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!
— 7 days ago

John Malcolm

10

Spectacular. Honey, pear, lemongrass, papaya, and a hint of tangerine. Full-bodied. I love Aubert, and their wines from the Lauren Vineyard are my favorites. This one does not disappoint. — 11 days ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Gotham dinner party

Was a bit subdued but showed really nice complexity and fruit. — 3 days ago

Jeremiah Diaz

9.1

Clear, deep ruby in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced primary and secondary aromas of blackberries, cassis, and graphite; on the palate; it's dry with high acidity, high tannins, high alcohol, full body, and pronounced primary and secondary flavors of black plum, black cherries, and black cardamom with a long finish. This wine is intense and balanced. Overall, I rate this wine as very good. — 10 days ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.2

New vintage of Justin’s flagship blend. A bit more constrained, but elegant and delicious as always. At 86% cab, is it really a blend? lol. Nice cassis notes. — 5 days ago

Nessa Provi

9.5

My FAVORITE. I have no helpful review. I just know what I like. — 3 days ago

Amanda Drazka

9.2

This New Zealand Sauvignon blanc offers a bright nose with notes of lime, grapefruit, tropical fruit and sea salt at the end. It is a dry, acidic, medium bodied wine. Flavours of grapefruit and mango are present on the palette. It has a long finish beginning with tropical fruits and ending with sea salt. This wine paired well with sushi. — 6 days ago

Norman

9.1

Better after it opened. Time to drink. Should have earlier. — 6 days ago

Neal Ferry

9.3

Fantastic as Usual. Grilled Pineapple — 20 days ago

Peter Coulthard

9.0

Really good wine but remembered it better. Maybe I aerated it too well but lacked some of its usual smooth punch. — 4 days ago