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| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.1 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 153 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by mrandmrsro on 12/25/2023 & rated 93 points: We must have done something right with this bottle, but all we did was store it at the right temperature. Never expected the fullness and flavor of the Shiraz. We enjoyed it with lobster tails and butternut squash and then finished the bottle with a movie. (332 views) | | | Tasted by Mr Laroux on 5/13/2023: It seems this bottle has fared better over the years than the last bottle that I had of this vintage. Felt much younger than its years. Deep garnet colour, subtle berry palate and nose, and still displaying bold shiraz-y notes. No brickishness or sultanas (unlike the last bottle). Elegant and smooth. A classic. (730 views) | | | Tasted by Georg E on 2/28/2023 & rated 83 points: Nice round pallet. Black barries. Short taste (726 views) | | | Tasted by empire80 on 1/20/2022 & rated 91 points: Screw cap. Feels much younger than 18 years, bags of black fruit, quite chocolatey with some spice and licorice. Excellent value, and at least 5 years ahead under screw cap. (1756 views) | | | Tasted by Mr Laroux on 12/25/2021: Unlike 'tbebonnydooner' (previous review), my bottle was under screw cap. Colour still good, deep red brick. One the palate, berry tones intensifying to sultanas. Mild acidity and tannins. One more bottle left in the cellar. Will wait a year or two. (1689 views) | | | Tasted by thebonnydooner on 12/25/2021 & rated 87 points: Colour was still good, but this was starting to dry out Muted on the nose, dry on the palate with soft tannins, mild acidity - but lacking the sweet chocolate berry fruit of earlier wines. Still juicy and tasty but not as compelling as prior wines. Under cork for what its worth. (1513 views) | | | Tasted by rmarkey on 4/5/2021: 2 to martin O'Brien
1 to Julia and janine (1892 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 7/28/2020: Angelica wine club - Old Shit (Strand Cellars, Croydon): Decanted. Reductive...and remains so...under this there is a little blackberry, sweet spice, vanilla, almost petroleum, aniseed and, with time, a little plain chocolate. Dense, tight, grippy tannins close down the palate and a similar level of reduction on the palate means that the fruit is very closed down - only a touch of blackberry and sweet spice come through. Too young in this line up. (2634 views) | | | Tasted by Leto South on 5/17/2020 & rated 88 points: See our notes from Feb -16. Edge now brownish. Big nose dominated by sweet blackberry fruit and oak. Some herbal, medicinal notes, as well as white pepper. Acidity softened a bit. Fairly long aftertaste w alcohol and fruit. Has developed well in four years, but we wouldn't keep it longer than max 2 yrs. (1838 views) | | | Tasted by Brunothebeast on 1/24/2020 & rated 93 points: Still excellent (2169 views) | | | Tasted by thebonnydooner on 5/30/2019 & rated 90 points: Not sure about grange like, but this was soft ripe and delicious. Still dark in colour with a Showing ripe black cherry and dark plum and currant fruit. For sure nearing end of drinking window, but still going strong tonight. (2807 views) | | | Tasted by asingleton on 11/9/2018: Sensational. Drinking Grange like!! (2757 views) | | | Tasted by mariow on 9/22/2018 & rated 90 points: good fruit, some berries; drinks well now, but not as great as other vintages (2368 views) | | | Tasted by Jeremy Holmes on 7/22/2018: There was a hint of leathery development. It had a core of raspberry fruit and some cinnamon spice. There was good mouthfeel and the finish was carried by sweet tannins. (2742 views) | | | Tasted by empire80 on 7/1/2018 & rated 91 points: Double decanted for a couple of hours and served very lightly chilled on a hot evening. Black and blue berries, spicy licquorice, in a very good place right now. (2214 views) | | | Tasted by guy12 on 1/20/2018 & rated 87 points: This one was under cork, Have both so should do a comparison.Popped & poured this was fresh on opening with a youthful colour tending towards purple. However it was somewhat muted in taste although it was at the end of a long night (2128 views) | | | Tasted by Georgewoods on 1/15/2018 & rated 90 points: Still going along very nicely. Took a couple of hours. (1836 views) | | | Tasted by jkscully on 10/15/2017: This is another attractive, though not complex Australian Shiraz: the palate ranges from cranberry to blueberry and there are attractive notes of cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee on the finish. This is not a cerebral wine, but it is polished and hedonistic. As many on cellartracker have noted, this wine represents good value, but I think it lacks the sophistication to compete with anything over $40 (still, not bad for a $24 wine). I wanted it to pop more with food, but it was an ok match with skirt steak pinwheels stuffed with parsley, parmesan, and lemon peel.
