Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2024

The fruit is sourced from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Fleurieu. Maturation is for a year in American oak hogsheads, 9% of them new. For me, this must surely sit amongst the very best of the series. Opaque maroon with a gleaming dark crimson rim, there is generosity here. On the nose, we have notes of plums, chocolate, blackberries, coffee grinds, hints of blueberries (actually, something more reminiscent of blueberry ice cream), freshly unearthed beetroot and exemplary oak integration giving hints of vanilla. The structure is seamless and finely balanced, with such an appealing creamy texture. There is excellent length here and fine, if ever-so-slightly-silty tannins. A line of crunchy acidity provides the freshness and energy, and this should drink very well over the next fifteen to twenty-five years. Definitely one the best from the series.

by Lisa Cardelli

Dense and compact, with plenty to unpack for the patient taster. Wild mulberries, blackcurrants and blueberries mingle with Tahitian vanilla pod and an herbal note of wet native bush. There is a flamboyant elegance here, the fruit tightly interwoven with oak spice. On the palate, the oak and fruit tannins have formed tightly wound chains, creating a generous structure kept firmly in check by a healthy stream of acidity. The alcohol contributes more to the wine’s body than to any sensation of heat. 2027 – 2045. 93 Points

Ken Gargett

Contributor at Winepilot

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.

Wine writer and critic