2023 Penfolds, Bin 51, Riesling, Eden Valley, Australia
Critics reviews
Overall, winter rain was above average in Eden Valley, leading to one of the wettest springs on record (over 350 mm of rain). For the first time, a drone sprayed all the Woodbury Riesling grapes.
The growing season was cooler than average, giving slow vine growth but good berry size. Cool summer conditions delayed the start of harvest but resulted in a long, slow ripening period.
Aged in stainless steel. Bottled only a few days ago and air-freighted to the UK for this tasting. TA 7.8 g/l, pH 3.03.
Low alcohol! But much more opulent fruit – exceptionally ripe passion fruit? – than before. Masses of acidity as well as the broad, ripe fruit. Not austere and more fun than I remember for previous vintages. Steely finish, perhaps because of the very recent bottling.
Drink 2023 - 2029
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (July 2023)
The 2023 Bin 51 Riesling leads with an austere, searing nose of grilled lime, bath salts, lemon zest, crushed quartz, preserved citrus and pear skin. In the mouth, the wine is fleshy in its way and light on its feet.
It's a beautiful wine, poised without being heavy or concentrated, and a cleansing finish has a rounded feel to it. It doesn't unfurl like the 2022 did, but it is so pretty regardless. Flowers. 11% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
Drink 2023 - 2038
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (July 2023)
Ensuring that Chardonnay is not the only white variety in the Penfolds portfolio that warrants attention, this is a class act in what was a long, cool and wet growing season with lots of disease pressure.
Pure, zippy and direct are the key descriptors here, the aromas like a laser beam of lemon: zest, juice, flesh and blossom. On the palate, racy acidity cuts a clean citrus seam through lime leaf, wet stones and tangy yuzu pannacotta.
Great intensity and focus and, while tasty now, careful cellaring will pay dividends.
Drink 2023 - 2045
Tina Gellie, Decanter.com (June 2023)
This scintillating 2023 Riesling Bin 51 illustrates the magic to be found in the Eden Valley from this vintage. It offers up a freight train of vibrant, precise aromas as it bursts with lime juice and pith with an exotic floral lift, plus a touch of sulphur from recent bottling, which will fade quickly.
There's a beautiful compact shape, too, all tight, focused and pristine. There is fantastic power and volume of fruit to follow, with al-dente acidity providing the perfect backbone as its powers through to a long, sustained, vibrant finish.
Brilliant stuff from a great year.
Drink 2027 - 2040
Angus Hughson, Vinous.com (July 2023)
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.
Riesling
Riesling's twin peaks are its intense perfume and its piercing crisp acidity which it manages to retain even at high ripeness levels.
In Germany, Riesling constitutes around 20% of total plantings, yet it is responsible for all its greatest wines. It is planted widely on well-drained, south-facing slate-rich slopes, with the greatest wines coming from the best slopes in the best villages. It produces delicate, racy, nervy and stylish wines that cover a wide spectrum of flavours from steely and bone dry with beautifully scented fruits of apples,apricots, and sometimes peaches, through to the exotically sweet flavours of the great sweet wines.
It is also an important variety in Alsace where it produces slightly earthier, weightier and fuller wines than in Germany. The dry Rieslings can be austere and steely with hints of honey while the Vendages Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles are some of the greatest sweet wines in the world.
It is thanks to the New World that Riesling is enjoying a marked renaissance. In Australia the grape has developed a formidable reputation, delivering lime-sherbet fireworks amid the continental climate of Clare Valley an hour's drive north of Adelaide, while Barossa's Eden Valley is cooler still, producing restrained stony lime examples from the elevated granitic landscape; Tasmania is fast becoming their third Riesling mine, combining cool temperatures with high UV levels to deliver stunning prototypes.
New Zealand shares a similar climate, with Riesling and Pinot Gris neck to neck in their bid to be the next big thing after Sauvignon Blanc; perfectly suited is the South Island's Central Otago, with its granitic soils and continental climate, and the pebbly Brightwater area near Nelson. While Australia's Rieslings tend to be full-bodied & dry, the Kiwis are more inclined to be lighter bodied, more ethereal and sometimes off-dry; Alsace plays Mosel if you like.
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Description
The 2023 Bin 51 on first impressions is clean and fresh on the nose, full of high quality and well balance aromas consisting of lemon zest, green apple, and pear skin, all while having a delicate and well-integrated lacy floral note. Wonderful! When tasting the Bin 51 my first thought was ‘What a beautiful wine’.
Light on its feet Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate noted and I couldn’t agree more. The aromatic qualities shine through on the palate and hold a great finish which had me thinking this is a must have for drinking Riesling collectors! No surprise many wine professionals refer to Bin 51 as a great Australian aperitif.
Drink now through to 2040
Cameron Gates, Private Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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