Tasting Report: Penfolds Bin & Icon Release

This is Nick Stock's first tasting report for JamesSuckling.com. Last week, the new releases for this year from Australia's iconic winery Penfolds came out. Of course, most people around the world want to know about the most recent Grange out there, but Nick has a few surprises he wants you to know about. - JS

In a normal year, Grange is the centerpiece of Penfolds’ annual release of Bin Series and Icon range of wines, but things fell differently this year with the introduction of some new wines and a few notable absences in the collection.

One of the great things about Grange is that it is truly reflective of the vintage and, following on the back of the very strongly received 2008, the 2009 Grange is a wine without the same blockbuster presence. Blended from multiple parcels sourced throughout South Australia, it is the best wine that can be amassed from Penfolds’ considerable resources of South Australian Shiraz and, like most 2009 reds, it wears the battle scars of a burst of extreme heat that struck in February of that year.

But the more significant vintage in the scheme of this year’s release is that of 2011. Famously cold and wet, it was a vintage that hampered the efforts of the most experienced and capable vignerons. The most high-profile casualty of war here is the absence of a Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, with the new French oak matured Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon also taking a year off after a spectacular 2010.

Some 2011 Bin Series wines are discernibly more fragile and, in some cases, a little anemic, but their price points are more forgiving. Not so for the likes of RWT ($175) and Magill Estate ($130), both of which are thoroughly commendable wines given the vintage, but will struggle to attract buyers when there are many other wines of greater quality on shelves at lower prices.

The 2011 Bin 389 seems to have been boxed onto the ropes by the rigidity of the Cabernet Shiraz blend hierarchy. The fact that Cabernet weighs in at the bare minimum 51% is a telling one and on tasting it is impossible not to wonder if the wine might have been improved by a greater component of Shiraz.

It’s not all doom and gloom though.

The hero of this year’s release is a majestic 2010 St. Henri Shiraz. A stalwart of a more traditional style and matured in large format (1460 litre) oak, it is a wine that showcases the inherent quality of the 2010 harvest. It’s a sure-footed wine that will age gracefully and, with so many of the other wines creeping northwards in price, it is also one of the great value wines at $90.

The star white is no surprise, as the quality of the Reserve Bin A Chardonnay has been consistently strong over recent releases. The 2012 edition (no 2011 was released due to compromised quality of the vintage) is a powerful and convincing modern Australian Chardonnay, a genuinely exciting wine. And like St. Henri, the $90 price tag represents strong relative value.

Finally, a trio of very different wines added to the mix this year, two of which are superstars and a strong statement of the heritage of the brand.

Demand for Penfolds’ Cabernet Sauvignon wines has been strong in recent years and prices have crept quickly upwards, placing wines like Bin 407 ($75) out of reach for many consumers. The new Bin 9 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) is a logical addition, placing Cabernet back in the hands of the everyday Penfolds drinker.

The 50-year-old Rare Tawny is a new initiative that will see just 330 bottles released in each annual series and, at $3500 for each hand-blown bottle in series one, is aimed squarely at collectors. It’s a superb and unique Australian Tawny, with components dating back to the original 1915 Solera.

The Bin 170 Kalimna Vineyard Shiraz Block 3C is the second ever bottling of this wine, the first being an experimental bottling in 1973. Here it returns from vintage 2010 and is ceremoniously released in Penfolds’ 170th anniversary year. It’s a stunning wine that serves as a reminder of the greatness of Penfolds’ Kalimna Vineyard, as well as a tantalizing suggestion of the quality of the forthcoming 2010 Grange, due for release in 2015.

Nick Stock is a renowned Australian wine writer, author, presenter and filmmaker who reports on his worldwide wine tasting experiences for JamesSuckling.com.