In the world of fine wine, Penfolds are a little unusual. While the
most exclusive fine wines usually come from a single region, and in
many cases a single vineyard, the wines at the top of the Penfolds
tree are mostly multiregion blends, made from grapes grown across
South Australia. These different parcels are then vinified and
assigned to one of several labels according to their quality and
style. The strength of this approach is consistency from year to year,
and if you are going to use the results as an indicator, it has worked
pretty well. For these are probably Australia's most famous red wines:
unashamedly Australian, ageworthy and full of character. The jewel in
the crown is undoubtedly Grange, an iconic wine that is seriously
collectable (and consequently expensive). But in this line-up of
current releases, the more affordable Bin 707, Bin 389 and new wine
RWT Shiraz also deserved a rating of 'excellent'. It's true that
prices have crept up in recent years: my sole bottle of 1993 Bin 707
cost me £16 ( the 1998 would set me back £36.99) and my first ever
bottle of Bin 389, from the 1990 vintage, cost me just £7.99 (it's
now £14.99 a pop). But compared with the current prices of other fine
wines, Penfolds' portfolio still represents good value for money, and
all the wines have a good track record of ageing. My only caveat is
that if you don't like the typical Australian style, then you probably
won't like these wines: oak is an important and carefully used
component here, and it's detectable in these wines. But I wouldn't say
that they are overoaked, a criticism often levelled by those who have
'old world' palates and don't have sufficient 'new world' context to
be able to understand what the Penfolds style is all about. Well,
enough of the yakking, and on to the wines.
Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 1999
This years version of the ever-reliable Koonunga Hill is 74%
Shiraz and 24% Cabernet, sourced from just about every region in South
Australia. The pleasant ripe, licouricey nose leads to a palate where
ripe fruit and spicy oak (no new oak here though) combine well. Very
good (£6.99)
Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 1998
Sourced from the Barossa and Clare Valleys and aged for 14 months
in American oak. A deep red/purple colour this has a full, spicy nose
with attractive minty notes and bags of ripe berry fruit. The full,
dense palate shows great intensity and lovely spicy oak notes. A full
throttle, ripe wine that should age nicely. Very good/excellent
(£9.99)
Coonawarra Bin 128 Shiraz 1998
Differs markedly from the Bin 28 in that it's made from Coonawarra
fruit and aged in French (as opposed to American) oak, 20% of which is
new. A deep red/purple colour this shows full berry fruit on the nose
with some smoky, spicy notes. On the palate it is rich, tannic and
dense, with some blackcurrant fruit, and tastes more youthful and
primary than the Bin 28. Very good+
Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Sourced from several different South Australian regions and aged
in new and used French and American oak barrels, this seems lusher and
richer than previous vintages that I've tried. A deep purple/black
colour, the nose is dominated by sweet, creamy blackcurrant fruit,
leading to a lush rich palate with notes of chocolate and spice. This
is all wrapped up in firm tannins: it's a big wine that will be pretty
impressive in a few years time. Very good/excellent
Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 1998
Often dubbed the 'poor man's Grange', Bin 389 is normally an
excellent, ageworthy wine in its own right. Like most of the other Bin
series, this is a multi region South Australian blend, and the 1998 is
57% Cabernet/43% Shiraz. Aged for 14 months in new (22%) and used
American oak. It has a huge ripe, spicy nose with complex menthol
notes and herb and berry fruit elements. The palate is dense, rich and
full: this is a classically styled, complex wine of great weight and
power, that will presumably age very nicely. Although the price has
crept up in recent years to £15, comparatively this is still good
value for a wine with a track record for ageing like this. Excellent
Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra, Padthaway, Kalimna and
McLaren Vale (all South Australia). Fermentation is completed in
barrel (very trendy), and the wine is matured for 15 months in new
American oak. This is an opaque red/black colour and has a beguiling
nose of rich fruit (blackcurrant and berry fruits), chocolate, coffee
and sweet, spicy American oak. The palate is superbly rich: firmly
tannic and youthful, the spicy oak is currently quite prominent, but
this will be a superb wine in a few years. With this sort of level of
rich fruit, I think American oak actually works better than French.
This will set you back the best part of £40. Excellent
RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 1998
The second vintage of this label, which slots into the line-up at
the same level as Bin 707. 100% Barossa Shiraz aged in French oak (50%
new). Deep purple/black colour with a wonderfully rich nose: spicy and
complex with some menthol hints. This leads to a hugely concentrated,
rich palate with ripe berry fruits, spice and quite a bit of oak (this
should integrate nicely with time). Excellent
Grange 1996
Mostly Shiraz plus a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in new
American oak. It's very hard to be completely objective when assessing
an iconic wine like this. A legend that still sits at the pinnacle of
the Australian wine scene, I'd say that Grange is probably worthy of
its exalted reputation, and one of several regrets I have is that when
I first got bitten by the wine bug in 1993, I didn't buy a couple of
cases of the current release (1985, I believe), because I found the
£35 price tag prohibitive. Now it's selling at three times this on
release, and it can be a problem getting allocations in good vintages
-- and it seems that this remarkable 1996 is one of those good
vintages. An opaque red/black colour, the exotic nose displays a range
of complex aromas, including spice, coffee, olives and menthol. Hugely
concentrated and tannic on the palate, with complex berry fruit and
spice flavours. There's plenty of oak here, but I wouldn't call this
unbalanced. One for the long haul: you could drink this now, but it's
quite challenging. Excellent
Wines tasted May 2001
