Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 2018

93POINTS

17^¼/20

South Australia, AustraliaThe most cellared red wine in Australia is 389, and 2018 marks its 60th vintage. It is an intricate blend of fruit that follows the season: cool years are heavily slanted to Barossa and Mclaren Vale, and the warmer years tap southern vineyards. In 2018 physiological ripeness favoured all regions, and winemaker Peter Gago and the squad took full advantage, picking the 57 percent cabernet sauvignon, 43 percent shiraz from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, Coonawarra, Robe and Wrattonbully. All the fruit was aged in American oak hogsheads, of which 38 percent were new. That is a new high, signalling the quality of the 2018 fruit. The rest of the used barrels are usually passed down from the Grange program. Gago calls this year backward and one to wait for and less forward than many of its predecessors. Everything deepens to an amazing black forest cake lookalike on the palate (a 2018 marker according to the winemaking team) with more cherry, blackcurrant, and blueberry. Rich, powerful, and showing some oak but in its finest form, supporting not dominating. It will need a decade or more to round into form and begin to express its vast potential. Yes, you can drink it now, but why open your bottles? Drink a friend's first. You can drink this now or for the next 30 years.Tasted: 29 September 2020Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:

BC	$99.99	750ml	BCLS
AB	$99.95	750ml	select private retailers
SK	$99.99	750ml	SaskLiquor
MB	$99.99	750ml	Manitoba Liquor Mart
ON	$99.95	750ml	LCBO
QC	$100.00	750ml	SAQ
NB	$99.99	750ml	NBLiquor
NS	$99.99	750ml	NSLC
NFL	$99.99	750ml	NLLC