Critic tasting note: "Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago is enthusiastic about his 2008 Shirazes, including this blend ofCabernet andShiraz. Bin 389 continues to represent excellent value in a cellar-worthy red; it's richly fruited, with oak in matching intensity yet not jammy or oaky, and the velvety finish lasts a good long time. Drink now–2025, and probably beyond." - 91/100, Wine Enthusiast
Blend: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon & 48% Shiraz
Vineyard Notes
South Australia - with parcels from Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale.
Vintage Notes
A welcome wet winter and a moderate, dry spring encouraged steady early season growth, setting up for a text-book harvest. Cool and dry conditions during the start of summer were described as perfect, conducive to excellent flavour, colour and phenolic development. A record 15 day heatwave, starting on the 3rd March created a major interruption, inducing a vintage of two distinct halves - a statement pertaining to the profound differences in quality of fruit picked before and after the heat spell. Weighted-average vintage charts may not do justice to the South Australian harvest in 2008. Penfolds reds will.
Ageing
This wine was matured for 13 months in 34% new American oak hogsheads, with the balance in seasoned American oak.
Producer Tasting Notes
COLOUR A dense, dark, dark purple core. NOSE An instant allure, an inviting & tempting aromatic advance. A veritable baker's / winemaker's kitchen: Firstly, scents of freshly baked & dressed Black Forest Cake, replete with dark chocolate and assorted berries, cherries. Then, aromas of Bread & Butter Pudding / Nut Loaf, adorned with dates, sultanas and walnuts. Brazenly hovering above - wafts of fresh pipe tobacco coupled with higher notes of beeswaxpolished leather. PALATE Lush, expansive & succulent. Balanced, lingering - colluded via conspiring tannins lurking behind masses of blackcurrant & mulberry fruits and a mix of liquorice and mocha. Oak is completely absorbed, yet barrel-ferment complexities still stake their claim.
