Penfolds Collection 2024

 

                                        

The Penfolds Collection now consists of 22 wines. It is difficult to taste them all. I had an opportunity to taste 9 of these wines. The biggest omissions were St. Henri (small volume?), Bin 707, RWT, the premium Chardonnays, and the French wines.

An overall impression of the red wines is that they seem to be fresher and more energetic than in the past. The influence of new oak is more subdued, and overall the wines are quite drinkable straight away.

I was not too impressed with the white wines I tasted. The 2024 Bin 51 Riesling from Eden Valley was quite broad (90 points). The 2023 Bin 311 is actually quite complex on the palate expressing citrus, white nectarine, strike match and almond flavours. The Penfols notes give more than 10 flavours, but somehow the wine did not grab me as some previous vintages have (92 points).

Of the entry level red wines, the 2023 Bin 23 Grenache was a real revelation. Many Grenaches are too big and too fruity, but this wine is quite restrained. It is medium-bodied, with raspberry flavours and a touch of bubblegum sweetness, only a touch. The mouthfeel is quite velvety and the finish is long - a very attractive wine (94 points). The 2022 Bin 28 Shiraz, the Penfolds workhorse, is pure and plummy, but the finish is short (92 points). 

The American wines are from the wildfires impacted 2021 vintage. The Bin 600 is this curious combination of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and  15% South Australian Shiraz. Despite the Shiraz component, I felt the hole on the mid-palate. The Cabernet component not very strong. The wine has an earthy taste and the finish is medium (91 points). The 2021 Bin 704 is Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. This is quite a big wine, but it has acidity to match. This is an intense and tannic wine, but it is in balance (93 points).

The 2022 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet grapes from all major regions of South Australia is quite a step up. It is a fresh wine with good drive, representing the vintage. The cooler year defines this wine. It is much leaner than in previous years, again with a bit of a gap in the middle. However, it is a well constructed wine with good balance (92 points). The 2022 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is quite a step up. The wine is quite fresh, with good drive, showing the characteristics of the vintage.  Blackberry, plum, and mulberry flavours deliver a satisfying mouthfeel. The key feature to me is the very long finish. This wine will benefit from ageing, no doubt (95 points).

Grange; what can you say that has not been said already. this is the 2020 Grange. The first impression; you can actually drink this wine on release and enjoy it. Given the unparalleled grape resources available to Penfolds, it is not surprising that the variability from year to year is quite low. So you expect the wine to be powerful and ripe, which it is, with licorice and dark chocolate flavours adding to the fruit. However, this is not an outstanding Grange, when measured against other vintages. What is missing is the detailed layering you find in the best vintages. Did the 2020 bush fires have an influence? (96 points).

Overall, Penfolds is heading in the right direction with this release. Some key wines were missing in this tasting, so a complete assessment will have to wait.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon

 There is no need to show the label. It is as boring as all Penfolds labels. But I did not expect the disappointment this 2010 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon was providing on taste.

There is good fruit concentration in this wine, but the blackcurrant flavours are quite dried out. What remains very present are the vanilla notes from the American oak. As a result, the mouthfeel is really dull. The tannins are firm and dry leading to quite a piercing finish. If you are looking for a graceful Cabernet, look elsewhere.

Score: 88/--

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Penfolds Bin 407 is in similar ways a baby to the Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, as the Bin 389 is to Grange. Winemaking is similar, the fruit not of quite the same quality. If we were in Bordeaux, it would be called a second wine of one of the major Chateau's. I have high hopes for the 2010 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon, as it comes from an outstanding vintage.

At seven years, the colour remains almost black. Black fruits frame the aroma. Blackcurrants dominate the palate. The fruit of this multi-district wine shows some of the sun-kissed characteristic of Coonawarra's Terra Rossa, but does not have the same intensity as the Bin 707. The mouthfeel is neither as round or deep as the big brother. On the plus side, there is not much of a hole on the mid-palate, as can be the case with Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine finishes with firm tannins and a pleasant oak infused aftertaste.

Score: 89/+  

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz

Over the last few years, we have all branched out to find the latest trendy thing in wine. Some attempts have been exciting, some disappointing. But when it comes to drinking a 17 year old wine, you may want to stick to the old and trusted. I was pretty confident when I opened a bottle of 1998 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz tonight. When it comes to mature wine, Penfolds is in a class of its own (Wendouree the only challenger) in Australia. This bottle still had a very high shoulder, and the cork came out beautifully.

The colour is still purple, and as it turns out, this bottle is showing off the two varieties at their best. The fruit of the Shiraz and the structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon are seamlessly blended together. This is a full-bodied wine with a beautiful mouthfeel from the front to the back of the palate. The black fruit and the American oak are well integrated. This is a ripe wine, as it should be: ripe, but you are keen to drink a second (or third) glass. The tannins have mellowed, but are still firm and, together with the intense fruit and cocoa flavours, produce a finish which lasts and lasts.

This wine has been a great drinking experience tonight, at a fraction of the cost of other wines reaching this quality level (I paid $28 for this bottle in 2001), and it will, if stored correctly, still have another ten years of drinking pleasure in it.

Score: 97/+++

Penfolds St. Henri

This time everybody sings from the same hymn sheet. The 2010 Penfolds St. Henri is a stunner. It opens up with intense fruit flavours. They are quite a cocktail: blackberry, blueberry, plum and mulberry. While these flavours are intense, the wine is not super big, as a result of the maturing in large used oak vats. The palate is well defined, the tannins are fine and the finish just does not stop. It stayed in my mouth for at least two minutes. This is a superb wine, which  can only be achieved with exceptional fruit, which Penfolds can source from pretty much anywhere in South Australia. Where I differ from some reviewers is the drinking window. Sure, this wine will live for a long time, but you do not have to put it away for at least 10 years. This wine is quite approachable now, and would be outstanding drinking with great complexity in three years. Highly recommended.

Score: 97/+++

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon

1998 was a great vintage in South Australia, and this 1998 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon proves it. This wine is full bodied and powerful with a warmer climate flavour profile. There are certainly no green or herbal characters here! The blackcurrant is concentrated, actually quite thick, but not without elegance. The finish includes firm tannins, but does not quite match the impact on the front and mid palate.

This style of Cabernet is not for everybody, but there is no doubt this wine has a lasting structure. It will live for many years to come. I find the wine a bit brutish (helped by American oak), and miss the finer elements which leading Margaret River Cabernets provide.

Score: 95/+