Sometiems I try to imagine what I would have guessed if I tasted the wine blind and, in this case, I think I would have guessed Ribera del Duero. In the future, I would be curious to compare a Ribera del Duero with a few Syrahs. How similar are balsamico and garrigue in terms of flavor profile? (2359 views) | | | Tasted by thebatcavewines on 8/29/2017 & rated 92 points: What a nice surprise. I thought it would be past it but it was perfect. A bit of turps on the nose at first but after 3 hours of decanting it settled down to a nice elderberry bouquet. It was forward fruity but not too strong. Soft a velvety with a mixture of berries & a soft smooth finish. (2394 views) | | | Tasted by Andrew Beckett on 7/19/2017 & rated 89 points: As so cheap, expected to be well into the incontinence stage of life. Instead bursting with a sort of dusty gameyness. Bargain of the century. (2951 views) | | | Tasted by AnonymousCoward on 5/27/2017 & rated 91 points: Tried over two days this time, and it's definitely better on day two. There's plenty of dark fruit, but nicely complimented by smokey wood chips, savoury spice and leather on the nose. The palate is smooth, and the tart aftertaste is gone, giving a much better, rounded finish. (2758 views) | | | Tasted by AnonymousCoward on 5/23/2017 & rated 89 points: Not entirely convinced by this. The nose is nice: blackberry, bramble, tar, liquorice. The palate has smooth tannins, and a big bodied feel, but lacking in oomph. The finish is burdened with a sour aftertaste. There's hints of quality, but not that great. Will try the next bottle over two nights. (2486 views) | | | Tasted by 30012309 on 4/15/2017 & rated 96 points: Still more years left, supberb wine beautiful balanced, great aromas on the nose. (2221 views) | | | Tasted by mariow on 12/25/2016 & rated 90 points: quite fruity after it got some air; pleasurable but a little hard finish (2698 views) | | | Tasted by Wozza on 11/18/2016 & rated 93 points: So what happens when an excellent vintage of the Bin 28 has one of those consummation moments? When the tightly woven tannins, quality multi-region blended Shiraz fruit and American Oak treatment combine? And when 12 years of patient cellaring meet the 'crink' and 'slosh' of an early screw cap and pour for its expectant owner?
Pure satisfaction! That's what you get.
Dark with (ageing) burgundy edges. Lifted, heady sublime nose. Medium-bodied, but concentrated. The palate falls a bit short with its age, indicating to me it's past its prime. But it has a fine lingering finish. It's beautifully nuanced on the nose and palate. With blackberry, liquorice, sage, tar, praline, and black pepper all there, in finely balanced measure.
It's just goes to prove - great value can be found in the Penfolds range. A 6 pack of the Bin 28 should be purchased by any serious Shiraz fan. And then opened in the 6 - 16 year window. Drink until 2019. A very satisfied Wozza 93/100 (3.8/5.0) from me. (2672 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
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About Us
Australia's winemaking history of less than two hundred years is brief by European measures though, like Europe, punctuated by periods of extreme success and difficult times. From the earliest winemaking days Penfolds has figured prominently and few would argue the importance of Penfolds’ influence on Australia’s winemaking psyche.
Without the influence of Penfolds the modern Australian wine industry would look very different indeed. Sitting comfortably outside of fad and fashion, Penfolds has taken Australian wine to the world on a grand stage and forged a reputation for quality that is without peer.
Penfolds’ reputation for making wines of provenance and cellaring potential might suggest a mantle of tradition and formality is the preferred attire of a company with so much history to defend. But to label Penfolds as simply an established and conventional winemaker, would be to confuse tradition with consideration and to overlook the innovative spirit that has driven Penfolds since its foundation, and continues to find expression in modern times.
If there is anything traditional about Penfolds, it is the practice of constantly reviewing the wines it already does well, and continuously evolving and refining styles as vineyards mature and access to ever older and more varied vineyard sites improves.
Making The Best Possible Wine
At Penfolds, the role of the winemaker is to make the best possible wine within the constraints of each vintage. Penfolds’ house style emerged from a fortified-wine producing culture and evolved as a winemaking philosophy – a way of making wine – which has had a profound effect on the entire Australian wine industry.
The concept of multi-regional and vineyard blending, a feature of the Penfolds house style, is an amplification of the ‘all-round wine’. Without the constraints of a single vineyard, winemakers could choose the best possible fruit with the outstanding characteristics of each vineyard.
While American oak has played a central role in the development of Penfolds red wines, French oak has been increasingly used in the evolution of new wines – particularly RWT and Yattarna. Maturation in oak, which follows fermentation, is also key to the Penfolds house style.
The Penfolds approach to winemaking has percolated through the entire Australian wine industry over the last 50 years. The techniques employed in research and development of Penfolds wines are remarkable and many of the discoveries and innovations have had a lasting impact on winemaking thinking.
Winemakers
In Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago, Penfolds has nurtured four of Australia's great winemakers. They have passed the Chief Winemaker’s baton of responsibility for crafting some of Australia's most iconic wines, down through the past six decades.
