Penfolds 1990 Bin90A Coonawarra Cabernet Barossa Shiraz

[mjs]

You may have already seen that I mention Penfolds Bin90A from time to time in the odd post here and there. I have been fortunate to drink a bit of it over the last twenty years or thereabouts. Last night had an enjoyable dinner at Matteo's in Nth Fitzroy with grb2001 and wives and had the pleasure of this particular bottle along with a few other gems.



I bought a six pack of 90A not long after it was released and now also buy the odd bottle at auction front time to time. Think I have one or two of the original purchase left. Some of the latter bottles purchased at auction have shown a little bit of variation, but in general they have been great to exceptional (if that can be considered a rating method! Works for Langtons I guess!!). Provenance is never 100% guaranteed I guess. It has been a go-to wine for me for special occasions.

Grb2001 purchased last night's bottle at auction some years ago from an Anders Josephson collection release and it has been cellared perfectly ever since. This was the last of four reds last night and I can honestly say that this bottle was the best Bin90A I have had the pleasure of drinking. Hugely deep colour, wonderful bouquet, dark fruits, oak, then black and red fruits in the mouth swirling amongst a structure of medium tannins, complexity, some pencil shavings, little bit of tar perhaps, youthfulness, wonderful mouthfeel, very very tight still, but length, incredibly hard to believe that this wine is 26 years old. Certainly gave the impression that a long life still remains ahead.

One can only hope for more examples like this!

[Chuck]

Truely great wine destined to be amongst our best but not sure it will reach the heights of the 1962 Bin 60A on which it is modelled. A while ago it was rated number 7 in the best wines in the history of the world. The 90A is very reasonably priced at auction around $300 and there's plenty around.Not bad pricing for a wine that sold on release for around $120. Not much more than inflation and holding costs. IMO a better wine than Grange. The 80A from 1982? was not too shabby either but not in the same league.

Carl

[mjs]

Yes, I am not sure about '62 60A vs 90A. The first time I tasted 60A was in 1998, so it was 36 years old. I was blown away tbh. I have never tasted such a complex, medium bodied wine, a kaleidoscope of flavours, still some good fruit, perfume, complete. The 90A is currently 26 years old. Based on an impression of what the 60A might have been like at 26 years of age, it seems to me that the 90A is and will continue to be a bigger wine than the 60A. Don't think it will be as ethereal as the 60A, but I think it will become a legend in its own right, not just as a copy of the 60A.

Yes, you can get it without too much trouble on the secondary market at that price, my only advice, just get some sort of verification of provenance.

Like you I prefer the 90A to Grange, its a style thing for me.

I have had the 80A and feel the same, very good but not in the 90A league. Had a very good 920 a few weeks ago, which was also superb. 96 Block 42, well that's just something else. Also have some 2004 Block 42, the 2004 Bin 60A and some 2010 Bin 169, albeit that the price of these wines is high (but not at the same price level as Grange).

Let's face it, we are very fortunate that Penfolds choose to continue to make these small scale special bin labels