2020 Penfolds, Bin 389, Cabernet Shiraz, Australia
Critics reviews
Looking in on the 389 can be “can be,” (she says, parenthetically) a good insight into what we can expect from the upcoming Grange. Now, they are very different wines, no question, however, stylistically they have much in common and the illumination into the season that birthed the wines in each instance. Here, the 2020 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz has consummate polish and sleek tannins, imbued as they are with graphite, black tea, licorice and resin. The fruit is pure and black and chewy... gorgeous wine. And it lives for decades. This has always been a collector’s dream and continues so through this vintage. Highly recommended.
Drink 2022 - 2047
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (Jul 2022)
Intense, ‘purple fruit’ nose. Sweet start, very winning, more flattering than some of the earlier-poured wines in this tasting. But all this fruit is cocooned inside a firm structure.
Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (Jun 2022)
Very rich, ripe and intense, this has plenty of depth and is one of the strongest statements of Penfolds’ house style. Rich vanillin and sweetly spicy American oak on the nose, with chocolate, blueberry, violet, blackberry and iodine notes. The palate delivers quite approachable and supple texture, smoothly fleshy and inviting. Flavors of blackberry, blackcurrant and mulberry abound. Deep and ripe finish with nutty tannins to close. A blend of McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Padthaway. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Jun 2022)
Very deep, saturated red-purple colour, the bouquet is very 389: neither variety dominates and the cabernet component is ripe and of the less-aromatic style. (Very differnt to the Bin 407 cabernet style) Very concentrated and rich, gripping and powerful, with lashings of persuasive tannins and good length. Mouth-coating, tongue gripping tannins, but not unbalanced. A serous red wine indeed. (McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway; 51% cabernet, 49% shiraz)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Jun 2022)
About this WINE
Penfolds
Penfolds enjoys an iconic status that few New World producers have achieved. Established in 1844 at the Magill Estate near Adelaide, it laid the foundation for fine wine production in Australia.
The winemaking team is led by the masterful Peter Gago; it has the herculean task of blending the best wines from a multitude of different plots, vineyards and regions to create a consistent and outstanding range of wines. Its flagship wine, Grange, is firmly established as one of the finest red wines in the world.
Under Gago’s stewardship, the Penfolds range has evolved over time. Winemaking has moved away from New World heat and the sort of larger-than-life style that can mask individuality; the contemporary wines instead favour fine balance and typicity for the region or grape.
South Australia
At 72,000 hectares, South Australia is the engine room of the country's wine industry, responsible for 43 percent of its vineyards and encompassing some of Australia’s most famous fine wine regions.
One of the most important areas in qualitative terms is the Barossa Valley, beginning 50km north-east of Adelaide, and famous for its full-bodied Shiraz, as well as for its Grenache and Mourvèdre. To the east, the cool Eden Valley is home to some really fine Riesling and top-class Shiraz, such as that made by Henschke. To the north of Barossa is the Clare Valley, also a source of good Riesling but home to well-structured reds as well.
South-east of Adelaide lies the delightful vineyard area of the Adelaide Hills, where fine Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir are produced by wineries such as Petaluma and Llangibby Estate. Langhorne Creek to the east of Adelaide has earned a reputation for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Verdelho and Shiraz while, between Adelaide and the sea, McLaren Vale is a noted area for red wines.
The unique vineyard region of Coonawarra lies 400km south-east in an area of pure limestone topped by a loose, red topsoil. Cool enough to resemble Bordeaux, this area produces great Cabernets and Merlots and is much in demand. Slightly to the north and to the west lie the regions of Padthaway and Mount Benson respectively, which enjoy similar success as sources of great white wines, especially Chardonnay. Wrattonbully however is known for its fresh, varietally-pure Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
However it’s the less-distinguished Riverland region that accounts for 50 percent of the state’s wine production.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
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Description
By now I am sure that everyone is aware of the affectionate nickname for Bin 389: Baby Grange, but it is always a salient point to highlight. Bin 389 is matured in ex-Grange barrels, endowing the wine with a heightened complexity that is completely unique to 389, and the 2020 vintage is a shining example of this. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz, ageing for 12 months in 33% new American oak hogshead barrels.
Perfectly classic, it is silky and expressive with an already very open bouquet of cassis and blackberry, with some light floral notes. There is a wonderful sweetness to the fruit on the palate, that is still dark and compact. This abundance of body and charm makes for an exceptional finish. Great balance and structure, one to start drinking from 2024 with a view to hold until 2038.
Charlie Leech, Buying Assistant, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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