2016 Australia

Lifted aromas of blackberry and redcurrant mingle with black pepper spice and flint on the nose and palate of this Shiraz, sourced from the Isolation Ridge vineyard. The 2016 vintage has a core of dense plum and subtle oak complemented by finely grained tannins and iodine saltiness. The small addition of Viognier and Malbec lends further aromatic complexity and texture to the wine. A wonderful accompaniment for roast beef or pork. Drink now to 2028. 
Daisy Gatt, Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

Bottles of this product are discounted by 10%. Price shown includes saving.

Many of the vines behind Bin 138 were originally used for the production of fortified wines, back when table wine was not so popular in Australia, providing old-vine concentration for this cuvée. You can taste the liquorice-like intensity right from the off, with plenty of spice and rich jammy fruit coming through from the Grenache too. The palate is slightly less expressive right now, more brooding than past vintages with more solidity and rich chocolate depths. Very different to the rest of the Penfolds reds, this wine is noticeable for its clever use of both French and American oak. Drink 2020-2026.
Peter Newton, Private Account Manager

This has vast depth on the nose. It is very refined, with bags of concentrated, ripe tropical fruit and just a touch of buttered brioche. There’s a lovely saline glide on the tongue, all intense and mineral. The ripeness shows after a few minutes, with toffee apple, grapefruit and banana coming to the fore. There's a poise here and promise of much more after a few years in bottle. Drink 2019-2024.
Ben Grosvenor, Private Account Manager

The nose blows up in your face, like walking into a spice shop: cinnamon, cardamom and lavender along with hints of chocolate, orange and forest floor. The palate is classically Barossa in its proportions, with massive blue and black fruit supported by layers of cinnamon, lavender, five spice and smoked meat flavours. It’s all wrapped in a blanket of cedar and vanilla. The tannins and wood are still very strong and need a little time to integrate. Drink 2021-2030.
Mike Jordan, Private Account Manager

Pure Shiraz, this spends 13 months in a blend of French and American oak. There is a streak of violet on the nose, reminiscent of the Northern Rhône, with a big rich plummy and black-fruited body to counter the floral precision. This is a big wine, but not overblown at all and finishes with real fruit purity. An outstanding Magill this year and one that you can comfortably cellar for decades. Drink 2022-2040.
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

The 2016 vintage of Penfolds’ flagship white wine, Yattarna Chardonnay, is a blend of fruit from Tasmania, Henty, Tumbarumba and the Adelaide Hills. The name Yattarna comes from the Aboriginal language and means “little by little, gradually”, appropriate as the wine continues to evolve from one vintage to the next. The nose is quite subdued at present, providing compelling minerality, but with no hint of the wine’s barrel fermentation, nor its eight months’ ageing in French oak (65 percent new). It’s rich on the palate, with a touch of toast, lovely depth and minerality along with ripe, white-fleshed fruit, balanced by rapier-like acidity. This has a long finish and will age very well. Drink 2019-2024.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

The name ‘Woodcutter's’ originates from when David Powell spent several years working in the Scottish Highlands as a lumberjack in the Torbreck forest.
 
At just over £10 a bottle this should be must buy. The black fruits and pepper notes delivers surprising depth and concentration for its 'level'. There is a small presence of tannins suggesting that it’ll age well over the next 5 years. Surely this is the perfect BBQ wine to buy now and enjoy over the nex few years up to the 2021 Ashes series!
Hugo Thompson, Private Account Manager

The eight hectare Polish Hill vineyard is at 460 metres altitude and is just five kilometres from Springvale. Its infertile, shaley soil is slightly acidic and its topsoil has a clay and shale crust. As the vines have to work harder than those at Springvale, it produces smaller, distinctly flavoured and concentrated berries.

It’s the explosive flavours of the Grosset Polish Hill 2016 that distinguish this vintage with power and tremendous intensity of flavour. The bouquet has lavender, a touch of lime and some minerally notes while the palate has surprising generosity, lime juice characters and some characteristic chalkiness. It is tight, uber-fine with steely structure, before a dry finish featuring pure natural acidity and hints of schisty mineralogy.

While there’s no doubting its longevity, there will be many who will love this Polish Hill in its youth. Ageing Potential: 6-15 years, up to 20 years

This has become a hugely popular wine in the Penfolds collection and as such our own allocations are very tight, especially as production is down this year too. As with other wines in the range, there is an immediate impression of cool mint and eucalyptus, but this is combined with satisfying spice, savoury blackcurrant, cedar and rich caramel. The nose is brooding, currently held back by a firm oak grip but the fruit is straining to get out. The firmness of the palate actually gives it a slightly more European accent but when that massive structure yields, the tidal wave of sweet plum and dark-berried fruits will be worth the wait. This is a 707 of considerable stature and will need time to show its qualities to the full. Drink 2020-2040.
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager

The Roussanne Marsanne is based on the style of the great Hermitage Blancs of the Northern Rhone Valley. The aim is for richness, minerality and hedonism in this, the most premium white wine. The style is typically lower in acid and high in phenolic content, which provides richness on the palate and requisite phenolics to age. While floral, bright in fruit and pretty in youth this wine should age to become savoury, complex and decadent in years to come.

A blend of 60% Marsanne and 40% Roussanne, the 2016 Marsanne Roussanne offers pretty scents of warm peach, beeswax, honey and allspice with a hint of baking bread. Medium-bodied with plenty of savory and stone fruit flavor layers, it has a satiny texture and great persistence. 160 cases were made. Drink 2017–2023. 
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate 229, 28th February 2017

The St Henri is considered an intriguing alternative to Grange, with its distinctive style and polished finesse. The 2016 vintage maintains this reputation, showing great depth, complexity and concentration. Black cherries and blackberries are evident on the nose, whereas the palate leads on with mocha and dark chocolate characteristics. This is superbly well-structured with great balance and supple tannins. The 2016, although delicious now, will grow into its own in time and drink well for decades to come. Drink 2022-2045+.
Dominic Goddard-John, Private Account Manager