Far too many Penfolds reds are consumed on release yet benefit more than most from a few years if not a few decades in the cellar. We all need something to drink while we’re waiting, and Bin 138 2013 is the answer, a joyful and flamboyant blend of berry compote and exotic spice, backed by […]

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Penfolds makes Adelaide Hills pinot noir that tastes, well, as much of Penfolds as it does of Adelaide Hills pinot noir. No doubt the structure and grip of nine months in 68% new French oak barriques has a lot to do with this. 2014 is not a season for such a high dose of new […]

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“2013 is a really strong vintage for us across all areas,” says Penfolds Senior red Winemaker, Steve Lienert. “A good year, a little more concentrated than 2012, and structurally a bit denser due to lower yields and drought conditions.” He rates it up with 2010, long-lived, yet different in style. My impressions are slightly less […]

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Penfolds Senior White Winemaker Kym Schroeter is quietly critical of his 2013 and 2014 Tumbarumba chardonnays for their fuller and richer style, saying he’d like to see more fine mineral character. He’s too hard on himself, and is to be applauded for such a refined and well crafted Bin 311 from a season of hot, […]

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Another grand release in the great lineage of 407, this is an impeccably varietal cabernet of intricately engineered structure and incredible longevity. Blackcurrant and cassis fruit are framed skilfully in lively acidity and the dark chocolate and coffee of classy French (26% new) and American (12% new) oak. Fruit and oak tannins unite seamlessly to […]

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St Henri was the same price as Grange when the two were first released in the 1950s. 2010 St Henri declared that this label is still deserving of greater respect than it is afforded, and 2012 confirms that this was no one-off. The mild summer, dry autumn and even development of small berries and bunches […]

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A quintessential, powerful and structured Marananga that calls for patience in the cellar. Layers of black fruits, liquorice and hints of game define a deep and brooding northern Barossa shiraz, with classic Marananga milk chocolate lingering long through the finish, confidently supported by a firm, fine cage of French and American oak tannins (14% new […]

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Any reservations Penfolds Senior White Winemaker Kym Schroeter has of 2014 in Tumbarumba he certainly doesn’t hold for the Adelaide Hills, a season he ranks up with 2012 for its structure and longevity. This is a Bin A of body, concentration and grand persistence, declaring fermentation and nine months maturation in 82% new 225L barriques […]

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The total production of Yattarna is just 500-1000 cases, one-tenth that of Grange. A warm, low-cropping, intense and less than outstanding year in the Adelaide Hills shifted the focus of sourcing to the Coal and Derwent Valleys of Tasmania, which account for 90% of the blend. The result is a powerful Yattarna, a vintage of […]

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“Almost perfect conditions” in Magill produced what Penfolds Senior Red Winemaker Steve Lienert as one of the best Magill Estates. Winter rain, warm Dec and Jan, pristine conditions for mid-Feb harvest. Blueberry and mulberry fruits are framed in firm oak structure (71% new French oak and 24% new American), making for a slightly astringent oak […]

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