Joining Peter Gago in the Penfolds winemaking team are Senior Red Winemaker Steve Lienert, Senior White Winemaker Kym Schroeter, and Red Winemakers Andrew Baldwin, Adam Clay, Stephanie Dutton and Matt Woo - also the Penfolds Fortified Winemaker. All members of the Penfolds winemaking team ensure that Penfolds’ reputation for outstanding quality is upheld.
Vineyards
Barossa Valley
Penfolds draws fruit from a combined vineyard area of 618 hectares in the Barossa region of South Australia. The Barossa is about 70 kilometres north of Adelaide and in 1911 Penfolds established a winery at Nuriootpa, completed in time for the 1913 vintage. The Barossa region is known for its relatively low rainfall with many vineyards dry grown on single wire trellising.
Magill Estate
The historic and heritage-protected Magill Estate Vineyard was established in 1844 by Dr Christopher Rawson and Mary Penfold—just eight years after the foundation of Adelaide. It was originally known as the Grange Vineyard, named after their new homestead ‘The Grange’, a cottage which still stands intact amongst the vines.
Eden Valley
Joseph Gilbert planted the first vines in the Eden Valley in 1842 and since that time the region has become synonymous with producing elegant riesling and complex shiraz. While its name suggests a concave nature, Eden Valley is actually a wide ridge, situated east of the Barossa Valley with an altitude ranging from 440 – 550 metres.
McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is located approximately 40km to the south of Adelaide, with the vineyards in the region located between 6 and 15 kilometres from the Gulf of St Vincent. The elevation ranges from 50 to 350 metres above sea level. Penfolds has company owned vineyards throughout the region, using the fruit as blending components for premium red wines such as Grange and Bin 389.
Coonawarra
Penfolds has had a long history with the Coonawarra region, dating back to their first vineyard purchase in 1960. It is one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia with weathered limestone terra rossa soils, relatively cool climate and overall water availability. Coonawarra has played a significant role in many of Penfolds' multi-regional wines as well as the single region wines such as Bin 128.
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion Winery Of The Year 2014: Penfolds
Penfolds is Australia’s foremost winemaker, with an unbroken line dating back to its establishment in 1844 when medical practitioner Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and wife Mary purchased ‘the delightfully situated and truly valuable of Mackgill … Comprising 500 acres (202 hectares) of the choicest land’. Here they built the house that still stands today, and within a few years had begun the winery and cellar on the site of today’s buildings at Magill Estate.
Mary took charge of winemaking, initially producing grenache prescribed by her husband as a tonic for anaemic patients. By 1870 she, son-in-law Thomas Hyland and cellar manager/winemaker Joseph Gillard had formed Penfolds & Co. With markets in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, their wine production was over one-third of South Australia’s total.
Growth continued unabated, and in 1945 Penfolds acquired the jewel of the Magill Vineyard, at that time the largest vineyard in South Australia. It now has 2100 hectares of vineyards, the largest share of Australia’s total. Two men came together in the 1950s to lay the foundation of Penfolds today: winemaker Max Schubert, and research chemist Ray Beckwith (who died shortly after his 100th birthday in 2012); indeed, their contribution transcended Penfolds to the entire Australian wine industry.
The architecture for the Penfolds wine portfolio of the twenty-first century was established in the 1960s, half a century ago. There has been growth, both in the range of labels and their price points, but it has been cleverly – indeed sensitively – managed; demand-driven growth has been achieved without any quality compromise whatsoever.
There is no possibility that the pre-eminence of Penfolds will ever be challenged by any other Australian wine business. Equally certain is that the Penfolds brand value will continue to gain ground on the world stage of all consumable products. If proof be needed, the overall quality of the wines in this Wine Companion is the best Penfolds has ever presented to the markets of the globe.
Author: James Halliday Jul 2013Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 KalimnaPenfolds Bin 28 is a showcase for 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, Bin 28 is a multi-region, multivineyard blend, with the Barossa Valley always well represented, providing a substantial proportion of the fruit for this vintage.
The earliest releases of Bin 28 were single-vineyard wines, produced from grapes grown on the famous Kalimna vineyard at the northern end of the Barossa Valley. With demand increasing, it became essential to extend sourcing to regions outside the Barossa and so during the 1970s, Bin 28 became a multi-regional, warm-climate South Australian blend.
Early vinification techniques originated from the development of Grange. Today the wine is matured in older American oak hogsheads to enhance fruit complexity and natural tannin structure.
Bin 28 is inherently richer in style than Bin 128 and Koonunga Hill and despite the fact that it can be an earlier drinking style, this wine has a reputation for improving with medium-term cellaring in the right conditions.Shiraz Varietal article (Wikipedia) | Varietal character (Appellation America)Australia Wine Australia (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) | Australian Wines (Wikipedia)South Australia South Australian Wine Industry Association | South Australian Wines (Wikipedia) |
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