1990 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
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Tasting notes
So very different from the wines from the seventies and eighties! An almost shocking change. Denser, darker, and much more concentrated. Roast venison on the nose. Suddenly the fruit has taken on a lick of cassis (with coffee, molasses, blueberry jam) and then this gorgeous peacock flair of tobacco leaf and mushroom. Wild roses. Tannins entwine through the wine rather than corseting it, coursing the flavours rather than structuring the flavours. Long and with autumnal succulence. It feels like the longest kiss, strumming every molecule of your body. Powerful, spectacular, stunning. (TC)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Shiraz. Touches of green herby character plus cooked fruit and tremendous dark chocolate flavour. Coonawarra is the main source here, and the quality of the Cabernet is supreme – chalky tannin, dense fruit, balanced acidity. Then the Shiraz provides richness of fruit to flesh out the body. Still in its first flush. (RH)
Deep smudgy garnet. Very sweet cassis with a touch of eucalyptus. Rich and dense and still juicy on the palate. Very youthful and powerful. Sweet opulent spice on the finish. Velvety opulent texture with chocolate-smooth tannins. Still so much fruit and marked freshness on the finish. (JH)
The Grapes came from various appellations in South Australia – Coonawarra, Padthaway, Mclaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. The wine was barrel-fermented in American oak casks, followed by 18 months oak maturation. (Peter Gago said it's nicknamed the 'poor man's Grange' as it gets the old Grange barrels from previous years.) 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Shiraz. Deep crimson with tinges of brick. Full, elegant and complex nose. Slightly cool with intense fruit flavours. Soft, luscious palate…like a wet plum-y kiss. Excellent balance, and waves of flavour, long flavours of fruits with cool, minty accents. (VD)
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.