What vintage did you stop buying Penfolds reds 389 'n above?

[Jay60A]

OK - some of us, if not all, are all complaining about Penfolds prices, but did you / have you personally drawn a line in the sand on QPR in a Penfolds vintage, consciously or unconsciously, and if so where?
Assume serious reds i.e. 389, Magill Estate, St Henri, 707, 169, Cellar Reserves, RWT, Grange, Special Bins (407 - I leave up to you to decide!)

For me personally I last bought the Cellar Reserves - Cabernet, Cabernet Shiraz in vintage 2005. In the last few years I have only bought older vintages at overseas (UK, US) prices - 1990, 1996, 2004.

Interesting to see the big picture ...!

Jay

[wiggum]

For me I last bought 389 in the 2005 vintage. Just getting too exy when compared with Rockford, wendouree, Marius, noon, the list goes on And on. I have a couple of later 389's from 08 and 09 - they were gifts. My mindset is that there are simply too many other wines in this quality bracket to buy these.

[Craig(NZ)]

Last vintages purchased:

Grange 1996 ($230)
Bin 707 1994 ($60)
Never bought RWT
Yattarna 2005 (for a tasting $130)
St Henri 2004 (got it cheap; $60 with a free copy of "Rewards of Pat...I mean Rewards of being fleeced")
Bin 389 2004 (Got it for $25, that's the only reason I bought it. Before then the latest I bought was 1998)
Bin 407 1994 (The only vintage I really rate....and a lot of vintages are just absolute forced rubbish. From memory it was <>$25)
Special Bins - Bought 1996 Kailmna Cab ($150), bought Cellar Reserve Cab 2005 ($90) which is a great wine

I haven't bought Bin 28/ 128 or any of the cheaper Penfolds for about 3 years. I intend never to buy any Penfolds again unless i see them at prices I am prepared to pay, which are a lot lot LOT less than RRP!!

[Luke W]

2008 Bin 28, 128, 389, 169, St Henri
2009 138
2002 707
2001 RWT and Grange
But have ordered some of the 2010's - mainly 389 and 28's

[wifekidsmortgage]

Bin 389
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2008
2009


St Henri
2002
2003
2004
Too pricey for me after 2004

RWT
2005 Kemneys had them on special

Bin 707
2008 - Dan Murphy had them very cheap at one stage

Unless they are heavily discounted at the big chains, I can't see me bothering this year. Would like to get 389 again but can't see any value at anything near $75. I don't know what RRP of 389 last year was and I can't recall exacly what I paid but it was aroudn $50ish and the 08 was cheaper again $39 from memory.

I haven't purhcased Bin 28 or Bin 128 since they were sub $20 a bottle. Plenty of Barossa and Coonawarra Shiraz just as good if not better than these two at $38 per.

Bin 407 at $75 - they must be dreaming! IMO there are plenty of Cabs that are better for a (much) lower price. You can get Moss Wood for about $80 at times. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, it won't be on Bin 407.

[Peter NZ]

389 2005 (for NZD 28.50, the same as I paid for the '96)
St Henri 2004 (6 for less than Craig at NZD 57 but no Rewards of Patience)

[Chuck]

Last purchase was a magnum of 98 bin 389 in 2002 but was given a 05 St Henri from the pointy end by a Qantas filght attendant after she spilt coffee on me. Nice apology!

Carl

[Mark Carrington]

Consciously decided to stop buying Penfolds in 2003 (after purchasing 389 ) though have purchased bargain Grange '99 & Bin 28 '08 since. I continue to look out for St Henri which remains VFM, though last vintage bought has been '04.
Recently spotted Bin 128 @ £20+ which at least had the benefit of giving me a good laugh.
NB.The Magill restaurant provided good value in 2010 & we'll aim to revisit on our next trip, at year end.

[DJ]

Bought 2005 as it's a birth year - none since. Down to 2 bottles of Rockford Basket Press in year, Marius was the big splurge last year.

