2018 Penfolds Bin 150 Shiraz

Colour: Deep, dark red

Nose: An instant formic lift, elevating a mix of African/Middle Eastern spices – cumin and dried fennel flirting with aromas akin to soaked dill-pickle juice. Less Marananga blueberry and juniper notes detected than normal, yet so many other shiraz variants leap forward to entice ... Intermittent wafts of just-cooked pound cake and a cumquat/apricot-preserve strudel – i.e. innocent fruits in tandem with other ‘niceties’! Oak? A forensic audit may uncover some carefully hidden nutty and ginger notes derived from this source.

Palate: A boysenberry/mulberry slurry, almost a coulis, with a smidgeon of cola/creamy soda flavours. Prominent tannins augment and propel an impression of a svelte film of raspberry seeds/pips, to heighten textural appeal. Supportive oak adds weight – contributing structurally yet hesitating to add to the flavour-pool. An ironstone/ferrous (haemoglobin) impression noted on back-palate.

Drinking well now, but will improve with time. Drinking window 2023 – 2035.

Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz is a sub-regional expression that is unmistakably Penfolds in character. Conceived from the ancient soils of Marananga, which lie very close to the centre of the Barossa Valley floor – slightly to the North West, where warm dry conditions and rich red soil provide the backbone to some of the region’s best-known wines. Each release delivers a contemporary shiraz alternative, framed by a mix of oaks; French and American, old and new – crafted in the 'Penfolds way'.