2018 Penfolds Shiraz Kalimna Bin 28

Vibrant purple. Beautiful blueberry fruit, and raspberry and black cherry too. Well-moulded tannins with very drinkable structure, although the fruit needs longer to mature. Finishes with menthol, liquorice and clove with a pinch of bitterness. Dense, lengthy persistence. (RH)

While named for a Barossa vineyard/locale, the 2018 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, like other recent vintages, is blended from various South Australian GIs. With its rich, dark-berried fruit accented with vanilla, it does a more-than-credible job re-creating that northern Barossan idiom. It's full-bodied, concentrated and plush without going over the top, finishing long and velvety. While it may not have single-vineyard snob appeal, it's a delicious wine for drinking over the next decade and a relative value.

Bin 28 offers a showcase of warm-climate Australian Shiraz – ripe, robust and generously flavoured. First made in 1959, Bin 28 is named after the famous Barossa Valley Kalimna vineyard purchased by Penfolds in 1945 and from which the wine was originally sourced. Today, Kalimna ® Bin 28 is a multi-region, multi-vineyard blend, with the Barossa Valley always well represented. Talk about multi-regional blend, this is sourced from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Wrattonbully, Fleurieu, Robe, Mt Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills and Langhorne Creek! Acidity 6.7 g/l, pH 3.62 . Aged for 12 months in seasoned American oak hogsheads. South Australia’s viticultural regions experienced relatively dry conditions, and near long-term winter/spring temperatures during vine dormancy and at the beginning of the growing season. After a racing start, a short spell of cooler weather in early November slowed down grapevine development. Warm and sunny weather prevailed throughout most of spring, providing optimal conditions for flowering and fruit-set. Summer was warm. Barossa Valley experienced 22 days of temperatures above 35 °C while McLaren Vale experienced 17 – with a maximum of 42.1 °C on 18 January. Padthaway, Robe and Wrattonbully also had a warm, dry growing season by regional standards. Late flowering and the delayed onset of veraison throughout the south-east slowed harvest by a few weeks. The warm and dry weather carried into autumn, setting up an Indian summer with favourable conditions for ripening grapes. Glowing deep crimson. Well it sure doesn't have a regional imprint on the nose! Seems just a bit weak and bland. Soft in the middle and then very tart on the end with some oak spice. Not really very energetic. Soft'n'easy – until the finish. Peter Gago is suggesting drinking this til 2035. Its charms and vitality are passing me by, I'm afraid. Muddy impact. (JR)