Penfolds were automatic buys for nearly 20 years. Still tempted by Kalimna if less than $25

[rens]

I'm a bit of a sucker for a bin 389. But have not purchased since 2008 (and then it was because they were $37 and they threw in 2 nice Burgundy glasses for nix too).
Looking forward to tasting the 2010, but will only buy if they are around the $50-$55 mark.

[AndrewCowley]

I only bought the 2008 to get the free magnum. Did they have that on offer last year as well?

Has anyone tried theirs yet?

[griff]

Couldn't help purchasing some 2008 bin 28 in the UK when cleared out at under $10.

[phillisc]

Bin 28, 2002, have not tried anywhere near the quality since for this label
128, 98, for a single vineyard wine a massive disappointment, white label wynns at half the price gives it a thrashing most years
389, 1998
407, why was this ever made
707 a 6 pack ot the 94, then it went up $70 when it cleaned up at the sydney show
Grange 1994, sons birth year

St Henri, 02 and 04 cheap at a large chain
Magill 02

then post 2002, as suggested in another post the prices went stupid.

Linderman's, Seppelts Metala and Wynns are the only TWE purchases now.

Cheers Craig

[Rossco]

I had to vote as 2006, as it was the last bottle I bought. 2006 RWT @ $90 from auction.....that was (maybe last year / maybe 2 years ago?)

Prior to that, all my Penfolds bottles were mainly mid - late 90's bottles of 407, 389's & St Henri

I had bought only one Grange (from auction) 1979 and a couple of 2002 & 2004 St Henri. So realistically, I could say i have been alienated
from them about 6-8 years.

At every price point in their entire range, there is a better Australian wine out there.

[damonpeyo]

For the sake of this thread, funny enough received a bottle of 1999 Bin 389 today, carefully delivered by a work mate, decided to open it.

Nice smooth tannins. Just past its peak, not that "great" but nice smooth drinking wine. Not much fruit note, aged leathery notes seem to dominate it over fruit notes, seems there's to be distinctive Pennie's oaky background notes hang around in the background.

1996 and 1998 was more memorable than the 1999 vintage from my step mother's father's collection.

Must be how it was kept, despite average/ good cork condition for Penfolds, as seen in the picture, just a small tiny leak must have happened during mate's recent moving houses or something, but there's was no leak to be seen when I received it, just signs of it, was given to me among other things when I traded my small 48 bottle wine fridge for bits and bits, as no longer need the wine fridge, too small....of course!

[damonpeyo]

the other side of the cork, where showed signs of leakage, but seem to close up when I receive it, some litle bits of dried up crusts of red wine at the bottle cork cover not show in the picture. That made me guess must have happened during moving houses or something. The wine's sleep got disrupted. I guess.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I just voted and skewed the results. My last purchase was a few bottles of '02, '04 and '05, all discounted to C$24.99 and nowhere near the regular price. Under normal circumstances my vote should have been 1996, the last time I bought a 389 at regular prices.

My last Bin 28 was an '94. Penfolds is off the radar for me and, in fact, I can't recall any of my friends serving a bottle. My, my, that last bit is thought provoking. I really cannot think of EVER being served a Penfold's wine by any of my wine friends in Edmonton, past or present.

Mahmoud.

Edit: WAIT, just as I posted I recalled a restaurant dinner where a wine agent friend served a bottle he had purchased at auction, a 1980 Penfold's Bin 820, a remarkable wine and the best australian wine I've ever had.

[Peter NZ]

Interesting to see the release day prices from one of the largest NZ retailers:

NZD 60 for Bin 389

vs

NZD 66 for Bin 407 ... !! Full retail for both wines reported as $79.

(Both prices for case buys, with 2 Riedel vinum shiraz glasses thrown in.)

[Mike Hawkins]

I was buying the 2002 Bin 389 for $15 per bottle in the US - and thereafter it basically disappeared from wine stores in NYC (like tons of Aussie wines).

[AndrewCowley]

It's the Bin 407 prices that are the most offensive. It is generally agreed that Bin 389 is a pretty good thing most years and is cellar worthy. But the Bin 407 is nowhere near as guaranteed to be that good in any given year. $50 no way.

