2010 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Bin 389
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Black cherry on the nose – sweetness and perfume. And then … oh! Is this pitch-perfect? Everything where it should be. Jewelled glow of fruit, deep-sweet a cappella; a drum, a heartbeat, a heartbreak wine. Damson, mulberry. So saturated with juice that the bones of the tannins feel and taste as if they are weeping crimson and blue. And yet the finish is heady, high, on wild mint and perfume. (TC)
Critic scores
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Shiraz. Peter Gago thinks this vintage will prove itself as one of the greats. Tight, restrained nose. Still very compact and introverted. Smoky hints on the palate. Powerful and dense and doubtless fully loaded, but really too young to assess fairly, even at seven years old. (RH)
(made from a 51/49 blend and aged in 40% new, 40% 1-year-old and 20% 2-year-old American oak casks): Inky purple. Powerful, deeply scented aromas of black and blue fruits, vanilla and espresso. Chewy and broad, with weighty cassis and blueberry flavors that show a chewy quality and pick up a spicy nuance with air. Finishes sweet and very long, with youthful tannins adding grip.
14 months in new American oak. TA 6.6 g/l, pH 3.62. Super smooth, beautiful poise. Subtle oak integration. Light spiciness. Faultlessly drinkable – so appealing. It's sort of the antithesis of natural wine – really controlled and with a shiny sheen. That's not a criticism, but I could understand if some people thought it too 'normal'. (RH)
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.