Deep crimson with a strong aromatic profile of blackberry, black cherry and blueberry studded with mixed spice, blackforest cake, roasting meats, panforte, dark chocolate and earth. Plenty of depth and latent fruit power with this release; perhaps a little more power than last year's model, with fine, strong tannins supporting the fruit beautifully. A strong release for the Bin 28 Shiraz.
95 points, Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion (Jul 2025)
Offers an exuberant mix of fresh huckleberry, boysenberry and blackberry syrup, plus framboise. Accents of toasted green tea, milk chocolate and rose petal emerge, along with clove, apricot and cardamom, all on a juicy, approachable frame, with dense tannins that never get in the way of the concentrated flavors. Drink now through 2038. 9,937 cases imported.
94 points, MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator (Dec 2025)
Penfolds’ first Bin wine, from 1959, this used to be named for the Kalimna Vineyard from which it was solely sourced. Now it is a multi-region blend, always dominated by Barossa Valley fruit – this year 42%, along with Padthaway (31%) and McLaren Vale (27%) – to showcase ripe, powerful warm-climate South Australian Shiraz. Always matured for 12 months in American oak hogsheads, there’s more new wood this year (15%), but it wears it beautifully, and that firm tannic backbone promises to carry this already approachable wine through the next two decades. Mulberry pie aromas – inviting with lots of vanilla and sweet baking spices – joined by savoury olive brine, tarmac and liquorice. The fresh but concentrated palate has more of the same, along with dark chocolate-coated cherries. Really impressive already, with more to come; the star buy from this year’s collection. Released at £30.
94 points, Tina Gellie, Decanter (Jun 2025)
The 2023 season in South Australia was wetter than either vintage either side of it, and the wines, if farmed well (yields managed, disease managed, ripeness achieved), have captured the detail and levity that these conditions can be responsible for. On balance, I've liked the 2023 Barossa/McLaren Vale reds that I have tasted so far. I've liked them more than those of the 2017 vintage, which experienced similar conditions. Here, the 2023 Bin 28 is rich and savory, the oak—wholly American oak, 15% new—sits atop the fruit on the front palate, but the fruit emerges and plumes through the middle palate and finish. A lighter release of this wine, it is still structured but not weighty. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under cork.
93 points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (Jul 2025)
This is an Australian classic that has been made every year since 1959. Aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, crushed blueberries and dried herbs. The palate is full-bodied with firmly framed tannins, bright acidity and a savory and dark-fruited finish. Drink or hold.
93 points, James Suckling (Jul 2025)
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