Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 3ltr 2019

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 3 litre, South Australia, 2019 

Grapes: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz, 12 months' maturation in American oak hogsheads (25% new), fruit sourced from Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Barossa Valley

Producer Tasting Note:

Darkened deep red in colour. on the nose, ample self-standing fruits already beginning to yield to other vinous intents... cola, grated chocolate and cappuccino dust bind with juniper and spices. A flash of brown sugar and liquorice – not quite in the Marsala spectrum – instead, brandy impressions replaced by blood orange-rind. Oak somewhat partially hidden, yet faint scents of cedar and graphite lobby for further bottle maturation.Unabashed (Baby Grange) complexities. The palate is instantly fresh and fleshy. Some overt single-varietal cabernet and shiraz fruits still sit separate… time will unite. Expected liquorice, stewed plum and blackcurrant, with dark chocolate and mocha in the background. Savoury and salivating – mouth-watering, succulent acidity. This acidity interplays with integrated tannins – coating the mouth and adding length. Yes, impressive length, with concentration, and a mandatory Bin 389 ‘sweet’ core; oak completely absorbed. Polished and refined.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Deep, dense, glass staining red/purple colour. The bouquet is very savoury mixing earthy, spicy, blackstrap licorice and toasty-barrel nuances, the palate savoury and drying, the more sapid and less fruity aspects typical of the Bin 389 style. Great intensity, concentration and focus, elegant, taut and long-lingering. A classic 389, ageworthy and very much in the style groove."

96/100 points, Huon Hooke

"Some cool, mentholated notes lead the way, closely followed by cassis and blackberries, then hints of vanilla and cedar on the finish. It's medium to full-bodied, and generally pretty silky in feel, with a gentle dusting of drying tannins."

92+/100 points, Joe Czerwinski, WINE ADVOCATE, July 2021

Bin 389 is often referred to as ‘Baby Grange’, in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. First made in 1960, by the legendary Max Schubert, this was the wine that helped to forge Penfolds solid reputation with red wine drinkers combining the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz. 

Bin 389 is one of Australia’s great cellaring red wines. First produced in 1960, its history is connected with the development of Grange and Max Schubert’s ambition of creating a ‘dynasty of wines which all bear an unmistakable resemblance to each other’. Named after its original binning compartment at Magill cellars, Bin 389 is the most popular wine in the Australian secondary wine market because of its heritage, consistency and reputation.