2021 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
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Tasting notes
Penfolds’ 2021 “Baby Grange”, aka Bin 389, retains many of the elements of the classic Penfolds style. The nose is concentrated and rich, with notes of ripe plum, vanilla and sage that open up wonderfully in the glass. The palate displays a superb combination of power and refinement. The elegance of the Cabernet couples wonderfully with the depth and power of the Shiraz. Notes of blueberry and cassis dominate the mid-palate, leading to a long and precise finish. There’s a vein of sappy acidity that leaves you wanting more. The result is a wine of real poise and promise that will drink well over the next 15 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Matthew Jukes
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 is well composed with a claret shape. It has focused layers of blackcurrant and graphite with a gentle core of chocolatey richness and oak sitting perfectly in place. This has excellent tension, a backward, more structural style and fleshy flavors in reserve. The 2023 is at a young age in a package that is drying and tight. Masterful blending is visible here and this will age well. (AH)
This wine has been made every vintage since 1960. Refined, generous and polished aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, cured meat, crushed stones and iodine. The palate is full-bodied with a rounded, textural palate and ultra-refined tannins that lead to a silky, savory, black-fruited finish. 51% cabernet sauvignon and 49% shiraz. Excellent. Drink or hold.
A carnival of ripe fruit! This baby seems to want to escape from the bottle and escape from the glass way before it should! Scarlet and purple, raspberries and rhubarb, blackberry candy. Almost rudely, frankly, defiantly candied and sweet in all its rude, frank defiant youth. Like a shiny colour plate in a book. It's only at the end, when the portcullis of tannins comes down, that you are reminded how very young it is. Still, it's tempting to abet its bid for premature escape. (TC)
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.