I had a celebration yesterday which demanded something special. The 1990 Penfolds Bin 90A is certainly that. This type of wine has only been bottled two or three times before. It includes special parcels of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from the many vineyard sources available to Penfolds. It was originally conceived as a control wine to Grange. It would taste similar to Grange, were it not for the large proportion (66%?) of Cabernet in this wine.
The fruit flavours are of concentrated blackcurrant and plum, quite dark. Amazingly, after 25 years under cork, primary fruit still dominates. The mouthfeel is not as big and round as Grange. Instead, this is a more linear wine with great length. The tannins are still firm, but have mellowed to a silky sensation. The wine stays with you for quite some time and softens as the finish dissipates - very attractive.
This Penfolds special release is a full-bodied wine, but at 13.5% alcohol certainly not over the top. The complexity is in the length of the finish, not the flavour profile.
Score: 96/+++
No comments:
Post a Comment