A tasting last week sees the opportunity to look at some of the latest releases from Penfolds. Tommys Champagne Bar is in the old Seafarers Building – a comfortable space for a tasting like this – a bar area, some seating that you can quietly retreat to (to contemplate a glass of Grange perhaps?) and some lovely small bites of food. Food that actually complements the wines as well! So often this is overlooked. The Bin 51 Riesling for example, absolutely shone alongside a mouthful of crunchy seafood bruschetta.
Although featured in the rather beautifully-produced catalogue entitled ‘The Penfolds Collection 2023’, there isn’t any of the Bin 704, or Bin 600, from California – which I would have loved to taste again. However – there is a surprise in the form of one wine from beyond Australia – a Champagne! I have to say I’d heard about this once before (a few years ago), but this is certainly my first taste of a Champagne with the Penfolds name on it. I’m served this on entry – and like is so often with a glass of bubbles – you almost forget to “taste” it. You drink Champagne – standing up, chatting and mingling at an event (like this). But you must remember to actually pay attention to what’s in your glass – at least every now and then – with Champagne!
Global Brand Ambassador Zoe Warrington is on hand to talk us through the line-up. I’m interested to hear about the 100-point score that has been awarded to the new vintage of Yattarna Chardonnay. As Zoe tells us, this is only the second time that a white wine from Australia has been awarded a 100-point score from one of the main international critics. It is of particular note, as I recently tasted the 2018 vintage of the ‘other wine’ that also received the perfect score – Giaconda Chardonnay from Beechworth.
My thoughts on the wines featured below – and I am asking about the others… let’s see if I can get to try the whole range (soon).
Thiénot x Penfolds Champagne Brut Rosé NV is a pale coral pink, with a fine fizz of tiny bubbles in the glass. There is a mixture of citrus and berry flavours to the nose – clementine, cherry, blood orange, raspberry and grapefruit. Add in some subtle autolysis characters, with brioche and nougat lingering, and a lighter note of violet florals, and it is quite intoxicating and heady. The palate seems youthful, light on its feet and zesty. Well balanced, with an integrated acidity that carries to the crisp, spiced, bright finish. 93pts
Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2023 has the bold acidity so characteristic of South Australian Riesling, but not as raspy as perhaps Clare Valley – more a controlled power of salinity. There’s a spritzig of bath bomb – herbal, white pepper, with notes of green apple, preserved lemon and lime peel. Dry and saline right to the finishing line. 92pts
Bin 11 Yattarna Chardonnay 2021 carries Penfold’s first 100-point score for a white wine (see note above). Manages to be both lean and generously oaky at the same time. That smoky, toasty note is also in a nibble of reductivity on the nose and through into the palate, but the wine is clean and elegant once you get into it. Some lovely fruit, but with a croissant and baking spice element in layers of complexity. A seamless finish of superb length. 96pts
Max’s Rosé 2022 has lots of Pinot Noir personality – I’m thinking cherry, herbal, rose petal, cranberry and red liquorice. A pale copper colour – this also came alive with food – a pork belly slider the perfect wake-up call for it. A dry, phenolic pithyness sneaks in, and just a prickle of fruit tannin. A great food wine – bright, lively, delicious. 92pts
Bin 28 Shiraz 2021 is the first of our red tastes, and a real crowd pleaser. A fleshy sweetness of bramble, cherry and black pepper on the nose. A frame of oak and a bold tannin form the spine. You’ll also see some umami savoury flavours of black olive and nori, alongside that lush fruit. I found the finish a bit ‘hot’ and robust, upsetting the balance a little; but this should meld together better in time. 91pts
Bin 138 Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2021 sees the Grenache set the tone, with raspberry, pimento, candyfloss and incense on the nose. Then the boysenberry, cherry cola and pepper of the Shiraz comes through the middle, on a buoyant acidity, with the palate juicy and smooth. Tannin is excellent – chewy but pliant. The finish is succulent, with a dark chocolate note that carries to a long persistence. 93pts
Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2021 A big perfume of savoury salami, peppercorn, chestnut and rosemary notes sit alongside a dark plum and mulberry fruit. Cacao nib, blueberry muffin and root beer notes add sweetness and roundness. A core of graphite tannin and spicy oak give a well-balanced line through the palate. Some weight and density here – with a long, bold finish. 93pts
Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 has textbook varietal character, with a voluminous perfume – dark cherry, cassis, eucalypt, bitter chocolate, pepper and plum. Dry and with bags of savoury character to go with that ripe juice. Tannin and breezy acidity are well-judged and add structure to this young pup. Quite jazzy just now – time will tell if this develops into a more rounded personality. 92pts
Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2021. Often given the title ‘Baby Grange’ – using the barrels from the previous years’ Grange, but also some de-classified fruit after selection for blending. First up, this has great oak – American, chewy, smoky and slatey. A serious, calm expression. Balance is the key here, with both varietals adding something. Really firm tannin, and with a savoury undertow that suits the super-dry style. Pencil lead and crushed ants! Wow, we are climbing the ladder here. 96pts
St Henri Shiraz 2020. A picture of Shiraz, simply presented. The uncomplicated accent here is a delight. No over-ripeness, no oak to speak of, just a wodge of varietal purity. Mint, pepper, black olive, dried herbs, sumac overlay the forest fruits. Rich and textured with supple tannin and a swoon of easy-drinkability already. 95pts
Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 2019 is usually hedonistic on release – taking a decade or more to settle from boisterous to benchmark. Has an exotic edge to the perfume. Kumquat, kirsch, sarsparilla, nori, arabica and tobacco. Beyond, a depth of fruit. Blueberry, damson, blood orange and redcurrant. The intoxicating oak feels luxurious – a denseness to the core of the palate that feels both expansive and yet condensed at the same time. Acidity and tannin just balance, in the shadows. Obviously will benefit from a couple of years decades in bottle, but even now – it glows beautifully. 97pts
