Winemaker Notes
#41 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2020
Deep dark cherry-red. On the nose, initially there are plummy fruits meshed with sweet spices (predominantly cinnamon), and almond. And then a pause to imbibe the aromatic atmospherics of a patisserie: crème anglaise, cannoli with vanilla custard and classic bourbon vanilla at that. A croquembouche’s (profiterole) hazelnut brittle. Grated chocolate – both white and dark. Fresh, awakening. A medium-bodied palate. Raspberry/chocolate flavors with a sprinkling of spice and cola. The tannins are integrated and embedded – supportive, not standing apart. As for the oak, no obtrusive flavors to speak of, yet all the benefits of a calm maturation is seasoned hogsheads. The acidity is in tune with the wine’s weight and structure. Rest in bottle for a year or two. Needs time.
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesWhile named for a Barossa vineyard/locale, the 2018 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, like other recent vintages, is blended from various South Australian GIs. With its rich, dark-berried fruit accented with vanilla, it does a more-than-credible job re-creating that northern Barossan idiom. It's full-bodied, concentrated and plush without going over the top, finishing long and velvety. While it may not have single-vineyard snob appeal, it's a delicious wine for drinking over the next decade and a relative value.
Shows terrific concentration, with dense and chewy tannins providing an appealing backdrop to the blueberry, dried cherry, date and candied ginger flavors. Tobacco, tomato leaf and espresso notes linger on the finish. Drink now through 2030.
Focused on warm-climate shiraz, including Barossa fruit, Bin 28 was originally named for the Kalimna Vineyard in Barossa, though the blend ranges more broadly now. There’s warmth in the boldness of the red-fruit flavors, open and earthy, with the grace and elegance of a well-blended Penfolds wine.
Penfolds has been producing remarkable wines since 1844 and indisputably led the development of Australian fine wine in the modern era. The introduction of Penfolds Grange in 1951 forever changed the landscape of Australian fine wine. Since then a series of stand-out wines both white and red have been released under the Penfolds masthead.
Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker and only the 4th custodian of Grange, relishes the opportunity to bring Penfolds to the world stage and is an enthusiastic ambassador and natural educator. Penfolds came to the attention of the US market when 1990 Grange was Wine Spectator’s ‘Wine of the Year’. Since then, Penfolds Grange has become one of the most collectable wines of the world and was honored to grace the front cover, once again, of Wine Spectator, with declarations of Grange as Australia’s Icon.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”