Penfolds Wine Dinner at Michael Mina Strip Steak at the Fontainebleau

 “wasting our time on cheap talk and wine, left us so little to give”
Best of My Love by the Eagles

We don’t waste time here at the Wine Watch as every day above ground should be special and celebrated with Great wines.  You never know when your last bottle will go down but we are trying to take down as many great wines as we can before our time runs out!

One of the reasons that I get out of bed in the morning is to drink wines like Penfolds Grange. Grange is a symbol of the best that Australia has to offer, the pinnacle of quality and the epitome of what a Shiraz from southeast Australia is and standard bearer should be. That is why we host an annual event to showcase the newest release of this iconic wine.  That is an extra event that we have on the schedule this year as our tasting featuring the new release of the 2010 grange will be in July.

Over the years we have had both John Duvall and Peter Gago, the last two winemakers for Grange along with other Penfolds’ personalities and this year we have the star of the movie “Somm” D Lynn Proctor on hand to tell the story of the iconic Grange.  The price of Dinner is $245 + Tax + Gratuity for reservations call 954-523-9463

 

 

Penfolds Dinner at Michael Mina Stripsteak in the Fontainebleau
with Special Guest D Lynn Proctor
Thursday, May 28th
7:30pm

Reception

Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling 2014
Price: $37.50       Sale $33.00          Case $383

Citrus bursts with lime juice aplenty! Fine, long and linear natural acid encompassing the entire length of the palate – talc, slate, mineral – brilliant!  One for the ages - classic Australian bone dry Riesling. Classic Eden Valley!

 

1st Course

SCOTTISH SALMON CRUDO
compressed peach, orange, shaved fennel, extra virgin olive oil

Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay 2013
Price: $37.50       Sale $33.00          Case $383

Bin 311 Chardonnay is sourced from a single cool-climate region and each year the fruit selection is made to reflect the Bin 311 style. In 2013, fruit sourcing has come from Tumbarumba – one of Australia’s most exciting cool-climate, high altitude viticultural districts. Penfolds has worked with Chardonnay from Tumbarumba since the early 1990s. The Bin 311 style typically exhibits a mineral acid backbone, complemented by barrel fermentation and maturation in seasoned oak. Minimal filtration is employed, preserving elegant fruit flavours.

2nd Course

PAN ROASTED SCALLOPS
house smoked bacon, ramp purée, charred baby leek, beurre rouge

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2012
Price: $75.00       Sale $37.50         

Bin 389 is often referred to as ‘Poor Man’s Grange’ or ‘Baby Grange’, in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. First made in 1960, by the legendary Max Schubert, this was the wine that helped to build Penfolds solid  reputation with red wine drinkers. Combining the structure of Cabernet with the richness of Shiraz, Bin 389 also exemplifies Penfolds skill in judiciously balancing fruit and oak.

Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Price: $75.00       Sale $37.50         

Launched with the 1990 vintage in 1993, Bin 407 was developed in response to the increasing availability of high quality Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. Inspired by Bin 707, Bin 407 offers varietal definition and approachability, yet with structure and depth of flavour. Textbook Cabernet Sauvignon, the varietally expressive Bin 407 highlights the rewards of Penfolds multi-region, multi-vineyard blending, with a core of ripe fruit supported by sensitive use of French and American oak.
3rd course

SEARED LONG ISLAND DUCK BREAST
english pea ravioli, celery root, sugar snap peas, morel mushroom

 

Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 2010
Price: $85.00       Sale $74.80          Case $867

The single vineyard Magill Estate Shiraz is intrinsically linked to Penfolds beginnings. Sourced from the original Magill vineyard on the edge of Adelaide’s eastern suburbs (just eight kilometres from the city’s CBD), fruit is crushed, fermented and matured on-site at the original Penfolds Magill winery, established in 1844. First produced in 1983, Magill Estate Shiraz is an elegant, medium-weight style with velvety texture and fine tannins, matured in both French and American oak. It is a sleek, contemporary wine, yet crafted in the old fashioned way in the 160 year-old winery: hand-picked, vinified in open fermenters and then basket pressed.

Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2011
Price: $150.00    Sale $132.00       Case $1530

Penfolds RWT Shiraz presents an admirable alternative to the multi-regional sourcing and American oak maturation that are hallmarks of Grange, expressing instead, single-region Barossa Valley Shiraz matured only in French oak. The initials RWT stand for ‘Red Winemaking Trial’, the name given to the project internally when developmental work began in 1995. Naturally, now no longer a ‘Trial’! RWT Shiraz was launched in May 2000 with the 1997 vintage. Its style is opulent and fleshy, contrasting with Grange, which is more muscular and assertive. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for its aromatic qualities and fine texture rather than sheer intensity or power of flavour. The result is a wine that helps to redefine Barossa Shiraz at the highest quality level.

4th course

WOOD GRILLED DRY AGED NY STRIP
mascarpone whipped potato, smoked carrot, braised celery

Penfolds Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Price: $337.50    Sale $297

 

Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2009
Price: $850.50    Sale $699.00

Wine Watch Review:  The 2009 Grange  has 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes for this vintage hail from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Magill Estate.  This wine spent 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads.  The 2009 is a more elegant Grange but still has a good amount of dark and red berry fruit on the nose with highlights of mocha, fresh flowers, cola and licorice spice very well endowed bouquet of aromas that is even bigger on the second day.  On the tongue this wine is  big and chewy but has a firm hand of acidity leaving the tongue refreshed despite the amount of delicious fruit here, the tannins are a bit rough around the edges still on the finish but this wine has all the right stuff echoing the nuance from the nose through the finish, very long and layered the wine needs time, very well built with a long finish.  Finish 50+    Most Excellent +
Dessert

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
fresh blackberries, pistachio crémeux, flourless chocolate cake

Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny
Price: $87.75       Sale $77.22          Case $896
The Grandfather name dates back to 1915, when an oak cask containing the finest blend of available Tawny material was set aside for the exclusive use of the Penfold family. This wine was known as The Grandfather due to the age of the oldest Tawny in the blend. With each vintage varietal batches are selected for Grandfather. These batches are individually aged in seasoned old oak casks before being blended together at 14 years of age. This blend is then introduced into the ‘Grandfather Solera’. This Solera consists of six stages that are designed to fully integrate all components offering consistency and freshness with a final minimum average blended age of 20 years.

 

 

Penfolds Wines available in the store:

 

We have a huge collection of Penfolds wines in the store going all the way back to the 1979 vintage.

 

1979 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $999.00    Your Price: $879.12
Quantity in Stock: 1

(90 points)  A blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, Max Schubert commented in 1993 that this vintage was "not quite up to the mark." For technicians, this was the last vintage to use white capsules on the bottle, with Penfolds moving to the crimson red foils in 1980. The wine is deep ruby garnet with an unusual nose of root vegetables mixed with cola, caramel, black currant, and tar. Relatively attenuated in the finish, but sweet on the attack, this wine seems to be narrowing out, with the tannins becoming increasingly dominant. If this is typical of the direction the evolution of this wine is taking, it is not reassuring. The wine is certainly still full, but may ultimately tend to dry out rather than blossom and prove expansive. This is a vintage to monitor closely.   eRobertParker.com    Feb 2002

 

1980 Penfolds Grange
Price: $699.00    Your Price: $615.12
Quantity in Stock: 1

(94+ points)  The least impressive, but still a very great wine, is the dark garnet-hued 1980. Still a young wine at age 29, it exhibits massive earthy, meaty, bacon fat notes intermixed with notions of scorched earth, blackberries, currants, pepper, and spice. Full and rich with slightly rustic tannins, it has a good 20 years of life ahead of it.      Wine Advocate #183    Jun 2009

 

1982 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM
Price: $594.00    Your Price: $522.72
Quantity in Stock: 1

1985 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $865.00    Your Price: $761.20
Quantity in Stock: 1

(90 Points) Considered a more "restrained" Grange, this wine has balance but a somewhat foursquare/monolithic character with dry, astringent tannin in the finish, hence the question mark. The color is still a healthy dense purple, and the wine shows the tell-tale peppery, asphalt, earthy, creme de cassis characteristics, but the tannin seems to be increasingly problematic. As always, it is still a young wine, so the question that begs to be answered with time is, "Is it just unevolved and backward, or is it too tannic?" eRobertParker.com, Feb 2002

 

1988 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $875.00    Your Price: $770.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(91 points) A blend of 94% Shiraz and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, this was considered to be "an uncharacteristically soft, fruity Grange." Everyone at the tasting agreed with those comments. This wine shows a syrupy creme de cassis, earthy note, some pepper, and caramel. It is somewhat soft and accessible for such a relatively young Grange, but there is plenty of structure and tannin in the finish. It is certainly perfumed and more evolved than some of its siblings that are actually older, chronologically speaking. This wine has sweet, full-bodied, plum, cherry, and cassis flavors, with some distinct truffle and asphalt notes. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016. eRobertParker.com Feb 2002

