Penfolds - Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 2018

JAMES SUCKLING: "A blend of 57% cabernet sauvignon and 43% shiraz, this has a very impressively complete feel, a hallmark of the 2018 vintage wines, and there’s a myriad of characters with cabernet’s cedary and gently herbal notes sitting atop a core of rich red-plum and dark-berry shiraz fruit aromas. So integrated. The palate has a very silky texture, so plush and polished with a wealth of rich and intense dark-plum, dark-berry and blackcurrant flavors. The oak is completely soaked with ripe, fresh fruit. This is a great Bin 389. Drink over the next two decades. Screw cap."

DECANTER: "Confident Cabernet (57%) leads this high-spirited, swirling dance, as a breezy wisp of blue and black berries waft over the earthy bulk of sturdy Shiraz. It’s a clever trick for such bright fruit to be contained by tannins in an interlocked embrace, without smothering the obvious exuberance of this marriage. Supple and nimble, it keeps shifting and changing in the glass. A truly beautiful blend. Drinking Window 2020 - 2050"

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Reifes, dunkles Beerenkonfit, ein Hauch von Cassis, Vanille und Eukalyptus. Saftig, wirkt am Gaumen sehr leichtfüßig, feine rote Kirschfrucht, gut integrierte Tannine, mineralisch und straff, salziger Touch, bereits sehr harmonisch, ein Hauch von Limette im Abgang, antrinkbar, mit sehr gutem Potenzial ausgestattet."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Hints of toasted coconut accent big cassis aromas on the nose of the 2018 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, which is a 57-43 blend this vintage. Full-bodied, with cherry flesh complementing the sterner cassis and tobacco notes, it's supple enough to be approachable now, yet with the concentration and requisite dusty tannins on the long finish to support more than a decade of aging."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "So luxurious! Exquisite black cherry and chocolate on the palate, stylish vanilla oak and buttery tannins. Finishes with the sweetest dryness possible, if that isn't too (oxy)moronic a thing to say."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Polished and generous, oozing with details of blackberry pie, Earl Grey tea, black licorice, star anise and dried lavender, with more savory notes of cigar box, rosemary, cassis and black pepper. Accents of cream soda and salted caramel linger on the finish. Cabernet and Shiraz. Drink now through 2032."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "In typical Penfolds style, this Cab, Shiraz blend is a rich, polished wine lacquered in high-end oak. Lurking beneath the barrel-driven furniture polish, mocha and spice notes is a plush layer of berry fruit and a minty, herbal nuance. The alcohol shows some warmth on the gauzy palate while woody tannins cinch the fruit. A wine for chewing rather than sipping, this will requite a mega amount of protein and several years in cellar. Drink 2023–2035."