Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2022

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, South Australia, 2022

Grapes: 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz, 12 months' maturation in American oak hogsheads (37% new), fruit sourced from Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Barossa Valley

Producer Tasting Note:

COLOUR Glossy, dark red/purple.

NOSE An “old school” Penfolds nose; a classic and comforting homage to our storied past. It opens with the rich, deep tones of mahogany and the refined scent of a cigar box. Sweet oak spices are neatly interlaced with a dusty character.This foundation is lifted by summer berries, offering a balance between richness and vitality. Baking spice is present alongside tart red currant and cranberry, while the aroma of fresh pastries rounds out the note.

PALATE The palate is immediately enveloped by cocoa powder-like tannins — smooth yet profound in their impact. The wine boasts volumes of Cabernet character, showcasing cool fruits that are well lifted and vibrant. A barrel ferment nuance adds depth without overshadowing the fruit’s purity. Sourdough notes bring a rustic edge which complement the lush profiles of plum fruits, blackberry, mulberry, wild cherries and more distinctly tart morello cherries.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"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"

94/100 points, MaryAnn Worobiec, WINE SPECTATOR, December 2024 (Also Wine Spectator's "Top 100" #12)

"Deep crimson. Attractive blackberry dark chocolate, mocha aromas with touches of dried roses and star aniseed. A beautifully balanced wine with deep set blackberry dark cherry fruits, lovely fine chocolaty textures, superb mid-plate volume and underlying mocha/ espresso notes. Concentrated, vigorous and flowing with superb fruit complexity, density and mineral length. Plenty of Baby Grange fat. A magnificent Bin 389 with a long cellaring career ahead."

98/100 points, Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal Penfolds Collection 2024 

"This is a commanding Bin 389. It’s svelte and smooth but the penetration of the finish, meshed with tannin as it is, is right up there. Bay, blackcurrant, vanilla, licorice and sweet, plump plums create a deep, rich impression, though it all comes with sinew and it all comes with bone. It’s a familiar flavour profile but this 2022 release is really well formed, and executed. There’s flavour, there’s flex, there’s class."

95/100 points, Campbell Mattinson, WINE FRONT, July 2024

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. 

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.

Food Match: Roast beef, venison, smoked pork ribs, baked aubergine parmigiana, vintage farmhouse cheddar