 

1989 Penfolds Grange
Price: $569.00    Your Price: $500.72
Quantity in Stock: 1

(93 points)  A very hedonistic, almost decadent style of Grange, this blend of 91% Shiraz and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from three grape sources - Kalimna in the Barossa, Penfolds' other sources in the Barossa, and McLaren Vale - is a gorgeously opulent, almost Pomerol-like Grange with an over-ripe characteristic to the fruit. Cherry liqueur intermixed with cranberry and cassis presented in a seductive, full-bodied, very soft, forward style is truly not the classic Grange in the sense of having huge structure and massive concentration, but this wine is loaded, very corpulent, and fleshy. The wine is going to last for up to two decades, but it will be uncommonly succulent and delicious to drink young, as it was several months ago. Among the young vintages of Grange, this is perhaps the most flattering wine that they have produced over the last 20 years, at least for such a relatively young wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2018.    eRobertParker.com     Feb 2002

 

1990 Penfolds Bin 90A Cabernet Shiraz
Price: $375.00    Your Price: $330.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(96 points)  Deep garnet in color, this wine reveals relatively youthful creme de cassis and blackberry preserve aromas with hints of pencil shavings, dried mint and coffee grounds. Medium-full bodied, it is generously fruited with a solid backbone of fine, finely grained tannins and crisp acid, finishing long with lingering black berry and earth layers.   Wine Advocate    In Asia     Jan 2012

 

1990 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM
Price: $594.00    Your Price: $522.72
Quantity in Stock: 1

(94 points)  Very deep garnet in color, the nose is intensely scented with aromas of dried cherries and blackcurrant cordial over a pleasantly meaty / earthy undercurrent plus whiffs of menthol and dried lavender. Concentrated in the medium to full bodied mouth, it has a good amount of enlivening acid cutting through the dense, evolved fruit with a high level of approachable / softening tannins and long finish.  Wine Advocate    In Asia    Jan 2012

 

1992 Penfolds Grange
Price: $420.00    Your Price: $369.60
Quantity in Stock: 3

1992 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $764.00    Your Price: $672.32
Quantity in Stock: 1

(92 points)  This is a very aromatic Grange that seems to be the product of a vintage where the wines are showing extremely well young. It is dense purple, with a sweet blackberry/cherry nose and some subtle cedar and licorice in the background, unctuously textured, thick, full, without as many nuances of some of the greatest vintages of Grange, but very concentrated and dense. Anticipated maturity: now-2017.  eRobertParker.com, Feb 2002

 

1993 Penfolds Grange
Price: $385.00    Your Price: $338.80
Quantity in Stock: 2

(91 points)  1993 was a very light harvest because of excessive rainfall and mild growing conditions. This wine performed well, although it would not appear to have the nuances of the finest vintages of Grange. The wine, a blend of 86% Shiraz and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, has an opaque purple color, a sweet nose of black currants intermixed with cedar, and earthy, almost truffle-like notes intermixed with some camphor. The wine is full-bodied, dense, somewhat monolithic, but very concentrated, powerful, and long. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2018.  eRobertParker.com, Feb 2002

 

1995 Penfolds Grange
Price: $549.00    Your Price: $483.12
Quantity in Stock: 2

1995 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $1099.00    Your Price: $967.12
Quantity in Stock: 1

(92 points) An impressive Grange that may ultimately prove to be underrated, like many wines from this vintage, the 1995, a blend of 94% Shiraz and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, exhibits a saturated plum/purple color and a sweet blackberry liqueur nose intermixed with cassis, licorice, and new oak. The wine is textured, jammy, full-bodied, with impressive levels of extract, glycerin, and black fruit flavors. It is long, ripe, with unobtrusive acidity and tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2018. eRobertParker.com # E2002 Feb 2002

 

1996 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Block 42 Kalimna Southeast Australia
Price: $499.00    Your Price: $439.12
Quantity in Stock: 9

