2022 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz

97 POINTS

David Sly - Decanter

The happy marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon (51%) with Shiraz (49%) rarely looks as cosy or integrated than in this stellar example. A generous mid-palate shows off fine long fruit flavours from the slow-ripening 2022 vintage, with ruddy Shiraz ripeness in step with the more tannic bite of Cabernet Sauvignon’s blackberry and mulberry adding a moreish savoury note. With 36% new American oak hogsheads used for 12 months’ maturation, there’s just enough oak-influenced spice to provide adequate seasoning to the deep, pure flavours.

97 POINTS

Andrew Caillard MW - The Vintage Journal

Deep crimson. Lovely blackberry, blackcurrant, dark plum aromas with roasted chestnut, chinotto, dark chocolate notes. Generously concentrated and beautifully integrated wine with plentiful blackberry, blackcurrant, fruits, fine slinky/ chocolaty, hint a dente/ bittersweet tannins, superb mid-palate volume, some inky complexity, lovely mocha/ espresso oak notes and fresh long juicy acidity. Builds up claret firm with graphite minerally notes. Very impressive extract, density and torque. A reference Penfolds wine. McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Padthaway. 12 months maturation in American (33% new) and seasoned oak hogsheads. Drink 2025-2038. 14.5% alc"

95 POINTS

Ray Jordan

Another famous multi-regional blend from McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, the Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully. The colour is so deep and dark. Loads of dark plum and chocolate nuanced in the complex aromas with traces of cigar box tobacco leaf and spice. The palate is rich and densely concentrated but delivered with poise and restraint. Lifted black fruits on the palate with a little cement dust and saline edginess. A most complete and precisely balanced wine. Make sure you decant this one.

95 POINTS

Christina Pickard - Wine Enthusiast

Rich, inky-hued and packed with layers of aromas (think: plush blackberries and violets backed by more savory notes of dried herbs, tar and gravel, and a smoky, charred, pan-scrapings nuance), Bin 389 is an incredibly polished, silky wine. Dense and powerful, yes, but it comes with a satiny cushion of dark fruit that rises up to meet the monstrous tannins, taming them into a classy-as-hell wine to drink now with decanter and protein at hand, or to cellar for several decades.

95 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Grapes sourced from McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully. 51% cabernet sauvignon, 49% shiraz. 12 months in American oak, 37% new. This is a commanding Bin 389. It’s svelte and smooth but the penetration of the finish, meshed with tannin as it is, is right up there. Bay, blackcurrant, vanilla, licorice and sweet, plump plums create a deep, rich impression, though it all comes with sinew and it all comes with bone. It’s a familiar flavour profile but this 2022 release is really well formed, and executed. There’s flavour, there’s flex, there’s class.

95 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

This is a delightful 2022 Bin 389, a blend of 51% Cabernet and 49% Shiraz fruit from McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Wrattonbully. The 2022 is a benchmark vintage - effortless with effusive aromas of cassis, licorice and blackberry topped by a nice touch of graphite. Classically styled, with a firm base of tannins and vibrant flavors that nicely balance the finish that just goes on and on. A little shy right now, but everything is in its perfect place for a long and distinguished future.