Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 2021

94POINTS

17^½/20

South Australia, AustraliaIn outstanding years, 389 always wins because the best of its fruit is not required higher up the chain, and the cuts from 707 and Grange additionally bolster this classic cabernet sauvignon shiraz blend. Penfolds Winemaker Andrew Baldwin says this is one of those years, and we should all be stocking up. The attack is rich and dense, with the shiraz bolstering the cabernet. I'm not always bowled over by 389 compared to the Oz critics, but the '21 is all it can be and more. Indeed, it is one of the best I have tasted. The shiraz falls short of the 50% mark, topping out at 47%, and the cabernet sauvignon comes in at 53%. The fruit is a tour of South Australia with stops at McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, and Wrattonbully, and all spends 12 months in 37% new American oak hogsheads. 'Baby Grange' is used as a moniker for Bin 389 primarily because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels used in the previous vintage of Grange, one-year-old American oak. Deep, dark, and plummy with cigar and chocolate covered blueberries, this is a fabulous 389. The winemaking team talks about Black Forest cake as a marker, but you can add several descriptors, from coffee and cola to chocolate and spice. The texture sings here, and the acidity keeps it fresh and humming along the palate. You are supposed to drink 389 while waiting for the Grange.Tasted: 06 August 2023Tasted by: Prices:

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	$99.95	750ml	SAQ
NB	$99.99	750ml	NBLiquor
NS	$99.99	750ml	NSLC
NFL	$99.99	750ml	NLLC
US	$80.00	750ml	estimated retail in select private wine shops