Penfolds Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2025

$45

10.5%

A particularly dry season of warm conditions and small yields, which Kym Schroeter describes as a bit too warm for riesling, though perfect for chardonnay. In its youthful state at just a few months of age, it carries the power and ripeness of the season in a particularly generous and approachable style of succulent white peach, mandarin, golden delicious apple and lemon drops. Its soft, juicy and succulent style makes for immediate approachability, without the stamina to age.

90 points

Drink 2025-2026

Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay 2024

$55

13.0%

Adelaide Hills, Tasmania, Tumbarumba; matured 8 months in 18% new French oak barriques

A generous richness and power reflect a warm and dry year with an early harvest of small crops, that maker Kym Schroeter considered particularly outstanding in Tumbarumba. Toasty French oak supports a core of white peach, pineapple, golden delicious apple and fig. Warm season phenolics have been well managed, providing gentle grip to tone the succulence of the finish. A generous vintage to drink young.

91 points

Drink 2025-2026

Penfolds Reserve Bin 24A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2024

$125

12.5%

Partial wild fermentation; fermented and matured on solids for 8 months in 50% new 225L French oak barriques with regular bâtonnage; full natural malolactic fermentation

Intense concentration and energetic structure tell the story of a cool and dry season of low yields. This is a chardonnay of expansive dimensions, layered with rich brushstrokes of ripe white peach, pineapple, grapefruit, even suggestions of custard apple. French oak adds vanilla, almond nougat and cashew nut to the party, while heightening creamy structure. Fine-grained phenolic texture and tangy acidity carry a long finish of power and character. This is a solid Reserve Bin that unites tremendous breadth and power with focused, energetic confidence. It calls for medium-term cellaring to unite its dramatic extremes, though will not go down among its most enduring vintages.

95 points

Drink 2029-2039

Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2023

$220

12.5%

Tumbarumba, Adelaide Hills, Tasmania; matured for 8 months in 60% new French oak barriques

The power of blending from three far-flung regions is the secret to Yattarna, and small yields in all three in 2023 produced intensity, while cool conditions upheld natural acidity. Kym Schroeter compares its finesse to 2021. Such vibrant energy certainly sets it apart alongside the warmer 2024 season in Bin 311 and Reserve Bin A. A pristine core of grapefruit, lemon and white peach is underlined by crystalline, cool-season acidity of magnificent luminosity and radiance, charging a finish of outstanding line and length. Another magnificent Yattarna.

97 points

Drink 2033-2048

Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir 2024

$55

13.5%

Tasmania

Matured in 30% new French oak barriques and, for the first time, 1.5% in Italian cocciopesto amphorae

A particularly flamboyant Bin 23 brims with beetroot, potpourri and exotic spice. A warm and dry yet moderate and early harvest in Tasmania has set a firm, fine structural framework of tannin grip that will hold it long in the cellar. The result is a more savoury rendition of Tasmanian pinot noir, more about frame than flesh, holding rigid lines thanks to the union of warm, dry season tannins and harmoniously deployed French oak.

91 points

Drink 2029-2039

Penfolds Bin 21 Grenache 2024

$60

14.5%

Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale; matured 10 months in 17% new and 69% seasoned French and 14% seasoned American oak hogsheads

Following the cool and fragrant 2022 and 2023 seasons, the mood of Bin 21 has evolved in this dry season of cool overnight temperatures preceded record heat in March. The result is a more savoury style of spice and dried rosé petals, built around a firm, fine tannin scaffold of grip and endurance, albeit without the lift, breadth and flow of its predecessors. A Bin 21 for the cellar.

91 points

Drink 2029-2034

Penfolds Bin 138 Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2023

$60

14.5%

56% grenache, 38% shiraz, 6% mataro; matured 12 months in seasoned French and American oak hogsheads

A wet growing season and moderate harvest proved particularly advantageous for grenache, producing a Bin 138 of structural harmony and longevity. Firm, fine tannins are neatly woven with bright acidity to elevate a core of red and black berry fruits, spice, pepper and nuances of curry. Fine-grained tannins direct a finish of impressive persistence. A Bin 138 for the cellar.

93 points

Drink 2033-2038

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2023

$75

14.5%

Matured 12 months in 26% new French oak hogsheads

A wet growing season preceded a warm ripening period in Coonawarra, producing a more generous and structured style than the cool 2021 and 2022. A challenging season in which Penfolds produced no Bin 169 and no Coonawarra cabernet worthy of Bin 707. A core of blackberry and satsuma plum fruit is supported by a firm, warm season tannin profile of grip and endurance. Now under cork, the first bottle I tasted looked a little muted on the finish.

91 points

Drink 2033-2038

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2023

$50

14.5%

Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Padthaway; matured 12 months in 15% new American oak hogsheads

A Bin 28 of frame and sinew, this is a vintage driven by the firm, slightly grainy tannin profile of ripe fruit and American oak. A wet and stormy growing season introduced a cool and late harvest, setting structural lift and endurance. Dark berry fruits, spice and dark chocolate hold good persistence. Fruit, oak, tannins and acidity scream out for time to find integration and harmony.

