2022 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet - Shiraz, South Australia (750ml)

TASTING NOTES:

The happy marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon (51%) with Shiraz (49%) rarely looks as cosy or integrated than in this stellar example. A generous mid-palate shows off fine long fruit flavours from the slow-ripening 2022 vintage, with ruddy Shiraz ripeness in step with the more tannic bite of Cabernet Sauvignon’s blackberry and mulberry adding a moreish savoury note. With 36% new American oak hogsheads used for 12 months’ maturation, there’s just enough oak-influenced spice to provide adequate seasoning to the deep, pure flavours.

- Decanter, 97 pts. 

This is a delightful 2022 Bin 389, a blend of 51% Cabernet and 49% Shiraz fruit from McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully. The 2022 is a benchmark vintage - effortless with effusive aromas of cassis, licorice and blackberry topped by a nice touch of graphite. Classically styled, with a firm base of tannins and vibrant flavors that nicely balance the finish that just goes on and on. A little shy right now, but everything is in its perfect place for a long and distinguished future.

- Vinous, 95 pts. 

Rich, inky-hued and packed with layers of aromas (think: plush blackberries and violets backed by more savory notes of dried herbs, tar and gravel, and a smoky, charred, pan-scrapings nuance), Bin 389 is an incredibly polished, silky wine. Dense and powerful, yes, but it comes with a satiny cushion of dark fruit that rises up to meet the monstrous tannins, taming them into a classy-as-hell wine to drink now with decanter and protein at hand, or to cellar for several decades.

- Wine Enthusiast, 94 pts. 

Generous and impressive for its seamlessness, this is like a slice of Black Forest cake, offering chocolate and cherry flavors that are practically creamy and plush. Dutched cocoa powder, dried herb and cigar box nuances amplify this red on the long finish, with velvety tannins alongside hints of fresh loam and clove. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Drink now through 2036.

- Wine Spectator, 94 pts. 

A crunchy and delicious blend with currant, blackberry and cedar aromas and flavors. Hints of bitter lemon, graphite and tar at the end.

- James Suckling, 93 pts. 

The 2022 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is a dense beast of a wine, and the many lovers of the style will will experience paroxysms of pleasure, in that this delivers the muscle, density and concentration of yore. It is powerfully tannic, abundantly fruitful and long through the finish. What more can be said of a wine like this other than that it is a firm style, made consistently year in and year out. Aniseed, nutmeg, cinnamon and malt populate the register of spices from the charry oak. This is a big, big wine. It is composed of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Shiraz, sourced from a blend of McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully.

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 pts.