x
  • Country ranking ?

    84
  • Producer ranking ?

    53
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    rib Eye Steaks with Demi-Glace and White Bean Purée

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

Close

The Story

Bin 389 is often referred to as ‘Poor Man’s Grange’ or ‘Baby Grange’, in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. First made in 1960, by the legendary Max Schubert, this was the wine that helped to build Penfolds solid reputation with red wine drinkers.

Combining the structure of Cabernet with the richness of Shiraz, Bin 389 also exemplifies Penfolds skill in judiciously ...

Close

Wine Information

Autumn and early winter rainfall were above the long-term average. Rain stopped abruptly in early August with only light showers observed throughout spring. The dry and cool spring period affected canopy growth early in the season. Warm and dry conditions during flowering and fruit-set resulted in rapid grapevine growth and early flowering. 

A high rainfall event occurred in Coonawarra in January, mostly falling outside of veraison, and Feb...

Close

Tasting note

Be the first one to make a 20s tasting note!

Written Notes

After the blah of the 407, we have the wow of 389. Lovely purple hue. Violets, spices, cassis, Valrhona chocolate, coffee beans. Richly flavoured, good intensity, ripe flavours. Plenty of excitement here. Oak is very well integrated and the palate is seamless. As silky a finish as we have seen as yet in this annual release from Penfolds. A great future ahead. Love this wine. It will soar for decades. Early complexity but what it is already offering, and will continue to do so, is endless delicious flavours.

Score: 95/100

Best drinking: well cellared, it will drink superbly for a very long time.

Alc: 14.5%

  • 95p

Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, liquorice, cassis and peppery notes, vanilla. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark fruits, anise, blackberries and liquorice, rich, fruit driven and layered, long. 92

  • 92p

Deep crimson. Intense perfumed cassis, blackberry, nougat, praline aromas with herb garden notes. Beautifully concentrated wine with dense cassis, blackberry fruits, some brambly notes, fine supple dense chocolaty tannins, superb mid palate generosity and perfectly balanced roasted chestnut oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty with lovely bitter chinotto mineral length. A classic vintage with brilliant aromatic complexity, proportion and balance. The Cabernet Sauvignon sings while the Shiraz hums. Very impressive wine with all the hallmarks of the Penfolds style. The lines between Bin 389 and its more famous compatriots are blurred. Pound-for-pound, probably the wine of the 2017 release. 12 months in American oak hogsheads (32% new, 37% one-year-old, 31% two years old.) 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Shiraz. Drink 2020-2040. 98 points. Langton's.

  • 98p

The very first impression? Instantly Penfolds. Some barrel-ferment nuances perhaps? A formic lift, V.A., regressive oak? Maybe all listed are guilty partners!
Higher notes reveal custard tart and brûlée, courting meaty pan-scrapings/juices. Yet beneath, a darker edge – black pudding, sweetbread, asphalt.
Moreover, not just an ‘offal’ offering – an aromatic veil of satsuma plum, fig and quince paste aromatics liberally sprinkled above.! 

Palate
Enticing, inviting. A taste continuum of assorted flavours and textures.
A spoil of fruits meshed with a grain-like paste – chaff/oats/barley/wheat germ…. At once chewy and succulent, heightened by a mouth-watering acidity and overt 2015 ‘elongated’ tannins.
Oak barely perceivable. An interesting ‘package’ whereupon nothing stands out! A ‘balanced completeness’!

Load more notes

Information

Origin

Magill, South Australia

Other wines from this producer

50-Year-Old Rare Tawny Series 3

802-A Superblend

802-B Superblend

Bin 128 Shiraz

Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley & South Australia

Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz

Bin 170 Kalimna Shiraz

Bin 19A Reserve Bin Chardonnay

Bin 20A Reserve Bin Chardonnay

Bin 21 Grenache

Bin 23 Pinot Noir

Bin 2 Shiraz Mourvedre

Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon

Bin 51 Riesling

Bin 62

Bin 620

Bin 798 RWT Shiraz

Bin 7 Coonawarra Cabernet Kalimna Shiraz

Bin 820

Bin 8 Cabernet Shiraz

Bin 90 A

Bin 920 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz

Bin 98 Quantum Cabernet Sauvignon

Bin 9 Cabernet Sauvignon

Block 42 Kalimna Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

Cellar Reserve Fiano

Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir

Cellar Reserve Sangiovese

Cellar Reserve Tempranillo

FWT 585 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Petit Verdot

g3

g4

g5

Grange Hermitage

Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

Koonunga Hill Cabernet Shiraz

Koonunga Hill Chardonnay

Magill Estate Shiraz

Max's Shiraz

Penfolds Bin 138 GMS

Penfolds Bin 138 Grenache Mourvèdre Shiraz

Penfolds Bin 169

Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir

Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz

Penfolds Bin 311

Penfolds Bin 407

Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling

Penfolds Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz, California

Penfolds Bin 60A Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

Penfolds Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Penfolds Bin 707

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon

Penfolds Bluestone Grand Tawny

Penfolds Grandfather's Tawny

Penfolds Great Grandfather's Tawny

Penfolds II Dourthe x Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Merlot

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon

Penfolds Reserve Bin 09A Chardonnay

Penfolds RWT

Penfolds V

QoN

Rawson's Retreat

Rawson's Retreat Bin 202 Riesling

Rawson's Retreat Merlot

Rawson's Retreat Riesling

Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet

Reserve Bin 17A Chardonnay

Reserve Bin 5A

Reserve Bin A

Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

RWT Shiraz

Special BIN 111A Shiraz

St Henri Shiraz

Thienot x Penfolds Blanc de Blancs Lot 2-175

Thienot x Penfolds Blanc de Noirs Lot 3-175

Thienot x Penfolds Brut Vintage Lot 1-175

Thomas Hyland Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

Thomas Hyland Sauvignon Blanc

'V' Chardonnay

Vintage Fortified

Yattarna Chardonnay

Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 
Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register