Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2023

Today, the fruit is sourced from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Padthaway, rather than just the Kalimna vineyard which gave the wine its name. Maturation is for a year in American oak, 15% new. The colour in the glass was a shimmering, yet opaque maroon. A little more dense than some, yet it appears almost demure, indeed reticent, in comparison. Black fruits rule, with leather, cloves, black olives, dark chocolate, blackberries, licorice and graphite. In those brief moments when the black fruits loosen their grip, we see notes of blueberries and even blood sausage scrapings sneak through. Well-handled oak, which will be near invisible in a few short years, and the wine has serious concentration. Demure and reticent to open, certainly, but it did not take all that long for it to emerge from its shell. A juicy fruit style with very dark chocolate notes on the palate and sour cherries on the finish, there is good balance here. Fine, firm tannins finish the wine, which is of medium length. Ten years will be a doddle for it.