Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2019
- 95
- $100
- Drink by: 2024 - 2035
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One of the stars of the Collection. From the Marananga sub-region in the Barossa. 12 months in oak. 61% in American hogsheads and puncheons (32% new, 29% one-year), 39% in French oak (9% new, 30% one-year).
Dense purple in colour. The nose explodes with lashings of chocolate, mocha, coffee beans, delicatessen notes, truffles and blackfruits. Some blueberries. So much going on here. Dry herbs and animal skins. Good complexity. Soy and sarsaparilla notes emerge. The oak has all but been soaked up by the fruit and is next to invisible. This is impressive. On the palate, the wine is seamless. Very good length. The balance between acidity, tannins and fruit is spot on. A silky finish and one which lingers beautifully. This is a wine which is undoubtedly appealing now but has another decade plus ahead of it. As we get towards the finish, black cherries emerge. The palate is a little more elegant than one expects, given the explosion of flavour from the initial aromas. Love it.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
