TN: 2009 Penfolds 'Claret' Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet magnum

[n4sir]

2009 Penfolds 'Claret' Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet magnum (cork): Medium to dark red/purple. Coming straight from the decanter the first thing to leap from the glass is lifted, vanillin/banana oak; patience is rewarded as with time as it begins to change, cherries appear followed by oily/mineral turpentine characters, espresso and meaty pan juices, lemon sherbet and fine cedar. The medium to full weight palate is a major step up on the other recent Bin releases, earthy and grippy up front with a long, minty and chalky finish, not a blockbuster by any means but its balance and length can’t be faulted. It’s a classy wine that should cellar well.

Cheers,
Ian

[Nigel Tufnel]

Thanks for the note. Do you have a couple of these? I thought I would try and hold on to mine for a while although it sounds like its decent drop now.

If this is a major step up from recent Bins, do you mean that you do not like the current Bin releases much? I have only tried the 28 so far but I thought it was fantastic and I wish I had bought more. I got 2 each of the 28, 407 and 389.

[n4sir]

Thanks for the note. Do you have a couple of these? I thought I would try and hold on to mine for a while although it sounds like its decent drop now.

If this is a major step up from recent Bins, do you mean that you do not like the current Bin releases much? I have only tried the 28 so far but I thought it was fantastic and I wish I had bought more. I got 2 each of the 28, 407 and 389.

I have the one magnum myself - I tried it at an instore last Saturday, where as far as they knew it was the first time it has been available to try in South Australia (if that's the case the Kalimna Club didn't get to try it last month, but then again they weren't aware some had been open to the trade interstate which we know from some forum posts, so I'm not sure if that's accurate).

I wasn't a huge fan of the Bin releases this year, as you would have seen in my other thread - I tried them again at the same instore and thought much the same. The Claret followed the Bin 389, and it was immediately evident that weight and structure were far superior, especially after the initial whiff of oak blew off after about 10 minutes or so swirling, but it also has an elegance and class that the Bins don't.