2018 Penfolds, Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Syrah
For laying down
- Jancis Robinson MW
- 17/20
- Matthew Jukes
- 18.5+/100
- Joe Czerwinski
- 95/100
- James Suckling
- 96/100
Product: 20188011329
Description
This Bin is, perhaps, under the radar for many, but the 2018 vintage is likely to change that. Full-bodied, rich and ripe, there’s a wonderful creamy texture to the blackcurrant and cherry fruit characters. Silky and fresh, the flavours roll on and on. There are plenty of other characteristics to enjoy: gentle toasty hints from the oak, alongside vanilla, sweet spice and just a suggestion of liquorice. A big step on from what we have seen previously in this wine. I think it will age beautifully. Very good indeed! Drink 2022-2030.
Martyn Rolph, Fine Wine Sales Manager (July 2020)
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2018
Alcohol % 14.5
Maturity For laying down
Grape List Syrah
Body Full Bodied
Producer Penfolds
Critics reviews
Jancis Robinson MW 17/20
Impressive freshness on the nose coupled with some sweetness. Just the job! Combination of ripe, sweet fruit, a hint of Barossa boot polish and yet apparently natural acidity nicely integrated with the smooth Shiraz fruit.jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (July 2020)
Matthew Jukes 18.5+/100
Marananga sits at the centre (not quite geographically, but almost) of the Penfolds machine and Grange is certainly first in the queue when it comes to picking the most robust and noble fruit from this hamlet. But after Grange’s cavalcade has mooched back to the winery the Knights of Marananga gather the fruit for this superb thoroughbred. This is not a wine with the power or the bravado of 2010 or 2016 but it is a wine with sensational fluidity and velvetiness which is offset by minty freshness. This is a genial, elegant wine with terrific balance and singularity and there is enough fondant fruit in its core to, reasonably, drink now if you are desperate! But please hold, because while this is a Marananga anomaly, with less grunt and swagger than normal, it still needs time to open up and reveal its entire panoply of dark fruit tones. Bin 150 oscillates, encouragingly, year after year and because it is a non-blended wine, and so this honest reflection of its unique terroir makes it an outlier in this portfolio. In 2018, however, it is the beating heart of the collection. (Drink 2025 – 2035)matthew_jukes (July 2020)
Joe Czerwinski 95/100
The raspberry and vanilla-scented 2018 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz is a beauty. Aged in French and American hogsheads, it artfully marries fruit and oak, then blends in nuances of licorice, dusty earth and hints of black olives and roasted meat. Full-bodied and creamy textured, it's ripe while remaining fresh and lively, coming to a long, silky close. At half the price of RWT, it's a relative bargain, but alas, it lacks availability in the United States Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (July 2020)
James Suckling 96/100
A bold, tarry and rich expression with a deeply embedded, dark-plum and blackberry core of aromas that are framed in very nicely fitted oak. There’s a 50/50 split of American and French and both are equally split between 50% new and 50% one-year-old. There’s a move to puncheons here, too. The palate is breathtakingly deep and supple with such impressive, soft, plush ripe blackberries. Long, powerful and immaculately captured tannins. Bold and beautiful. Will age for two decades easily. Drink or hold. Screw cap.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (July 2020)
About this wine
Syrah/Shiraz
A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking at optimum ripeness. Its heartland, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries. It is now grown extensively in the Southern Rhône where it is blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and display a blackcurrant lusciousness. South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.
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Penfolds
Penfolds enjoys an iconic status that few New World producers have achieved. Established in 1844 at the Magill Estate near Adelaide, it laid the foundation for fine wine production in Australia. The winemaking team is led by the masterful Peter Gago; it has the herculean task of blending the best wines from a multitude of different plots, vineyards and regions to create a consistent and outstanding range of wines. Its flagship wine, Grange, is firmly established as one of the finest red wines in the world. Under Gago’s stewardship, the Penfolds range has evolved over time. Winemaking has moved away from New World heat and the sort of larger-than-life style that can mask individuality; the contemporary wines instead favour fine balance and typicity for the region or grape.
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