Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
Vintage: 2004
Region: South Australia
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $38.00
When the weather gets cold sometimes making the trek out to the wine market can be a bit of a chore. Along with this, it isn’t every day that a new child comes into the world. To celebrate his birth, I decided to dust off a bottle from the cellar of one of my favorite wines, Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz. Penfolds is one of Australia’s largest and most historic producers being in the wine business for 164 years and produces 45 different bottling of wines ranging from fortified wines to the ultra premium.
This vintage is considered a classic, as everything came together to produce a wine of strength, opulance and elegance. The color of this wine is rich deep dark purple and is opaque and is most certainly a tooth stainer. The nose gives off hints of chocolate and fresh berries, tea and is herbal and medicinal. On the palate, the front is pure fruit with a port like richness with sinewy tannins over a long smooth finish. Even with its high alcohol levels, there is no heat at all and it is balanced and fresh and very delicious. Do yourself a favor and the next visit to your local market, splurge and seek this one out. It is a cellar candidate for another 15+ years but is accessible and enjoyable today.
93 points
* If you have a few minutes to spare please take a moment to partake in our first ever Wine Survey!
- Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
- by Adrian Bryksa
- Published on December 24th, 2008
- Rating:
- 93 Points
More from Adrian Bryksa:
-
Value Wine Experiment – 3 Reds under $15.00
He pulled me over to an Australian blend which seemed interesting as a 2005 at 11 dollars, so I made it my choice. Ian grabbed a 2007 Chilean Cabernet and David jumped on an 2006 Argentine Malbec
-
Best of 2006
Everyone is attacking your personal addictions about giving your body an inner glow and your desire to slowly asphyxiate yourself. Thankfully, the city of Calgary has accelerated their decision and made bars and clubs smoke free for January 1st, 2007 and has now prevented you from asphyxiating others.
-
Hillside Estate Pinotage
This wine rates in my top 10 Canadian wines, and I would seek it out at if you are interested in giving it a try.
-
FAT Wreck Chords tour featuring NOFX
Easily the highlight of the set was the tour de force rendition of "The Decline", which is one of the best punk songs ever recorded in this writers opinion. The rest of the set was sonically outstanding, until one jackass from the crowd fired a full water bottle at the lead singer..
-
Super Bowl Beer Sampling
After nearly choking over a thirteen dollar six pack, I decided that my sampling would be done based off of 500 mL cans of 4 various import beers coming in at an average of $2.45 per unit. Not cheap, but not unreasonable for 2 liters of the nectar of the gods.
-
Château Fonbadet
From a vintage perspective, 2003 was a great yet challenging in Bordeaux with intense heat arriving in August. Take 40 + degree Celsius temperatures and combine with a lack of cooling rain and one of the potential outcomes is roasted, thick skinned grapes contributing to flabby wine.
Other recent features:
-
Sónar 2010 – Barcelona, Spain
The festival attracts a lot of outsiders, but the Mediterranean, Spanish and more specifically Catalan nature of the people makes the festival what it is. Catalan people are passionate and this passion is infectious. The atmosphere is electric in Barcelona as a city and heightened by music and intoxicants at Sónar.
-
Summer Party Naval Styles at Seven RestoLounge
Oysters, like wine are affected by terroir and these Miyagi’s flavor profiles ranged with one showing a cleaner, almost tropical profile and the other being more salty, marine driven. As I was devouring the seemingly endless plates put in front of us, I sipped on a glass of fine sauvignon blanc.
-
R4NT Radio March 2010
R4NT Radio March 2010 um wow it’s been far too long since the last edition edition, featuring: Hector Hernandez, The Infesticons, Blockhead, Gramatik, Emika, Thunderheist, Parov Stelar, Eddy Meets Yannah, Anti-Pop Consortium, The Slew, Lighterthief, Andreya Triana, Parasyte Woman, Mathon, Venetian Snares, and Funki Porcini.
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Predictions 2010.. and beyond!
So 2010 eh? Almost but not quite (no year zero they say) another decade? It seems like just yesterday that the world was waiting for Y2K. R4NT started publishing in March 2001, so we’re not quite 10 years old yet, but in internet years we are already a senior citizen.
-
Invictus
No matter what, the reality of Nelson Mandela is something that deserves screen time. Should this film even remotely intrigue the masses to take interest in this figure, the world would likely benefit greatly from it.
