1994 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
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Tasting notes
Smells of ink and roast beef. Intensely savoury. Kelp and iron, squid ink and rust, cassis and elderberry. So much tannic mass – the 'chunkiest' so far in this Bin 389 vertical. A wine of storm-cloud indigo and mountain-mithril blacks. Then suddenly the storm lifts and the fruit slips in. Minty, very fresh finish. (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Shiraz. Cocoa, coffee, dark cherry with a slightly jammy note. Tremendous concentration. Still very pert tannic grain. A big, bold iteration of the 389 style, with more chunkiness and weight than most of its younger siblings. Tight and sprightly. (RH)
The 1994 Cabernet/Shiraz Bin 389, a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Shiraz, possesses a dense purple color, and a big, sweet nose of blackberries, earth, and a touch of asphalt and smoke. Full-bodied, with copious quantities of sweet, chewy fruit, this is a large-scaled, dense wine that can be drunk now or cellared for up to a decade. This winery continues to turn out an insipid selection of white wines, but the reds are all noteworthy, and some are reasonably good values. Importer: Southcorp Wines North America, Monterey, CA; tel. (408) 655-4848
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.