Penfolds Releases 2000 Bin Wines

The latest and much-heralded vintage of the Australian icon shiraz was the last for Duval at Penfolds, although he still tours the world on behalf of the company to speak to Penfolds vast portfolio.

On that day we shared a taste of the 1998 Grange -- a monumental shiraz, even by Penfolds' standards. Awash in plum fruit, licorice and mocha flavours, the textures are as deep and as dense as any Grange I can recall. A small amount will be released in B.C. on Sept. 13 in government specialty stores for the princely sum of $225 a bottle. It will disappear in a matter of hours.

Grange aside, what I like best about Penfolds is the rest of the lineup. For a public company under fire daily from financial analysts only interested in the bottom line, Penfolds continues to deliver in the only place that matters to consumers -- inside the bottle.

Several new releases have arrived in B.C. this month and each is worth trying. Prices begin under $10 and run well over the $100 mark.

We begin with the inexpensive, well-made Rawson's Retreat Semillon-Chardonnay 2002. The fruit is from vineyards in the Barossa Valley (South Australia) and Lake Cullulleraine (Victoria). The relatively cool 2002 growing season helps this blended white sing with lifted fruit aromas of pineapple and white peach and tasty, nutty grapefruit and melon flavours. Good value.

I can't say enough about the Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2002. The fruit has always been from multiple districts with significant contributions from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. The difference in '02 was the much cooler and longer growing season that's given an always solid wine a fabulous lift. Look for impressive pear/apple fruit with a little bit of oak, a touch of butter, some citrus highlights and an attractive creamy finish. This is outstanding value in chardonnay and as good as it gets for the price.

There's no stopping the rush to shiraz and why would you if you can get your hands on the Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2001? In the true Penfolds style, the fruit is a mix of select parcels grown at McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and the Barossa Valley. It's matured in used French and American wood to create an accessible, early-drinking style. You'll love the savoury, blueberry, plum fruit flavours and soft tannins. The finish is soft with hints of mocha and fruit cake. Impressive winemaking.

Moving up to Penfolds elite "Bin" wines, we begin with Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2000. At Penfolds the only cabernet made prior to 1990 was the 707 -- a complex cabernet designed to live long. In 1990 the company made a decision to produce a red wine that was more accessible at an earlier age and the 407 was born.

As it happens the conditions for cabernet in 2000 were less than ideal and no Bin 707 was made. As a result the '02 407 has been supercharged with small but prime lots of cabernet fruit normally used in the super-premium 707 cabernet. The result is a ripe, juicy red that is not only delicious and drinkable but a definite step up in quality above the '99.

The 2000 fruit was primarily from Coonawarra and Bordertown with small parcels coming from Margaret River, McLaren Vale, Robe and Padthaway, aged in a mix of French and American oak -- 30 per cent of which is new.

A completely different style of Aussie shiraz is the Bin 128 Shiraz 2000. Launched in 1962, current winemaker Peter Gago says 128 reflects the unique climate and growing conditions of the Coonawarra district and the elegant style of cool-climate shiraz matured in French oak. Look for leather, spice and black cherry fruit that is almost juicy in 2000. Soft, round and ready-to-drink now, it will appeal to a wide audience.

We have to stop somewhere and today it's with Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2000. Bin 389 is often referred to as the "Baby Grange" in North America because parts of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous year's Grange. Since 1960, Penfolds has been making Bin 389 by combining the structure of cabernet sauvignon with the richness of shiraz. The fruit is mix of McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Coonawarra with small contributions from Robe, Barossa Valley and Kalimna all of which spends 14 months in new, one- and two-year-old American oak.

Blackberry and chocolate are the key flavour components with smoky licorice undertones. It appears the 389 is also benefiting from the decision not to make a 707 cabernet in 2000, thus leaving some superior lots of cabernet to enrich an already affluent red.

PENFOLDS, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Wine: Rawson's Retreat Semillon-Chardonnay 2002, South Eastern Australia
Price: $9.99
UPC: 012354071162
Score: 14/20
Comments: Pineapple, white peach, grapefruit and melon flavours.

Wine: Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2002
Price: $13.95
UPC: 012354071339
Score: 16/20
Comments: Outstanding value; as good as it gets for the price.

Wine: Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2001
Price: $21.95
UPC: 012354071988
Score: 16/20
Comments: Savoury, blueberry, plum fruit flavours and soft tannins

Wine: Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Price: $34.95
UPC: 012354071476
Score: 17.5/20
Comments: A supercharged cabernet with ripe, juicy fruit flavours

Wine: Bin 128 Shiraz, Coonawarra
Price: $34.95
UPC: 012354071834
Score: 16.5/20
Comments: Leather spice and dark black cherry fruit.

Wine: Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2000
Price: $36.95
UPC: 012354071209
Score: 17.5/20
Comments: A baby Grange stuffed with blackberry, chocolate and smoky licorice.