"Really impressive already, with more to come; the star buy from this year’s collection." - Decanter
There's not much we can or need to say about Penfolds' latest iteration of their smash-hit, best-selling Shiraz. The 2023 Penfolds Bin 28 picks up right where all the previous vintages left off with a sterling critical line that includes stout praise from all corners. This wine is always a quintessential expression of Aussie Shiraz, thanks to Penfolds' complete mastery of their vineyards and winemaking. As always, everything is so impeccably balanced and composed that it's still a shock how good the Bin 28 is when you consider its sub-$25 price. All the components work in such harmony that it's easy to lose sight of what a value it is, to the point where it's not just delicious now, but it will also cruise for a long time in the cellar. When was the last time you spent $25 on a wine you'll still be enjoying ten or 15 years from now? Exactly. So make some room in the cellar and load up, because the 2023 Bin 28 is a hit for fans of Penfolds and any great Australian Shiraz.
And in case you missed it the first time around, we have not one, not two, but three soon-to-be legendary vintages of Australia's greatest wine, Penfolds Grange, at some of the sharpest prices in the market. Leading off, the 2018 Penfolds Grange is set to be an all-time masterpiece from one of South Australia's great modern vintages. Its perfect score from James Suckling is complemented by huge, near-perfect praise from every other critic of note – Erin Larkin of Wine Advocate (99 points), Angus Hughson of Vinous (98 points), and MaryAnn Worobiec of Wine Spectator (98 points) to name just a few.
Next, the 2019 Penfolds Grange is a 98-point, "epic wine that doesn't quit" per Wine Spectator's Worobiec, and a trio of 97-point reviews further bolster its classic appeal. Dave Brookes of Halliday Wine Companion notes, "Weighty and concentrated with classic Grange density of fruit and tannin; persistent, texturally flexing and long of finish. As per usual will cellar like a dream."
Rounding out the trifecta, from what many consider the vintage of a lifetime, the 2021 Penfolds Grange is a top candidate to achieve perfection once it reaches its prime. A pair of 99-point scores from Decanter and Halliday Wine Companion (as well as a trio of 98s from Advocate, Suckling, and Spectator) sing its praises. The bottom line is, if you collect the world's great wines, those transcendental bottlings that stand alone in their own hierarchy, Grange is a must-have for your cellar. There are few rewards greater than a legendary Grange at its peak.
This is an epic wine that doesn’t quit, opening up with ripe, fleshy flavors of black cherry, maraschino cherry and framboise. But the fruit notes are only the beginning, giving way to date-nut bread, salted bittersweet chocolate, marzipan, dried olive, green peppercorn, French-press coffee and cardamom. The tannins are filling in the mouth, but never get in the way of all the complexity, while the finish just goes on and on. Drink now through 2047. 500 cases imported.
98 points, MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator (Dec 2023)
First time on the Place for this knockout iconic wine. Expect layers upon layers of fragrant plum, raspberry, black cherry, sandalwood, red liqourice, raspberry leaf, cola, sandalwood, pomegranate, climbing slowly but surely through the palate. Intense and poised, so good, hard to resist, will cellar for decades if you can wait that long. Peter Gago winemaker, Tom King director. 100% new American oak for ageing.
98 points, Jane Anson (Feb 2024)
Arguably Australia's most famous wine, the 2019 vintage of Grange, a multi-regional blend from top vineyards around South Australia, is a dense yet aromatic bottling that unpeels over time in a glass or decanter. Raspberry and blackberry compote, cedar, licorice and winter warming spice are on deck, with seaweed-like umami nuances and a good lick of mocha-like oak. The palate is plush and plump like a favorite armchair, but framed in powerful, beautifully integrated tannins, with enough stuffing to last the ages. It should cellar beautifully until 2050, at least.
97 points, Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast (Apr 2024)
A strong heady nose, really full on and impactful, almost verging on too much. Rich and ripe, layered and dense, a full mouthful straight away with such bright acidity this is soaring out of the glass. Amazingly well built, far too young of course, but there's structure, intensity, spice, liquorice, blackcurrants and brightness on show. Gorgeously sculpted, muscular yet suave, dark but lifted, clean but textured. Ends fresh. A great wine.
97 points, Georgina Hindle, Decanter (Feb 2024)
97/3% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon; matured in new American oak for 19 months. A quieter release for the 2019 rendition of Penfolds' world-famous icon. A little less of the formic and VA heft of youth in this showing and a bit more approachable as a result. Deep crimson in the glass with familiar characters of deep black berry fruits, plum compote and black cherry underscored with hints of baking spices, Calvados, espresso grounds, black olive tapenade, roasting meats, creamy oak, purple flowers and earth. Weighty and concentrated with classic Grange density of fruit and tannin; persistent, texturally flexing and long of finish. As per usual will cellar like a dream, but I think it will hit its drinking window a bit earlier than usual.
97 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (Jul 2023)
The bold, expansive 2019 Grange (97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon) spent 19 months in larger new American Oak and is powerful and expressive as it delivers a dense core of coca, blackberry and baked terracotta aromas, all well backed by toasted coconut oak. Mouth-filing, expansive and seriously tannic, it then delivers waves of dark berry flavor laced with touches of spice, leading to a rich, muscular finish. It’s built for the long haul, so don’t even think of opening for at least a decade.
96 points, Angus Hughson, Vinous (Jul 2023)
Dark, dank and immaculate. The oak handling and tannic precision boast ample class. Beneath lurks a latent, molten beauty that will unravel eventually. I like this Grange. I feel that the decadent style, molten and fleshy, is well suited to the drought vintage and its thick grape skin tannic scour. Mercifully, the tannins are pliant and despite it all, plenty juicy. Firework aromas of raspberry liqueur, camphor and gunpowder, with a smear of black olive, licorella and hung meat wafting across the long finish. Best from 2030.
96 points, James Suckling (Jul 2023)
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