92 points

Drink 2033-2043

Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2023

$100

14.5%

Matured 17 months in seasoned oak hogsheads, 54% French and 46% American

A wet and stormy growing season transitioned to favourable harvest conditions with cool nights, setting a contrast between vibrant acidity and the structural grip of firm fruit and oak tannins. The classic milk and dark chocolate and dark berry fruits of Marananga are impressively prominent here, and sit comfortably in its confident acid and tannin scape. A great vintage, crafted in the classic Penfolds mould for the long haul.

94 points

Drink 2038-2048

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

$130

14.5%

Padthaway, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully; matured 12 months in 21% new French and 11% new American oak hogsheads

A mild growing season and moderately warm harvest saw Padthaway take the lead in this vintage that produced no Coonawarra cabernet worthy of Bin 169 or Bin 707. This is a season that highlights the green capsicum and leaf mood of cabernet, lifted with rose hip aromatics and confidently supported by fine, al dente tannins and vibrant acidity. Dark chocolate French and American oak provides well-gauged support. It holds good persistence and cellaring potential.

93 points

Drink 2033-2048

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2023

$120

14.5%

51% cabernet sauvignon, 49% shiraz; McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley; matured 12 months in 33% new American oak hogsheads

I have been an avid follower of Bin 389 for three decades and have long admired it ability to unite cabernet and shiraz to transcend its seasons, and this is particularly apparent in 2023. This cool, dry and late harvest does not present the same vibrancy, grace and beauty as 2021 or 2022 across the Penfolds style, but yet again Bin 389 is a standout of the season. I love the seamless union of cabernet, shiraz and American oak here, setting a pristine and precise profile of the black- and redcurrants of cabernet, the blackberries of shiraz and the dark chocolate of oak. Structurally, it’s at once tense and glossy, polished and rigid, assertive and endearing, in a juxtaposition like only Penfolds can conjure. Another great Bin 389 for the aged.

95 points

Drink 2043-2053

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2022

$135

14.5%

96% shiraz, 4% cabernet sauvignon; Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Padthaway; matured 14 months in large, seasoned oak vats

There is an immediate allure to St Henri 2022, announced with the signature gloss and grace that is uniquely St Henri on a bouquet of magnificent black fruits of all kinds, violets and dark chocolate that speaks more of place than of method. There is a harmony and composure to this blend that speak of a temperate season in the Barossa and mild in McLaren Vale, producing moderate crops of natural balance. I love the expansive mood of large vessel maturation, setting a transparency, detail and harmony of effortless flow. Firm, fine tannins carry a long and graceful finish. One of the greats.

97 points

Drink 2042-2057

Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 2023

$180

14.5%

Matured 17 months in 34% new French oak barriques and 33% new American oak hogsheads

By contrast with the challenges of some other parts of the state, a cool, long-ripening season has blessed a particularly graceful Magill estate with the harmony and completeness that characterise its finest vintages. There is a purity to its berry fruits core, its lifted spice and its dark and milk chocolate complexity. Structurally, there is a wonderful accord between confident, fine-grained tannins and cool season acidity, setting an impressively honed palate of polish and endurance. I admire the clarity of this cool season in highlighting the detail that identifies the singularity of uniqueness that is Magill estate, in a place and time all of its own.

96 points

Drink 2043-2058

Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz 2023

$220

14.5%

Matured 14 months in 69% new French oak hogsheads

A strong vintage for RWT transcends an erratic and challenging growing season, blessed by a late harvest accompanied by cool nights. An enticing core of classic Barossa blackberries, blueberries and satsuma plums is backed by the dark chocolate of high-class French oak, setting a firm, fine, perfectly slow-ripened tannin profile, beautifully lifted by cool season acidity. It carries magnificent flow and persistence, making for a long-enduring RWT. One bottle was slightly cork muted.

96 points

Drink 2043-2058

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

$800

14.5%

McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley; matured 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads

Following the stellar 2021 and 2022 in Coonawarra, there is in fact no Coonawarra cabernet that achieved the 707 standard in 2023 (and no Bin 169 released), with McLaren Vale, Padthaway and the Barossa Valley stepping forward. The blend is instead led by McLaren Vale, where a wet spring, warm and dry summer and cool harvest contrasted a challenging, wet and stormy season in the Barossa. The result is a Bin 707 of characteristic power and muscle, set to a quintessential Penfolds tannin frame and strong American oak support. A core of classic blackcurrant fruit definition is accented with cedar and tobacco leaf and energised by vibrant acid focus and a spectacular cascade of powerful tannins that will hold it sure for half a century.

