Jay Kline

9.1

Presented to me, double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours, a slightly hazy garnet color with a near opaque core and significant rim variation; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of mostly dried and desiccated fruit: dried brambles, dried cherry fruit leather, coffee, dried flowers, licorice, and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Initial conclusions: this could be a GSM blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend or is Zinfandel from France or the United States. For me, there aren’t any signs of pyrazines so I like this as a GSM blend with a good amount of Syrah. Due to the color, rim, variation, and sediment I believe this has 25 to 30 years of age. Final conclusion, this is Chateauneuf-du-Pape from 2001. Whoa! I haven’t had one of these in a long, long time. OG Kalimna Bin 28! This was showing really well. Drink now but still has life left. — 14 days ago

Paul J

9.4

This was great! Well balanced and perfect depth. Silky texture. — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Oldest in the Penfolds portfolio, Wine includes fruit from Barossa, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Clare and Wrattonbully vineyards, aged 12 months in American oak, 7% new. Deep Ruby color with aromas of dark berry fruits and sweet spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry, plum and cherry with cacao, espresso and vanilla oak. Vivid acidity, ripe fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit and spice, very nice! Good value with aging potential. — 5 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.8

The times I helt a bottle like this in my hands, I can probably count on only one hand. Even for Delectable this is a rare occasion because it didn’t know how to correctly recognize it. When a wine connects like this, lifts you off the ground and takes you to a beautiful place, you know it is good. Intense, but perfectly balanced, so many instruments playing that still echo for minutes in a lingering finish. 26 years old yet so vibrant and wild with dark punchy fruits encapsulated by aged mahogany wood that released different flavors every time I took a sip… yeah… life is good. Offered by a friend who loves wine and even more loves to share! — 7 months ago

with Skip and Tammy

Mark Osmers

9.3

Beautiful Napa grown structure with elegant oak aged flavor. Black cherry and a bit of plum.
A treat — 2 years ago

LM Segal

9.5

A global blend that had me completely stumped. The only thing I got right is that it’s delicious! Thanks, Joe. Can’t wait to try another in 5-10 yrs — 4 years ago

with Joe

Paul Secombe

9.2

Beautiful with casa Nostra pizza and delightful friends — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

Dense Ruby from an excellent ripe vintage. Blackberry, black currant and cassis - a classic South Australian Cabernet in all senses, complete with some herbal notes. It’s nothing like its big brother Bin 707 which is bigger and more full bodied even though the 407 has a drinking window through to 2045 according to the Rewards of Patience. The fruit for the 407 is multi regional from all major vineyard districts in South Australia. It is not often you open a 16 year old wine and say you’ve opened it too early but this could be the case here. — a day ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Blend:78% Cab Sauv from Napa Valley and 22% Shiraz from Central Coast vineyards in the Camatta Hills, planted with Penfold cuttings from So Australia. Deep Ruby with aromas of ripe berry fruits, spice and herbs. On the palate flavors of ripe cherry and blackberry with notes of cinnamon and cacao. Medium+ finish, fine tannins, lively acidity ending with fruit, cedar and herb character. Very nice! — 2 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.

Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.

Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.

Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.

Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.

🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— 5 months ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim. Not showing much age.

Beautiful nose of blueberries, blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, spices, licorice, cedar, earth, chocolates, vanilla, rhubarb and black pepper.

Medium plus in body and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cherries, toast, cedar, light vanilla, mediterranean spices, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia. Rich and elegant. Fruit forward and complex. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Spicy and entertaining.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 60 minutes of airtime.

Robert Parker 91 points. Wine Spectator 91 points.

This 23 year old is drinking beautifully now and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.

I've had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food like lamb dishes.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged in all new American oak barrels for 14 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$225. — 9 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Bought this recently at the Benchmark Bin Sale for $45. I’m unsure of its storage. But based on the bottle, cork, what’s in the glass…over delivering for $45. Decanted 2 hours. Having said that, the wine is sound. However, the wine appears cloudy…in the glass it visually almost seems a bit broken down. Seems earlier than I’d expect for an 07. Still delicious. Elegance, floral, balanced fruit & earth. Might have been better in proper storage. Think this bottle in good storage would hold another 3-5 yrs and then fade rather quickly.

The ripe, juicy, floral fruits are; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums but more plum, dark cherries, strawberries, boysenberries, raspberries, mixed mid berry cola/licorice, anise, almost sweet, dark, rich soil with dry leaves, dry herbaceousiness-sage, bay leaf, hints of thyme, semi-dry tobacco, sandalwood leaning into cedar, mid intensity dark spice-box, wafting nutmeg, cinnamon, vanillin, sandstone, steeped tea, touch of raisins, fig & dates, grilled meats, just a touch with of black pepper, dry brush, dry top soil, limestone marl, withering; dark, purple flowers framed in violets with a touch of lavender, excellent acidity with excellent integration & evolution, tall structure, well balanced fruit & earth with a long finish that last minutes falling onto dry, volcanic minerals.

96% Cabernet, 3% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc. — 3 years ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.4

Cena lider mty @ gand cru — 3 days ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

vintage 2022 | Sultry and inky — a month ago

Jeremy Pollard

9.7

This was in rude health at 36 years of age. Would have held for at least a decade or two longer. But a wonderful time to be drinking it, with lively fruit and freshness still present along with secondary and tertiary complexities folded in. A gorgeous smooth ride across the palate, with fine and elegant tanning structure, dark fruit, savoury notes of olive tapenade, and a long, lingering finish. Perhaps even more time in decanter would have opened things up even more. — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Sourced from several regions, pale lemon color with aromas of stone and tropical fruits, spice, floral and citrus notes. On the palate flavors of apple, peach & apricot with notes of honeysuckle and citrus zest wrapped in savory toasty biscuit notes. Smooth long finish, well balanced, nice acidity, ending with fruit, yeasty and mineral character. Nice! — 6 months ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.3

Incredible wine! Deep purple color- almost inky. Aroma of blackberries, cassis, vanilla and violets. Black fruit on the palate, plum, baking spices with a lovely finish.

🏅96 Points - Wine Spectator
🏅95 Points - Wine Advocate — 9 months ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.4

Barossa Valley Shiraz - 100% French oak — 2 years ago

Sandra

9.4

Crisp a bit fruity, light and good aftertaste — 2 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark purple in color with a purplish rim.

Gorgeous nose of black currants, cooked plums, figs, dried fruits, cedar, light vanilla, turmeric, fennel, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, peppercorn, coffee, herbs and Mediterranean spices.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity, elegant and smooth.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, tobacco leaf, earth and dark coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This 18 year old Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Australia is drinking so nicely now. Fruit forward and concentrated.

Showing great complexity, especially on the nose. Spicy and interesting. Rich, yet elegant.

I did not decant it, but left it in the bottle to open up. Delicious right out of the bottle, and better after 30 minutes of airtime.

Loved the nose here, and kept smelling on it for a while.

Wine enthusiast 96 points. Robert Parker 99 points.

Thank you John for sharing this with me.

Nicely balanced and good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% shiraz. Aged for 13 months in new American Oak barrels. Bottled in April 2008.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$650. — 4 years ago