PENFOLDS BIN 28 SHIRAZ 2022

Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"Bin 28 offers a showcase of warm climate Australian Shiraz — ripe, robust and generously flavoured. First made in 1959, Bin 28 was originally named after the famous Barossa Valley Kalimna vineyard purchased by Penfolds in 1945 and from which the wine was originally sourced. Today, Bin 28 is a multi-region, multi-vineyard blend, with the Barossa Valley always well represented.

The aromatic spectrum presents an array of scents that point to varietal origin. The nose is distinguished by a subtle formic character, closely followed by savoury notes of blood pudding, aniseed/fennel and black liquorice. A hint of milk chocolate adds a soft, sweet touch to the predominantly dark fruit profile, where red, blue, and black fruits are all present. Ground cinnamon, toasted fennel seeds, clove, mace and sumac contribute to an overall impression of liveliness.

The palate texture is suggestive of cocoa powder while being framed by just enough savoury oak to add structure without dominating. Leading with black fruit characters, it progresses with dark plum and hints of gamey richness (roasted venison). Baking spice notes and a delicate icing sugar dusting add nuance without tipping into overt sweetness. Lively acidity carries through from start to finish, perfectly accompanied by fine structural tannins that contribute to an enduring balance. Despite its depth and layers, it carries itself with typical Bin 28 ease; its complexity is apparent yet approachable."

96/100 Andrew Caillard MW (2022 Vintage)
"2022 Bin 28 Shiraz impressively exemplifies the genius of the Penfolds House Style. It is a delicious wine with a superb core of fruit sweetness and chocolatey textures."

95/100 Dave Brookes, James Halliday’s Wine Companion (2022 Vintage)
"Quelle surprise! Penfolds impresses with a multi-regional blend. It’s something they do so well; a combination of vineyard resources and masterful blending with such quality and consistency across their ‘Bin’ range of wines. Deep set satsuma plum, blackberry and blueberry fruits with hints of baking spices, charcuterie, violets, fennel tops, dried herbs, nicely-judged American oak and a gentle earthen hue. There’s a lovely, bright fruit presence here; long, flavourful and delicious now with the promise of excellent cellaring potential."

92/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, July 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"I’m not sure that the fruit really prosecutes the finish as well as it might, but the main bed of flavour presented, and the spread of tannin, and the overall bright-and-juicy presentation of fruit, is pretty impressive. Sweet plum, redcurrant, cedar and vanilla characters get the job done, and handsomely. Maybe if the wine had been allowed to breathe – it was pretty much pop and poured, as all the Penfolds new releases are – it would have extended out, but I looked at this wine a few times and the palate was gorgeous but I couldn’t get the finish to wow me."

92/100 David Sly, Decanter, July 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"Softer than its Coonawarra cousin (Bin 128 Shiraz), this multi-region amalgam presents a chocolatey edge to the dark plum flavours of well-rounded Shiraz, but it still has great drive, taking the fruit on a leisurely journey through a lengthy mid-palate that never stretches too wide. This wine has replaced the popular Kalimna Shiraz in the Penfolds line-up, renamed due to the broad sourcing of Shiraz grapes from four regions across South Australia, but it represents the same type of red-fruited generosity and warm embrace as its predecessor."