1991 Bin 389 = comfort food/old jumper

[brodie]

Bought a full case on 12 back in 1994 and it has been in temp controlled storage almost its entire life. This was bottle #7 but the first one in about 2 years. Cork was in pristine condition and level was really high. Colour was dark red with some bricking at the edges. Had that distinctive older Bin 389 nose of dark fruits/fruit cake/spice. Palate was full bodied powerful with lots more dark fruits and some firm tannins at the back end. Actually no rush with this one tbh, good for another 10 years I reckon. This bottle was in great shape and shared with a friend celebrating his 55th birthday.

This wine was a kind of a gateway drug for me and wine cellaring (vs wine buying). First bought the 1982 in Sydney for $4.99 and loved it. Started cellaring it by the case with the 1990 when we returned to Oz after 5 years in London. Drinking this wine is like travelling back in to a simpler time and place. Back then I loved the warm friendly ripe fruits of the 389 and loved how it aged even more. This was a time long before I developed a "sophisticated" palate and started drinking and cellaring bordeaux, burgundy, barolo, brunello, rhones etc etc. Oh wine was some much easier when all I bought was Penfolds and Wynns Black Label!

So drinking this old fashioned Aussie Cab/Shiraz blend is like eating comfort food your mum used to cook and / or putting on a favourite jumper when the weather first turns a bit nippy. Soft, cuddly, reassuring, easy to enjoy, pleasurable.

Brodie

[phillisc]

Brilliant Brodie
every last shred of what you have written here represents the polar opposite of where Pennies is now...and much more the pity!!
Just going through the cellar sort out now and 'found' a mixed case of 86 and 90/91 Bin 28 and 389. Your note sounds very encouraging. I remember paying $6 for the 28 and less than $10 for the 389. Quality of those wines in those vintages probably reflects the same level of where St Henri or RWT sits now.
Guess the proof will be if a 2010/12 St Henri in 2040 drinks as good as any of the above.
Cheers Craig

[Mike Hawkins]

I'm halfway through a 2nd case of the 91, and I have to say, there's so much variation. The best bottles are superb - ripe fruit, but not too ripe, length, complexity, reasonable use of oak. But half have been very austere, bordering on dried out.

Back then, 389 was made up of fruit from the premium regions - it really was a baby Grange (save for the cabernet!). Now, as Craig says, the quality just isn't there.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Lovely post Brodie, thank you. NIce to see more evidence that Australia did indeed make good wines (especially the cabernet/shiraz blend) before the Parker phenonon ruined so many wines. Interesting that you reckon that the '91 has another decade ahead, good for you. The 6th edition of The Rewards of Patience gave it a "Now to 2020" though of course that was in 2008 and we know that wines do linger on for some time after an estimated window.

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

[Ian S]

I like the analogy.

Yes our tastes change and whilst such wines hold less interest to me than in times gone by, when the mood dictates they can be every bit as enjoyable as our new interests.

[brodie]

I'm halfway through a 2nd case of the 91, and I have to say, there's so much variation. The best bottles are superb - ripe fruit, but not too ripe, length, complexity, reasonable use of oak. But half have been very austere, bordering on dried out.

Hi Mike, this bottle variation is annoying and frustrating for sure. My experience with Aussie reds from the 1990s had been that Penfolds and Wynns score top on having little to no bottle variation. I have been lucky compared to you.

Cullens was the worst offender and Wendouree in 1997 and 1998 have been somewhat unreliable as well.

Brodie

[FredericoWines]

Had anyone tried recent vintages, especially 2015? How did it compare?

[Hacker]

Not making any judgements, but TWF has an average point score of Bin 389 2009 thru 2015 at around 95-96. CM had a 1991 that was probably not a reliable bottle and scored it at 91 (in 2009).

[Hunter]

Brilliant Brodie
every last shred of what you have written here represents the polar opposite of where Pennies is now...and much more the pity!!
Just going through the cellar sort out now and 'found' a mixed case of 86 and 90/91 Bin 28 and 389. Your note sounds very encouraging. I remember paying $6 for the 28 and less than $10 for the 389. Quality of those wines in those vintages probably reflects the same level of where St Henri or RWT sits now.
Guess the proof will be if a 2010/12 St Henri in 2040 drinks as good as any of the above.
Cheers Craig

The 1990 bin 28 is a beautiful wine.

[Mike Hawkins]

I'm halfway through a 2nd case of the 91, and I have to say, there's so much variation. The best bottles are superb - ripe fruit, but not too ripe, length, complexity, reasonable use of oak. But half have been very austere, bordering on dried out.

Hi Mike, this bottle variation is annoying and frustrating for sure. My experience with Aussie reds from the 1990s had been that Penfolds and Wynns score top on having little to no bottle variation. I have been lucky compared to you.

Cullens was the worst offender and Wendouree in 1997 and 1998 have been somewhat unreliable as well.

Brodie

They have been consistent with one thing... pathetic corks in the early 90s!

[Mike Hawkins]

Not making any judgements, but TWF has an average point score of Bin 389 2009 thru 2015 at around 95-96. CM had a 1991 that was probably not a reliable bottle and scored it at 91 (in 2009).

Therein lies one of my beefs with ‘critics’. How often do they give higher scores to young wines? For some, when they rescore the same wine years down the track, the rating is quite often lower. If that’s the reality, why bother cellaring wines?

[Mahmoud Ali]

My advice is to screwcap points, just trust good producers to make good wines year in and year out. Then cellar according to vintage variation. For example, since we're talking Penfold's, look at Grange. Every year, every vintage, it's a good wine. They just won't go the same distance but at the rigt time you will have a fine wine that ought to work well with dinner.

Mahmoud.