred to as ‘Baby Grange’, in part because components of the wines are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. First made in 1960 by the legendary Max Schubert, this was the wine that helped forge Penfolds reputation with red wine drinkers by combining the structure of cabernet sauvignon with the richness of shiraz. Exemplifying the judicious balance of fruit and oak,Bin 389 highlights the generous mid-palate Penfolds is known for.

COLOUR:
Darkened deep red

NOSE:
Instantly cabernet, exposed by fragrant violet, lavender, blue fruits and the faintest waft of red apple blossom. And yet there’s much more to captivate the olfactory senses, with scented illuminations of:

Baked delights – Danish pastry/croissant and rye bread crust.

A Mediterranean ratatouille – laced with thyme, oregano and pulped olive.

Chamois, new-buck leather.

Cedar – yet any oak presence certainly respectful of fruit.

PALATE:
Medium-bodied.
The complete package:
Fruit: Juicy redcurrant jelly, dark plum (and plum acidity), fresh rhubarb.
Acidity: ‘Just right’ – a lively and lifted conveyance from initial lip-contact to sated ingestion.
Tannins: Integrated, polished-graphite tannins
Oak: Seamlessly hidden/concealed oak. Melding well with fruit.
Overall, cabernet balance and definition, sans exaggeration.

Reviews:

94PTS, James Suckling

The ‘mini Grange’, as it is known. Robust, with a core of molten raspberry, blueberry, tea leaf and anise, juxtaposed against something that feels cooler and fresher and compelling enough to reach for the next glass. Very Australian of feel. I have had old vintages of this, some very old. They are inevitably a rewarding experience. The generous oak framework, apposite in lieu of this latent wine’s immense potential. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.

RP93, Robert Parker

The 2021 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is creamy and densely packed with flavor (packed!), and the American oak is a core part of the wine, both aromatically and in the mouth. The fruit is from McLaren, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully and Padthaway and comprises 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz. The cooler season has imbued the wine with a freshness and levity, which, if you asked me prior to tasting, I would have said it was impossible to imbue levity in the Bin 389! But there you have it. Epic intensity, present oak. Give it time. I have tasted 30-year-old Bin 389s in the past that have still been alive and fresh. So, the cellar is the place for this vintage. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.