TN: The Penfolds Bin Series Releases at Magill Estate 3/3/12

[n4sir]

I wasn’t able to get up to the Kalimna Club’s Bin preview dinner due to a clash with a club Committee meeting, so last weekend I tried the latest Penfolds Bin series releases (along with a few extras) at the Magill Estate Cellar Door, the only time they are all available for tasting there. The drinking windows listed here were supplied with the Penfolds Kalimna Club literature, and the wines (apart from the sweet/fortifieds) were served in Reidel magnum glasses:

2011 Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling (Eden Valley, 11.5% alc, now-2021): Bottled under screwcap. Pale straw/green. Very tight bouquet, with delicate lime and yeasty/slate scents; the palate’s much more juicy and open, bursting with lemon/lime juicyfruit and then orange blossom, with an underpinning of the same slatey characters on the nose, finishing very long. Someone mentioned the other day this is the unsung hero of the Bin range – their most consistent white, this vintage continues that tradition.

2011 Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay (Henty, 12.0% alc, now-2018): Bottled under screwcap. Notably, this is the first of this label from Henty – previous releases have been from Tumbarumba & Orange, so I expected this to be a little different, but it follows last years release pretty closely with a little more obvious spicy/creamy oak. Bright green/straw with legs on the glass. Sweet melon and creamy oak opens up to flinty, grapefruit characters, bitey and grassy with breathing with fennel and lime. A creamy entry with some fresh basil leads to tight, mineraly lime and melon characters, a hint of banana, finishing with toasty oak and spices on the finish, like last year more than a little like a Petit Chablis. Impressive provided you like the style (and I do).

2011 Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir (Adelaide Hills, 13.5% alc, now-2014): Bottled under screwcap. Clear, light red/purple. Smells very spicy and attractive, more than a little Grenache-like with Turkish delight, rhubarb and black pepper backed by sweet cedar oak; the palate’s not as attractive, lightweight and bitter, a touch of awkward heat and acid mid-palate, finishing with fine tannin grip and good length. I wasn’t expecting much given the tough vintage conditions and my dislike of the first two vintages, but it was slightly better than those – the emphasis on slightly. I can see it being a little better with food, but as the suggested two year drinking window says it’s not one to keep.

2010 Penfolds Bin 138 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre (Barossa Valley, 14.5% alc, now-2025): Bottled under screwcap. 50% Grenache, 27% Shiraz and 23% Mourvedre this vintage. Medium to dark red/purple with legs on the glass. Very attractive nose, sweet and jubey, full of red liquorice, black pepper and spice, becoming a little meaty/raisiny with breathing; the entry of the palate’s just as fruit-sweet/jubey leading to an awkward minty/hot mid-palate, finishing lean, peppery and mineraly with a touch of bitterness. There’s less Grenache and more Mourvedre than last vintage and I think it shows; in contrast I think it needs a few more years to show its best, or a good hearty stew to match.

2009 Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz (Padthaway, Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale and Robe, 14.5% alc, now-2020): Bottled under screwcap. Medium to dark red/purple with legs on the glass. Coming straight after the 2010 Bin 138 (perhaps by a lucky mistake) the similarities on the nose are remarkable, sweet and jubey with the same red liquorice character, becoming porty and rather hot with breathing, a faint hint of dried herbs well in the background. The palate’s spicy and minty with black cherry and black pepper, surprisingly lean, slightly herbal and finishing grippy but a little bitter with breathing. Even allowing for the vintage conditions, the lack of weight is disappointing to say the least – it’s also worth noting Penfolds’ suggested drinking window is ten years less than the 2008 vintage.

2010 Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz (Coonawarra, 14.5% alc, 2013-2025): Bottled under screwcap. Medium to dark purple/crimson with legs on the glass. Tighter and more elegant than the other Bin releases, whiffs of black cherries and earth, mocha and the faintest touch of VA giving lift; a soft entry is followed by a slow build up of cherries, red currants and fine tannins, tarry with a touch of white pepper, excellent grip and length. Easily the best Bin 128 since the 2004 vintage, maybe even 1998; up until now I’ve been of the opinion that the move to release Bin 128 a year earlier since the 2005 vintage hasn’t really worked, but this vintage is a notable exception.