[Rossco]

It's the Bin 407 prices that are the most offensive. It is generally agreed that Bin 389 is a pretty good thing most years and is cellar worthy. But the Bin 407 is nowhere near as guaranteed to be that good in any given year. $50 no way.

407 is a $30ish wine at best. What penfolds needs is a great cabernet that sits
Between 407 & 707 around $60 that is true value for money. Not a trumped
Up pos that Isnt fooling anyone @ $50+

[cuttlefish]

It's the Bin 407 prices that are the most offensive. It is generally agreed that Bin 389 is a pretty good thing most years and is cellar worthy. But the Bin 407 is nowhere near as guaranteed to be that good in any given year. $50 no way.

407 is a $30ish wine at best. What penfolds needs is a great cabernet that sits
Between 407 & 707 around $60 that is true value for money. Not a trumped
Up pos that Isnt fooling anyone @ $50+

I suspect there'll be plenty of people fooled by a $70-80 407
TWE certainly hopes this. It's actually not a bad wine, just a little overpriced is all !!
Tiny quantities, too. Think of it as buying a $168,000 multi-regional Cabernet for only $75
It's a good thing, right !?

[wifekidsmortgage]

Interesting to note the "starting" prices for the Bin release today. Dan Murphy opened 389 & 407 @ $59.80 with Bin 28 @ $29.90 and Bin 128 @$34.90. 1st Choice opened at $55.90 for 389 & 407 and $28.50 for 28.

Not long after, Dan's down to $55.80 for 389/407 and $28.40 for the 28/128.

[Teisto]

But Dan's is delivery price only and FC has no 150 either ......

[TiggerK]

And now instore as well I see, by delivery only price lasted 20 mins!

(Wouldn't normally discuss DM pricing here, but suspect we can make an exception for the release day madness commentary, plus Gav doesn't sell 389 AFAIK.)

I might buy one 389 if they go below $50, two if below $45, but suspect prices will hover around the 55 mark, so will pass altogether. Can get a Gran Reserva Rioja with 12 years age for $61, so why bother with 389 @ $55?

[Jay60A]

Interesting to see the statistical spike in 2005-6 which is about the last vintage I bought - looks like many others have drawn the same conclusion.

However - I wonder if it's also related to age of people on the forum though as well as the price?

I'm pushing 44 ... and even 389 or St Henri from a top vintage needs 15 years - the 1996 389s are probably in the zone now, St Henri maybe still 5 years off.Why would I buy 2006+ aside from hype?

Jay

[mjs]

Haven't really stopped buying, will continue to look at the secondary market

[Mike Hawkins]

Jay - for me it was a case of tasting post 96 Bin 389 after 10 years in bottle and comparing to prior vintages. Since 1996, the 'good' fruit from the 'good' regions go to the likes of RWT, Bin 150 et al, and IMO, the label is no longer as good as it used to be. And thankfully I'm sitting on many cases of 86, 90, 91 and 96, so there's no real point in me buying too much more.

At the moment, my tastes are swinging to more elegant styles including champagne and riesling, so I've cut back on buying big reds. I'd much prefer to pay $45 for 2012 Grosset Polish Hill (which Gavin still stocks) which is still cheap for an aboslute world class wine, than pay for the latest Penfolds reds (even though I suspect there'll be some good wines amongst the new releases). I may change my mind when Penfolds releases some 2012s.

Mike

[daz]

I have single bottles left of St Henri 96, Grange 96 and Bin 707 1998, last purchase would have been 2002 St Henri not long after release but even then it was pushing the price envelope.

[shauno]

Last purchases for me were:
2001 Bin 407 - drank the last one on wednesday
2003 Bin 128 ($20/bottle!)
2003 St Henri

Other than the above, I've bought a few single bottles of Bin 128 & Bin 138 & had gifts of a Bin 8, St Henri & Grange.

Also just bought some RWT '09, but that doesn't count as it was a "too good to refuse" price from a reliable source.