(93 points) Planted around 1888, to visit the Penfolds' Kalimna vineyard is to realize how very special this block of ancient is - it exudes history. A single block 42 wine has only been made from the fruit in 6 vintages: 1953, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1996 and 2004. I tried it twice within the last year and both times it was clear the wine is still youthful and has more to give, though this bottle was faring slightly better. Very deep garnet-black colored, it offers pronounced menthol and eucalypt notes over warm blackcurrant and spices, with hints of dried roses, lavender and Provence herbs. Solidly structured in the mouth, it has a firm level of chewy tannins and crisp acid with plenty of mid-palate flesh and a long finish. Built to go on and on. Wine Advocate: In Asia Jan 2012

 

1996 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz Kalimna
Price: $40.00    Your Price: $35.20
Quantity in Stock: 8

(90 points) A beguiling combination of rich, almost decadentflavors on an upright frame that has a nicelyburied backbone of acidity and tannin. Nothing isobtrusive, everything is in graceful balance,leaving an ultimate impression of both muscle andflesh. Best after 2002. 6,600 cases imported. –HS Issue: Jan 31, 2000

 

1996 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM
Price: $525.00    Your Price: $462.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(96 points)  Deeply colored, this 707 Cabernet offers notes of ripe blackcurrant, warm black cherries and mulberries with a fragrant undercurrent of sandalwood. The palate is voluptuously fruited with firm, grainy tannins, crisp acid and a long spicy finish. It makes for a great drop of Cabernet now but still has plenty to give.  Wine Advocate    In Asia    Jan 2012

 

2006 Penfolds RWT Shiraz Barossa
Price: $149.00    Your Price: $131.12
Quantity in Stock: 2
(95 Points) The 2006 RWT Shiraz was aged for 14 months in 70% new French oak hogsheads. The winery describes its style as opulent and fleshy compared to Grange's muscular and assertive personality. Opaque purple in color, it offers aromas of Asian spices, beef juice, toast, blueberry, and licorice. Rich, fleshy, and round, it has plenty of underlying tannin, impeccable balance, and a long, pure finish. It will deliver prime drinking from 2014 to 2030. Wine Advocate # 186, Dec 2009

 

1996 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $875.00    Your Price: $770.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(95 points) Deep garnet colored, 1996 Grange is scented with stewed plums, warm cherries and mince meat with hints of Ceylon tea, black olives and Chinese five spice. Medium-full bodied and with a generous amount of flesh on the palate, it gives very crisp acid and a medium-firm level of grainy tannins, finishing long. The layered complexity of this wine is just beginning to emerge, promising better things to come. In Asia Wine Advocate Jan 2012

 

1997 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon MAGNUM
Price: $530.00    Your Price: $466.40
Quantity in Stock: 1

1997 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia
Price: $269.00    Your Price: $236.72
Quantity in Stock: 1

.(91 points)  Generous in flavor, supple in texture, delivering a ripe mouthful of mint-shaded black cherry and currant flavors that linger on the open finish, echoing mint and fruit. Tannins are beautifully integrated. Best from 2005 through 2012. 15,884 cases made. –HS

 

1997 Penfolds Grange MAGNUM
Price: $875.00    Your Price: $770.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(94 points)  The 1997 Grange (a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon) looks to be a classic Grange, although slightly softer and more forward than the backward 1996. The saturated purple-colored 1997 offers a gorgeously sweet nose of blackberry liqueur, cherries, camphor, chocolate, plums, and mocha. The wine is opulently-textured, extremely soft, layered, and seductive, with Grange's tell-tale personality well-displayed, but in a seamless, seductive style. This is a superb Grange that can hold its own against the more heralded 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2022.    Wine Advocate #143    Oct 2002

1998 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia
Price: $289.00    Your Price: $254.32
Quantity in Stock: 1

 

1998 Penfolds Grange South Australia
Price: $525.00    Your Price: $462.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

(99 Points) The 1998 Grange will be legendary. A blend of 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, it tips the scales at a whopping 14.5% alcohol. The inky/purple color is followed by an extraordinarily intense nose of creme de cassis intermixed with blueberry and floral notes. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of meat, plums, and cola also emerge. It is a seamless effort with sweet tannin, well-integrated acidity, sensational extract, and layer upon layer of blackberry and cassis fruit that stain the palate and fill the mouth. Its harmony, freshness, and remarkable length (the finish lasts nearly a minute) suggest an all-time classic. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030. Wine Advocate # 148 August 2003

 

