The Auswine Forum

Hi gang. Was after some advice/thoughts on which wine to drink next week for my wedding anniversary.

The four options so far are:

* 1996 Henschke Shiraz Mt. Edelstone
* 1996 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
* 1996 Penfolds Bin 389
* 1996 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri (my research suggest to wait on this)

I guess what Im more interested in is drinking the wine at its peak, rather than which is generally the best one. So if anyone has had any of these recently and can comment, Im all ears.

If the feeling in the end is I should wait on them, so be it...can always rustle up something else.

Any Im sure someone is wondering why all Penfolds dominated and '96. Well Im relatively new to the game so have to source older bottles from auctions etc...and guess whats generally easier to find

Thanks in advance.

David

Have to say 389, followed by Mt Edelstone. 707 third and St Henri possibly equal third.

All will be rather good drinking really, such a great year, but anything in the mid 90's does run the risk of serious bottle variation, so you will need a backup, preferably under screwcap so as to ensure you at least have something safely drinkable if the worst should happen! Let us know how you go...

Cheers
TiggerK

Well David, they are all great wines but still quite young given their quality and a difficult decision to make for sure.

I have had the '96 Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cab only a bit more than a year ago and found even on the young side. Penfolds wines hold up well and I don't envy your decision. If I had these wines in my cellar I don't think I would be opening them just yet. Of course if you have a number of bottles of any of the wines that could help make the decision.

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers..................................Mahmoud.

Pretty easy really - drink them all!

i'd go edelstone

Either the Mt Edelstone or the 389 .... I ditched my Mt. Eds from this vintage, so bad was the bottle variation .... so open the Mt. Ed., try it and have the 389 on standby if it's cactus. The other 2 need at least another 5 years before being broached.

Bin 389 only - but make sure you decant it for at least 3 hours.

Definitely the 1996 Edelstone - late '90s for Henschke will always have a cloud over its head because of the brett issues, and it may the case of the sooner the better with this one (especially if you bought them at auction and aren't exactly sure of their storage history since release).

The St Henri, Bin 389 & Bin 707 should have decades left in the tank if they're in good condition - if you were going to open one, I'd roughly go in that order (first to last).

Cheers,
Ian

Mt. Edelstone & 389 for plan B

Thanks to all for their opinions. Muchly appreciated.

I think we will give the Mt Ed a whirl. Should go quite nicely with some scotch fillet steaks Boy, Im hungry just thinking about it.

I had a 96 Mt Ed late lastyear and it was sensational - right in the groove. I'd definitely go that. The Bin 389s are just entering their windown but will go for years. The St Henri should go a while too. The 96 707 is massive. Don't even think about it yet. At least another ten years, probably a lot more. 96 was a VERY good cabernet year for Penfolds. They even released the Block 42 in that vintage.