These belated tasting notes are from last month, the week the wines were released. I had computer problems, and recovering the notes took longer than I had hoped. The first occasion was on a hot & humid Thursday night, where I thought the wines may have been affected by the weather; the whites were chilled to numbness, and the reds were too hot. The following Saturday it was much cooler, but despite the better climate my overall impressions didn’t change much.
Penfolds 2003 Eden Valley Reserve Riesling: I tried this once the Thursday night, and twice the following Saturday with similar notes. The nose is young juicyfruit and lime blossom over mineral water, but the mid-weighted palate seems to have aged orange-peel/citrus characters, and a faint hint of aniseed. The cooler weather highlighted some mealy tannins which provided good length and structure, but still you feel this is a short-term prospect. Like quite a few of the schizophrenic 2003 Clares (Petaluma & Leasingham Bin 7) in many ways.
Penfolds 2000 Yattarna Chardonnay: I tried this the same day as the Trophy winning limited release Bin 00A, and it’s amazing to pick up the similarities and differences. Both have those cashew-nut malolactic French barrel ferment characters, and both have great length. The Yattarna has volumes of warm, mouth filling flavours of cashew, fig and peach. The Bin 00A is tighter, elegant and more structured, with subtle citrus and stonefruit, and crisp acid. For all that, both are too expensive.
Penfolds 2001 Cellar Door Pinot Noir: When this was first released, it seemed to be a real break in tradition for the label in having a real sweaty/gamey/rural funk on the nose and palate. It still has those funky characters, but seems to be really lacking in depth; somehow I can’t see it improving greatly from here.
Penfolds 2002 Cellar Door Grenache: Glorious deep, inky purple colour announces a beautiful wine with sweet confectionery, chocolate and peppery, raspberry fruit on the nose and palate. Stunning fullness and length with no alcohol heat. The best red of the entire line-up.
Penfolds 2002 Bin 138 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre: The colour is an inky red-black. When tasted the hot Thursday immediately after the superb 2002 Cellar Reserve Grenache, this had the fresh raspberry nose, but really pulled up short on the palate, and was on the hot side (despite having the same 14.5% alcohol). On the cooler Saturday I tried it before the Cellar Reserve, but it still failed to impress. Maybe it needs extra time to settle.
Penfolds 2001 Bin 128 Shiraz: The colour is a promising inky red, and the nose is very big for a Bin 128. It’s also very different in that it has a rather feral, funky edge like the 2001 Pinot Noir at first, before settling down to the predictable mint and currants. The palate again is elegant, with plum and spice, medium body and fruit concentration, and high tannins. A stronger vintage, but not as rich or peppery as 1990 or 1998.
Penfolds 2001 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz: The colour like the 2001 Bin 128 is an encouraging deep, inky red. The change to All-American oak (although it’s supposed to be all used) results in very noticeable sweet coconut dominating the nose, with hints of browned banana. The palate features healthy acid, plummy, savoury, slightly earthy fruit, and powerful tannins driving the finish. A powerful Bin 28, but lacks the style of 1996 or 1999 - it is still young though.
Penfolds 2001 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon: The real surprise of the 2001 Bin range for me. A dark red colour, but not as deep as the Shiraz or blends. The nose has powerful mint and chocolate aromas, with the Limestone Coast fruit dominating and the oak taking a back seat. The palate’s just as elegant, until a healthy dose of acid and tannin kick in to produce a long, drying finish. The structure doesn’t appear as clumsy as the other Bin reds, and to me was the best of the Bin range this time around.
Penfolds 2001 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz: A deep, inky red announces a bouquet of blueberries, very spicy and very heavy oak, and with breathing hints of raisins. The palate again features heavy oak, blackberry fruit and very heavy tannins on the finish, but overall has the impression of being over-extracted, like an overcooked blackberry poptart. Powerful but very clumsy at the moment, and could very well burn-out before it ever really integrates. I really wouldn’t call this an improvement on the 2000 vintage; a bit of a disappointment overall.
Cheers
Ian