Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2019

Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz, Coonawarra, South Australia 2019  

GRAPE: 100% Shiraz. 12 months' ageing in French oak (24% new, 33% 1-y.o., 43% 2-y.o)

With each vintage release the cool-climate Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz provides an interesting counterpoint to the more opulent and richly concentrated warm climate Bin 28 Shiraz. Bin 128 comprises fruit sourced from the unique terra rossa soils of Coonawarra, a region that exemplifies the perfume, transparency and seductive nature of cool-climate red table wines. Coonawarra has remained the source of shiraz fruit for Bin 128 since the inaugural release of the 1962 vintage. In order to further enhance the regional qualities of Bin 128, the wine is matured in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak hogsheads, élevage that was refined during the 1980’s when the transition was made from American to French oak

COLOUR:

Vivid deep plum-red

NOSE:

Mulberry, loganberry, blackberry fruits leap forward, front and centre.

A zabaglione al caffé creamy/caffeinated lift.

Multiple swirls of the glass later - demi-glace and dried herb notes reluctantly teased out.

Omnipresent - cedar-mahogany French polish …from oak. Black boot polish, black liquorice and aniseed … from fruit.

Cinnamon butter … from? Beckons.

PALATE: 

Medium-bodied

Red fruits – cranberry, pomegranate, raspberry pips ➝ a savoury edge.

Creamy, naturally balanced by an interplay of acidity and extract.

Madagascar vanillin and juniper enliven the package.

Silky tannins (ground graphite) induce a finely-layered, powdery and almost chalky edge.

Back-palate succulence, yet on the actual finish – a tactile cool ‘lift’… and Vietnamese mint

Reviews:

"A regional style aged exclusively in French oak hogsheads (24% new), the 2019 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz hints at cracked pepper and cedar on the nose, backed by deep, plummy fruit and brighter notes of red raspberries. It's medium-bodied (almost light, by Penfolds's standards), framed by silky tannins and a lingering, elegant finish. Drinkable now, it has at least a decade of longevity ahead of it."

91/100 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, July 2021

"Deep blackish garnet. Rather sumptuously ripe nose. Mix of tar and elderberries. The firm freshness of Coonawarra is an agreeable foil to the ripeness and intensity of a Penfolds-style Shiraz. Quite a bit of acid and tannin on the end but this may be one of the better buys."

16.5/20 points, Jancis Robinson, July 2021