97 points

Drink 2053-2073

Penfolds Grange Bin 95 2021

$1000

14.5%

94% shiraz, 6% cabernet sauvignon; Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley; matured 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads

Long have I awaited the launch of Grange from the season I admire more than any other in recent decades across south-eastern Australia. The dream combination of a cool spring, average summer and mild autumn furnished slow and even ripening. But the outcome was never a given, as there is great challenge in capturing the energy and grace of such a cool season without compromising or contradicting the inimitable magnitude that is Grange. The wizardry of Peter Gago and his team have juggled this juxtaposition with masterful skill. A core of black fruits of all kinds reverberates with dramatic power, accented with liquorice straps, sarsaparilla and high cocoa dark chocolate. The signature volatile acidity of Grange has been impeccably judged, adding subtle hints of black olives, coal steam and crushed ants. The tannin profile is a wonder to behold, a captivating splay of fine-grained fruit and oak structure that envelops the mouth, wonderfully elevated and interlocked with cool season acidity that spiral upward in tandem, each propelling the other, setting a stance that promises to hold as long as any in the storied history of Grange. This is a vintage that demands at least 30 years before approaching, and will confidently continue to marvel for half a century and perhaps beyond.

99 points

Drink 2051-2071

Penfolds FWT585 Vin de France Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot 2022

$100

14%

56% cabernet sauvignon, 41% merlot, 3% petit verdot; matured 12 months in 35% new French and 17% new American oak barrels.

The fine-boned elegance of Bordeaux is on grand display in a cabernet-led blend, even in a vintage as dry and warm as this, with cool night upholding vibrancy and freshness. Cabernet and merlot unite seamlessly with a dash of petit verdot, with rising reflections of red- and blackcurrant, cedar and tobacco leaf, set to a strong backdrop of firm, fine Penfolds tannins and high-class French and American oak.

93 points

Drink 2032-2047

Penfolds FWT 543 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2022

$100

14.5%

52% cabernet sauvignon, 48% syrah; matured 12 months in 25% new French, 16% new American and seasoned oak barriques; inaugural release

Cabernet sauvignon is sourced from Bordeaux and syrah currently from Languedoc Roussillon, and Peter is working toward shifting sourcing to Hermitage, in the historical spirit of ‘Hermitagée’ Bordeaux, and there are subsequent vintages with this blend in the cellar already, with the hope of elevating the blend to a Penfolds Bin number.

Winemaker Shauna Bastow acknowledges that Max Schubert was inspired to blend cabernet sauvignon and shiraz after visiting France and hopes he ‘would be proud of what we have achieved with this inaugural release of our FWT 543, a wine that reimagines our classic Australian blend and signature style as a Vin de France.’

As unexpected as it may be, there is something that feels strangely appropriate about the resurrection of the blend of Bordeaux and syrah in France by the Australian company that has championed this varietal union globally more than any other over the past seven decades. Still a work in progress, and here a Bordeaux Languedoc Roussion blend and not yet Bordeaux Hermitage (wait for it!), a hot and dry season produced a dark fruit profile well suited to the Penfolds style, while cool nights toward the end of veraison upheld freshness. The result maintains the fine-boned elegance of its regions, immediately setting it apart from the impact of their counterparts down under, yet still unmistakably Penfolds, and particularly so in this hot and dry vintage. The two varieties unite seamlessly, with cabernet’s blackcurrants and syrah’s blackberries set to a strong backdrop of firm, fine Penfolds tannins and high-class French and American oak. An exciting new release and a space to watch as the concept and sourcing evolve.

94 points

Drink 2032-2047

Penfolds CWT521 Cabernet Sauvignon Marselan 2023

$150

14.5%

89% cabernet sauvignon from elevated vineyards in Shangri-La and 11% marselan from Ningxia; matured 13 months in 24% new French and American oak hogsheads.

This is a blend led by cabernet sauvignon more confidently than the preceding releases, with 11% marselan here (18% and 23% formerly). The mood here is the leafy, cedary, pencil-lead definition of cabernet. Peter Gago highlights the mid-palate richness delivered by marselan, which is less prominent here than in the past. A green capsicum flavour and banana skin tannins characterise a style at the lower ripeness end of the Penfolds spectrum, making for some astringency and sweet and sour sensation on the finish. It’s outclassed by Penfolds’ Australian, French and Californian blends.

89 points

Drink 2033-2043

Penfolds Bin 600 California Cabernet Shiraz 2022

$90

14.5%

66% cabernet sauvignon, 44% shiraz from Napa Valley and Paso Robles; matured 16 months in 45% new American oak barriques

A powerful Napa Valley cabernet shiraz of density and fruit sweetness. A season of cool mornings, warm afternoons and a September heatwave produced small berries of strong concentration and high acidity. This ripeness delivers a sweet fruit core that distinguishes the palate from Penfolds’ Australian and French blends, lending a slight sweet and sour effect in the presence of the strong acidity from cool mornings. Strong, fine American oak tannins build longevity.

92 points

Drink 2037-2047

Penfolds Bin 704 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

$125

14.5%

Matured 16 months in 45% new French oak barriques

A season of cool mornings, warm afternoons and a September heatwave produced small berries of strong concentration and high acidity. The result captures the fruit sweetness of a fully ripe Napa harvest, with succulent, slightly jammy dark berry fruits set against a backdrop of firm, medium-grained tannins and dark chocolate French oak. A dense and powerful cabernet of sweet, ripe fruit.

91 points

Drink 2032-2042