1999 Penfolds Grange Shiraz South Australia
Price: $438.00    Your Price: $385.44
Quantity in Stock: 45

(94-96 Points) Only the third Grange to be made from 100% Shiraz , the 1999 Grange is superb. The color is inky purple. The wine shows unformed but gorgeously sweet notes of blackberries intermixed with smoke, licorice, and asphalt. This is a wine of great intensity, sweet tannin, voluptuous texture, and a spectacularly long finish. Patience will be required, as it will not be released until May 1, 2004. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025.  The Wine Advocate

 

1999 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz South Australia
Price: $89.00    Your Price: $78.32
Quantity in Stock: 3

(90 points) The 1999 Shiraz Magill Estate reveals complex aromatics of subtle oak, new saddle leather, blackberry jam, and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, with a measured, elegant, restrained personality, it tastes like a cool climate Shiraz with a European-like delicacy and elegance. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2015. Wine Advocate # 143 Oct 2002

 

1999 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz South Australia
Price: $89.00    Your Price: $78.32
Quantity in Stock: 3

(90 points) The 1999 Shiraz Magill Estate reveals complex aromatics of subtle oak, new saddle leather, blackberry jam, and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, with a measured, elegant, restrained personality, it tastes like a cool climate Shiraz with a European-like delicacy and elegance. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2015. Wine Advocate # 143 Oct 2002

 

2000 Penfolds Grange
Price: $390.00    Your Price: $343.20
Quantity in Stock: 23

(93)Penfolds renowned 2000 Grange is only the fifth vintage to be made from 100% Shiraz (the others being 1951, 1952, 1963, and 1999). It is also, atypically, 100% Barossa fruit. While it is not considered to be one of the great Granges, the 2000 exhibits outstanding potential, and is much more accessible than usual. One of the top wines I tasted from this vintage (which has had to take a back seat to subsequent years), its dense ruby/purple color is followed by a big, sweet nose of blackberries, cherries, chocolate, and earth. With decent acidity, ripe, silky tannin, superb intensity, wonderful equilibrium, and a more open-knit, softer, accessible style than usual, it can be drunk now or cellared for 15-16 years. While this is no wimpy wine, it is an ideal example for readers who are unwilling to invest the patience required for the big, blockbuster Granges. Wine Advocate # 161 Oct 2005

 

2001 Penfolds Shiraz Grange
Price: $469.00    Your Price: $412.72
Quantity in Stock: 22

2001 Penfolds Shiraz Grange (Magnum)
Price: $$939.00Your Price: $826.32
Quantity in Stock: 1

(98) It is always a treat to taste Australia's most famous wine, Penfolds Grange cuvee (the word Hermitage has been dropped because of legal issues). The 2001 Grange is one of the few vintages of this cuvee to be composed of 100% Shiraz (the others being 1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, and 2000). Aged 17 months in 100% American oak, and tipping the scales at 14.5% alcohol, the 2001 is undeniably one of the top examples of this wine. At this stage, it appears to eclipse the 1998 and 1996. Inky/blue/purple to the rim, with a stunning perfume of blueberries, blackberries, chocolate, graphite, and earth, it boasts good acidity, huge tannins, magnificent concentration, and a multilayered, textured mouthfeel. It is a big, but impeccably well-balanced Shiraz that should shed some of its structure and tannin over the next 4-5 years, and be at its best between 2010-2030 . Wine Advocate #167 (Oct 2006)

 

2002 Penfolds Grange South Australia
Price: $498.00    Your Price: $438.24
Quantity in Stock: 23

(98 Points) Last but not least is Australia's most famous wine, the 2002 Shiraz Grange. The 2002 version was sourced from 77.5% Barossa Valley and 22.5% from McLaren Vale. Included in the blend is 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It spent 17 months in 100% new American oak. Opaque purple, it gives off an ethereal bouquet of violets, saddle leather, blueberry, blackberry, pencil lead, and chocolate. This is followed by a full-bodied wine with tremendous concentration, multiple layers of flavor, ripe tannins, and great balance. Thick and rich, with a 60-second finish, it will slowly blossom over the next 15-20 years and provide pleasure through 2050. It is a legend in the making! Penfolds, arguably Australia's most famous winery, continues to perform at a high level under the leadership of Head Winemaker, Peter Gago. Wine Advocate # 173, Oct 2007

 

2002 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz South Australia
Price: $89.00    Your Price: $78.32
Quantity in Stock: 5

