1998 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
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Tasting notes
Smells like cold roast lamb and cold mint sauce. A bit oxidised, although it's minty on the mid palate. Interesting rather than beautiful. Peter Gago said he'd never liked this wine: 'too hot'. Very soft tannins, but overall, blunt. (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Magnum. 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Shiraz. Sweet, jammy fruit with chocolate and black cherry. Rich and full in body with soft tannins. Finishes with a burnt-raisin note. Structurally well balanced, and there's still ample fruit, but it isn't as wowing as you might expect. (RH)
57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Shiraz. Blackberry fruit with loads of tannin still on the palate. Potent and vocal, with almost overwhelming intensity. Certainly still ageable – for decades, perhaps. The most muscular of the vintages on display. (RH)
Black core. Rich damson and dark sweet fruit. Mocha. Lots of sweet oak spice and less grip than the 1996. Rich and ripe and full in the mouth with a fine cedary grip at the very end. (JH)
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.