2021 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz

Other Reviews....
This 2021 Bin 389 is a reserved claret style made up of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz from across South Australia. It is pretty embryonic and only hints at what is in store over the medium to long term. There is impressive complexity to start: cassis, slate, cola, gravel, spice box and baked earth aromas with good purity of fruit. The overall structure has an excellent vibrancy, which drives upfront impact and the overall style, with flavors currently sitting in reserve for their time to shine. Mid-weight and well-composed, the finish is lengthy, yet the wine is clearly not ready to enjoy and will need at least a decade in bottle to hit its straps. Drink 2030 - 2042.
93 Points
Angus Hughson - Antonio Galloni's Vinous

The famous multiregional blend of 53/47% cabernet sauvignon/shiraz matured in American oak (37% new) for 12 months. Densely packed black and dark berry fruits cut with hints of herbs, roasting meats, licorice, dark chocolate, earth and oak spice. Coming in after some of its plush and elegant siblings, this 389 release looked a little chewy and sinewy in comparison. Finishes with robust berry fruits, oolong tea and a blast of American oak creaminess. I've no doubt it will age well, but it wasn't very giving on this showing. Drink 2025 - 2045.
94 Points
Dave Brookes - Halliday's Australian Wine Companion

The 'mini Grange', as it is known. Robust, with a core of molten raspberry, blueberry, tea leaf and anise, juxtaposed against something that feels cooler and fresher and compelling enough to reach for the next glass. Very Australian of feel. I have had old vintages of this, some very old. They are inevitably a rewarding experience. The generous oak framework, apposite in lieu of this latent wine's immense potential. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.
94 Points
Ned Goodwin MW - JamesSuckling.com

The 2021 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz is creamy and densely packed with flavor (packed!), and the American oak is a core part of the wine, both aromatically and in the mouth. The fruit is from McLaren, Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully and Padthaway and comprises 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz. The cooler season has imbued the wine with a freshness and levity, which, if you asked me prior to tasting, I would have said it was impossible to imbue levity in the Bin 389! But there you have it. Epic intensity, present oak. Give it time. I have tasted 30-year-old Bin 389s in the past that have still been alive and fresh. So, the cellar is the place for this vintage. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. Drink 2023 - 2063
93+ Points
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Baby Grange gets its moniker as components of the blend are matured in the same barrels as the previous vintage of Grange. But with Cabernet Sauvignon the main player (53% in this vintage), it is more a Baby 707, especially as it always benefits from wine originally destined for that cuvée as well as Grange. A beauty of a beast, whose imposing tannin structure and abundantly ripe fruit need time. Powerful, inky blue and black berry fruits dominate the nose and palate, alongside bergamot freshness, earthy tapenade, exotic spices, iron filings and lots of black pepper. Coconut richness from 12 months in US oak hogsheads (37% new) and fine cocoa powder tannins add grip and linger long. Drink 2025 - 2055.
95 Points
Tina Gellie - Decanter

Grapes sourced from Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and the Barossa Valley. 53% cabernet sauvignon, 47% shiraz. 12 months in American oak, 37% new.
This release is balanced, bold and well sustained. It’s a beautiful example of Bin 389. It’s a measured wine, an integrated one, an example of understatement in a way and yet bold. Think blackcurrant and black tea, plums and cocoa powder, with roast meat and fragrant herb notes around the edges. I wouldn’t say that it’s a huge amount of fun right now but it has the future written all over it. Drink 2028 - 2038+
95 Points
Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front