(92 points) A classic effort, the 2002 Shiraz St. Henri (91% Shiraz and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon) was aged 14 months in old 1,460 liter vats. First introduced in 1953, the St. Henri offering is considered to be a quintessential old Southern Australian-styled red. The 2002 was sourced from the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, and the Fleurieu Peninsula. This stunningly rich, distinctive Shiraz offers up scents of Provencal herbs, bay leaves, blackberries, black currants, new saddle leather, and loads of meaty characteristics. Rich, texturally opulent, and soft, this heady offering should drink well for 10-12 years. It is also a very good bargain in the scheme of Penfolds’ pricing. Wine Advocate # 167 Oct 2006

 

2002 Penfolds Shiraz Magill Estate Australia
Price: $79.00    Your Price: $69.52
Quantity in Stock: 3
(90 Points) The 2002 Shiraz Magill Estate (a single vineyard cuvee whose debut vintage was 1983) spent 15 months in primarily new French oak and some larger American hogsheads. It possesses sweet aromas of vanillin, white chocolate, cassis, and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, expansive, pure, and nicely textured, this complex beauty is somewhat European in its restraint and elegance. Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years. Wine Advocate #161, Oct 2005

 

2003 Penfolds Grange South Australia
Price: $425.00    Your Price: $374.00
Quantity in Stock: 18

(94 Points) Supple, ripe and generous with its blueberry, plum and mocha flavors, riding easily over finely wrought tannins and extending into the long, expressive finish. Rich, complex and evocative, this has plenty of flavor packed into a beautifully balanced package. Drink now through 2020. 680 cases imported. –HS Wine Spectator Issue: Oct 15, 2008

 

2004 Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 60A
Price: $1295.00    Your Price: $1139.60
Quantity in Stock: 6

(99 points) The release of the 2004 Bin 60A following the epic 1962 Bin 60A is old news now, but the wine was looking very fine indeed when I tasted it so I thought I'd add a note. Blended of 56% Coonawarra Cabernet from Block 20 and 44% Barossa Shiraz from Koonunga Hill Block 56G and Kalimna Blocks 4 and 14, the wine was matured in 100% new American oak hogsheads for 13 months. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers restrained notes of game, smoked meat, earth, blackberry and black currant liqueurs, yeast, marmite-toast plus whiffs of dried lavender, cedar and bark. Very crisp, very tight and very firm, this taut medium-bodied wine is still all structure at this stage, going very long and earthy in the finish. Give it time and consider broaching it from 2014. It should drink well into the 2030s if not beyond. Wine Advocate # 192 Dec 2010

 

2004 Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 60A MAGNUM
Price: $2695.00    Your Price: $2371.60
Quantity in Stock: 1

(99 points) The release of the 2004 Bin 60A following the epic 1962 Bin 60A is old news now, but the wine was looking very fine indeed when I tasted it so I thought I'd add a note. Blended of 56% Coonawarra Cabernet from Block 20 and 44% Barossa Shiraz from Koonunga Hill Block 56G and Kalimna Blocks 4 and 14, the wine was matured in 100% new American oak hogsheads for 13 months. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers restrained notes of game, smoked meat, earth, blackberry and black currant liqueurs, yeast, marmite-toast plus whiffs of dried lavender, cedar and bark. Very crisp, very tight and very firm, this taut medium-bodied wine is still all structure at this stage, going very long and earthy in the finish. Give it time and consider broaching it from 2014. It should drink well into the 2030s if not beyond. Wine Advocate # 192 Dec 2010

 

2004 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin Block 42 South Australia
Price: $823.00    Your Price: $724.24
Quantity in Stock: 12

(97 points) It's not known exactly when the Kalimna Block 42 was planted but there are suggestions that the vines existed during the latter part of the 19th Century. They could be the oldest Cabernet vines in the world, although the famous Metala Cabernet vineyard in Langhorne Creek was known to have been planted in 1891 so could very well pre-date Kalimna. Regardless, I've been there and the vines are truly old. Only very rarely does Penfolds release this as a single vineyard wine, when the Cabernet is so fabulous it can't possibly be blended. The 2004 Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon was such a vintage. Matured in 100% new American hogsheads for 13 months, it displays a very deep garnet-purple color and profoundly earthy / gamey aromas over black cherry preserves, creme de cassis plus scents of leather, pencil shavings, Mediterranean herbs, black truffles, underbrush and black olives. The elegant, medium-bodied palate is tightly-knit and led by structure with a high level of grainy tannins, very high acid and a long earthy finish. Approachable now, it should continue to evolve and drink to 2025 . Wine Advocate # 192 Dec 2010