2009 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Robe, Mt Benson, Adelaide Hills & Barossa Valley, 14.4% alc, 2013-2023): Bottled under screwcap. Medium to dark crimson/red, with just a hint of purple. Very much in the cool-climate spectrum this vintage, perhaps even a little more than usual with peppermint and green capsicum, menthol, cigarette ash and herbs, black jubes and red currants, a touch of VA in the background providing some lift. The palate’s medium-weight with cherry/cola fruit with some green banana/vanillin oak in the background, finishing with puckery/grippy tannins. The McLaren Vale component has a big influence on the impressive bouquet, at times I would say it’s almost reminiscent of something from southern Margaret River.

2009 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz (Padthaway, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Robe, 14.5% alc, 2014-2028): Bottled under screwcap. 51% Cabernet Sauvignon & 49% Shiraz. Medium to dark crimson/purple. The bouquet seems to be dominated by the Shiraz component this vintage with much in common with the Bin 28/138, red liquorice and jubes, a touch of mocha and mint with some bitey VA lift. The palate’s lightweight for a Bin 389, spicy and hot, green and yet porty, the bang of fruit mid-palate dropping off leaving grippy tannins and a surprisingly short finish. The 50th anniversary release is a major disappointment, and Penfolds’ eight year reduction in the drinking window compared to the 2008 seems appropriate given the alarming drop in weight and length; I’d go as far to say it’s down there with the 2007 vintage, it’s that disappointing.

2009 Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz (Barossa Valley, 14.5% alc, 2014-2028): Bottled under screwcap. Medium to dark crimson/purple with legs on the glass. Very ripe, heady and powerful with rum and raisin chocolate and red liquorice, a touch of cloves and raw VA, some peaty earth/slate and elegant citrus/lemony oak with breathing. The palate is very round with sweet, saturated plums and cherry cola, surprisingly controlled with some interesting meaty characters and a soft, earthy finish. The best of the new bin releases this year, a very good example of western Barossa Shiraz.

As well as the new bin releases, I was also able to sample the following:

2008 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay (Tasmania, Adelaide Hills, 13.3% alcohol, now-2020): Bottled under screwcap. Bright green/straw. The nose opens with a salvo of toasty/fiery oak and peach fruit, becoming a little sweeter and rubbery with bathroom scents, more than a little like durian or a heavily sulphured German riesling. The palate’s huge, flinty and grippy, with sweet melon fruit and a toasty, mineraly finish that’s a touch bitter; built for the long haul, it’s not as approachable as recent releases or the Reserve Bin A for that matter. It needs time, which would never be said about Yattarna’s first vintages.

2008 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz (Magill, South Australia 14.5% alc, 2014-2032): Bottled under natural cork. Medium to very dark crimson/purple. Very plush and comfy bouquet, with meaty pan juices, violets, plums and a little lift, old leather and cedar, becoming a little stocky with breathing; the medium-weight palate is slightly stocky/leathery and tarry, the tannins prominent but the fruit a little faded and in the background. Possibly a victim of slight random oxidisation.

2001 Penfolds RWT Shiraz (Barossa Valley 14.0% alc, now-2020): Bottled under natural cork. Medium to dark garnet. Very attractive bouquet, smoky and leathery with some earthy petroleum and liquorice allsorts, raspberries and a touch of salted celery, cedar and aged soy. The palate’s also fully developed, medium-weight with a good core of raspberry fruit matched by earthy/leathery characters and meaty juices, green peppercorns and a minty finish. I haven’t been impressed on a couple of previous occasions, but this bottle was excellent; drink now and hope you’ve got a good one!

2008 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Barossa Valley, 15% alc): Bottled under screwcap. Dark to inky crimson with a hint of purple. Savoury characters of smoked meats, lifted violets, dried herbs and tomato skin leap from the glass; a ripe entry of red liquorice and cocoa leads to a minty mid-palate with a bit of a hole, some slightly green banana/vanillin oak, and a long, mineraly finish. Big, brawny and obviously Barossan, although I’m not sure it’s really a great Cabernet - I also get the feeling it could have been better blended with something.

