It is difficult to overstate the significance of the 2010 vintage in the flow of the grand history of Penfolds. Late last year I was privileged to a very rare sneak preview of this vintage at Penfolds’ Rewards of Patience tastings. In assessing almost every vintage of its top red wines spanning seven decades, one […]
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The cool and wet 2011 season was tougher for grenache in the Barossa than it was, for instance, in McLaren Vale, so the focus of this blend has moved decidedly to shiraz (65%), supported by just 20% grenache and 15% mataro, all from vines older than forty years, and some older than a century. Its […]
readAt just 13.5%, 2011 Bin 128 is an elegant Coonawarra shiraz that accurately captures this cool region in a cool season in its lifted violet perfume and lively acid profile. It’s tangy, taut and finely structured, with a refined tannin profile that underlines crunchy blackberry and blueberry fruits and white pepper. A well-balanced wine that […]
readIn a flight of the forty finest vintages of Bin 28 since 1963 in the Rewards of Patience tasting last year, the trilogy of 2008, 2009 and 2010 was the highlight. If 2008 was defined by richness and 2009 by restraint, 2010 unites the best of both worlds in magnificent concentration, within a framework of […]
readPenfolds has been home to some of the world’s most revered cabernet shiraz blends for more than half a century, yet never in any of my tastings with the house have they opened a bottle of Bin 8. They generously obliged my request for a sample, and it’s unfortunate that the lesser 2011 vintage was […]
readLike Bin 8, I’ve never seen Penfolds open a bottle of Bin 2 to show it off, yet this blend of shiraz (81%) and mourvèdre (19%) from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale is well-crafted, appealing and fruit-focused. Blackberries and black cherries are along for the ride, amid lifted notes of violets and the layered […]
readPenfolds pinots always seem to have an air of having been assembled by an expert in shiraz and cabernet. In 2012, this translates into a tightly wound palate scaffolded with firm, fine tannins. The aim here is a pinot for the long-term, which Gago admits is more robust than some. It’s a savoury style of […]
readDepth and definition of fruit elevate 2010 among the great 389s of all time, displaying immaculate tension between concentration, vibrant lift and structural assuredness that make it both enticing right away and charge it with the stamina to live very long. Built around a core of Coonawarra cabernet and Barossa shiraz, with support from Wrattonbully, […]
readIn classic 2010 style, Bin 407 is approachable from the outset, yet with a tremendous future before it. With magnificent colour, intensity and purity, this is a wine of inky power of deep-set blackcurrant, black plum and cassis fruit of seamless line and incredible persistence. Yet for all of its concentration, it retains a lightness […]
read2010 was a sensational season for Marananga, capturing the sweet, lush, ripe core of blueberry and blackberry fruits, liquorice straps and dark chocolate that characterise the village. It holds everything securely in place with lively acidity and firm tannins of finely-structured tension. Definitive Barossa shiraz in a magnificent vintage.
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