 

2005 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz South Australia
Price: $79.00    Your Price: $69.52
Quantity in Stock: 2

(90 points) The 2005 St. Henri Shiraz is matured for 16 months in large, seasoned oak vats and includes 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It exhibits a floral-accented perfume along with nutmeg, cinnamon, licorice, and blueberry. Medium-bodied and impeccably balanced, it displays a complex array of fruit and spice flavors leading to a lengthy, pure finish. Drink this stylish effort over the next 10-12 years. Wine Advocate # 186 Dec 2009

 

2008 Penfolds Grange Southeast Australia
Price: $850.00    Sale Price: $699.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 points)  Deep purple-black in color, the 2008 Grange puts forward a very complex nose packed with aromas of mulberries, layers of baking spices, cloves and cinnamon with nuances of minced meat, anise, potpourri and whiffs of dried mint and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, taut and very spicy in the mouth, it shows touches of sandalwood and Chinese five spice complementing the layers of dark fruit flavors. It is framed by firm, grainy tannins and a refreshing acid line before finishing very long with aniseed and lingering blackberry preserves notes. This is clearly a wonderfully opulent and a magic vintage for this label. Drink it from 2018 to 2035+.  Wine Advocate #205 Feb 2013

 

2009 Penfolds Grange South Australia
Price: $850.00    Sale Price: $699.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(97 Points) The 2009 Grange Shiraz is a comprised of 84% Barossa, 8% McLaren, and a little Clare Valley and a little Magill fruit with a small 2% of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. At this youthful stage, this deep garnet-purple colored wine puts forward a vivid expression of blackberry preserve aromas amid underlying cassis, black cherry, spice box, char-grilled meat and chocolate box notes. Surprisingly medium to full-bodied (it smells much fuller!) with taut flavors that are very closed in the mouth, it has firm, chewy tannins to structure through the long and earthy finish. 406 cases imported to the US. Drink it 2018 to 2035+.   eRobertParker.com #211, Feb 2014

Wine Watch Review:  The 2009 Grange  has 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes for this vintage hail from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Magill Estate.  This wine spent 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads.  The 2009 is a more elegant Grange but still has a good amount of dark and red berry fruit on the nose with highlights of mocha, fresh flowers, cola and licorice spice very well endowed bouquet of aromas that is even bigger ont he second day.  On the tongue this wine is  big and chewy but has a firm hand of acidity leaving the tongue refreshed despite the amount of delicious fruit here, the tannins are a bit rough around the edges still oint he finish but this wine has all the right stuff echoing the nuance from the nose through the finish, very long and layered the wine needs time, very well built with a long finish.  Finish 50+    Most Excellent +

 

2011 Penfolds Bin 138 GSM
Price: $37.50    Your Price: $33.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

Unusually for Penfolds, all three varieties are matured independently, owing to their tendency to mature at different times on the vine and the need to mature under different conditions in the barrel.  Mourvèdre will often contribute a unique combination of violet-like floral notes and a range of earthy, savoury complexities. Structurally it can be lean and sinewy, providing a worthy frame upon which shiraz and grenache can sit. Grenache is typically lighter in colour and body, presenting the perfume of the wine and is often the first component noticed when the wine is poured. Shiraz provides the body and shape of the wine.  Bin 138 is more of a fruit-driven style than the other Bin wines and displays a chalkier tannin texture. Its rich, earthy nature becomes more nuanced with age.

 

2010 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz Kalimna
Price: $36.00    Your Price: $31.68
Quantity in Stock: 11

(92 Points) Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2010 Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz presents lovely, expressive blueberry, black raspberry and black cherries notes highlighted by violets, toast, cinnamon stick and touch of mulberries. Full-bodied and rich, the concentrated fruit is framed by medium levels of rounded tannins, crisp acid and a long, classically-styled finish. Approachable now, it will drink to 2020+. Wine Advocate #205, Feb 2013

 

2010 Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz Cabernet Southeast Australia
Price: $75.00    Your Price: $66.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

Created by the legendary Max Schubert - creator of Penfolds Grange - Bin 389 is often referred to as 'Poor Man's Grange' or 'Baby Grange', in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. First made in 1960, this was the wine that helped to build Penfolds solid reputation with red wine drinkers. Combining the structure of Cabernet with the richness of Shiraz, Bin 389 also exemplifies Penfolds skill in balancing fruit and oak.