Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2019

Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz, South Australia, 2019

Grape: 100% Shiraz sourced from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully. Aged for 12 months in seasoned American oak hogsheads.

Bin 28 offers a showcase of warm climate Australian shiraz – ripe, robust and generously flavoured. First made in 1959, Bin 28 was original named after the famous Barossa Valley Kalimna vineyard purchased by Penfolds in 1945 and from which the wine was originally sourced. Today, Bin 28 is a multi-region, multi-vineyard blend, with the Barossa Valley always well represented.

Colour:

Deep, dense cherry-black

Nose:

Dark and brooding.

Primary blackberry fruits and black olive tapenade notes segue to black jelly bean; soot.

A formic/V.A. lift merges with odours reminiscent of the burnt crystallised crust of a freshly (over) baked fruitcake.

Caramelised black fig, quince and quandong paste, and juniper add to the evocative mix.

Certainly ripe, but not overripe. At once Bin 28 Shiraz.

Palate:

Sheen/shine/gloss/flesh – which to choose to best describe the immediate impression of that first sip? Or maybe all four?!

And yet there’s an enlivening acidity that drives the palate … a palate-shape of three dimensions – or as overheard “Well put together”.

Embracing, interwoven, malleable tannins support a chewy appetising mouthfeel.

But what does it actually taste like?

Bitter chocolate to the fore, pipe tobacco and a mass of dark-berried fruits throughout.

Oak? Look harder …it’s there.

Reviews:

"The 2019 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz blends fruit from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully and puts it into used American oak hogsheads for a year prior to bottling. Scents of vanilla jump out on the nose but quickly recede under a wave of gently caramelized plums and cherries. Full-bodied and supple on the palate, it's concentrated and lush, with a rich, velvety finish. Once again, it's a fine value in South Australian Shiraz"

92/100 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, July 2021

"No longer labelled Kalimna (which is now reserved for Block 42).
That American-oak scent is beautiful interwoven. Very finely melded tannins and black-cherry fruit on the length. This is a real triumph of Australian Shiraz, rendered in Penfolds' distinctive house style." (RH)

17+/20 points, Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com, December 2021