2005 Penfolds Grange (96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon – Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, 14.5% alc, 2012-2030): Bottled under natural cork, double decanted about 5 hours previously. Medium to dark garnet. Opens with a salvo of obvious VA, slightly vinegary and stocky with fireplace char/toasted wood, meaty pan juices and peat, becoming a little porty with a strap of black liquorice. A soft entry is followed by a slow build of tannin, tart raspberries and bitter chocolate, vanilla oak and crushed ants followed by chocolate bullets kicking in mid-palate, finishing dry, tannic, slightly smoky and meaty. I’ve always found this to be a very forward Grange, not a great one - this bottle was no exception.

2001 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Viognier 375ml (Barossa Valley): Bottled under screwcap. Bright yellow/green. Very attractive and perfumed nose, zesty and lemony with some quince and a touch of vanilla, although with some breathing the predictable wallop of tinned apricots comes to the fore. The palate’s sweet without being cloying, with candied pineapple and apricots leading to a very dry, grippy finish without any bitterness; they seem to have nailed a consistent style with this.

NV Penfolds Bluestone Grand Tawny (South Eastern Australia, Grenache, Mourvedre, Shiraz, 19.5% alc,): Bottled under natural cork. Light tawny with a clear olive rim. Lifted with bright, heady rancio characters and toppy spirit, rather light in weight with a nutty finish that bounces between Brazil nut and hazelnut. Seems to be a lot lighter and brighter with more aggressive spirit than the last bottle I tried – a fresh batch maybe?

NV Penfolds Grandfather Tawny Port (South Eastern Australia, Mourvedre, Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache, total average age over 20 years, 19.5% alc): Older 750ml bottling under natural cork. Lovely, deeper and darker rancio characters than the Bluestone, full of walnuts, ginger and just a touch of black pepper, earth and mixed spices, powerful, very long and lingering. If you can find the old 750ml bottles snap them up because the new ones have shrunk.


Cheers
Ian

[Panda 9D]

Thanks for the fantastic notes. How many ants died in the making of them?

[n4sir]

How many ants died in the making of them?

I got that out of the way in my sadistic youth.

[Thommo]

Killing ants making such excellent and detailed tasting notes? It brings to mind the wonderful Dutch expression mier neuker. The figurative translation is nit-picker, but I prefer the literal translation http://translate.google.com/#nl|en|mier%20neuker

[n4sir]

Killing ants making such excellent and detailed tasting notes? It brings to mind the wonderful Dutch expression mier neuker. The figurative translation is nit-picker, but I prefer the literal translation http://translate.google.com/#nl|en|mier%20neuker

[SomeGuy23]

Just out of curiosity Ian, were you there when a Chinese family visited and bought half a dozen bottles of Grange and some 707s?

[n4sir]

Just out of curiosity Ian, were you there when a Chinese family visited and bought half a dozen bottles of Grange and some 707s?

Sounds about right. There were a couple of groups that came in that afternoon, including one that was standing inside the entrance taking photos 15 minutes before closing - the staff politely reminded them that if they wanted to try the range they were closing soon, but they still weren't in any hurry.

Cheers,
Ian

[SomeGuy23]

Sounds about right. There were a couple of groups that came in that afternoon, including one that was standing inside the entrance taking photos 15 minutes before closing - the staff politely reminded them that if they wanted to try the range they were closing soon, but they still weren't in any hurry.

Since you were taking so much time with each wine and meticulously taking notes, I thought you may have been a wine journalist. Kinda made me feel inadequate racing through the entire range and spending a lot of time talking to everyone else!

Kudos for the detailed tasting notes. Seems like we sort of came to the same conclusion, good 128 with the 150 being the best of the new release. However I thought that the 389 was a good wine, just not worth $55+. Still undecided but I will probably go back in a week or two for half a case of the 150.