Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz

Sometimes I crave a rich and hugely flavoured red wine to wash me away on a luxurious wave of pleasure. One of my favourite ways of doing this is to treat my expectant palate to a bottle of Penfold’s Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz from South Australia. Penfold’s are a very well known Australian wine maker who produce a full range of wines from the moderately priced (the Rawson’s Retreat range at around £4-5 for example) to the monstrously expensive which ...
...Shiraz that retails for well over £100. Fortunately the Bin 28 is priced considerably lower at the £10-11 mark. This makes it in my opinion a special occasion or treat wine rather than a casual everyday glugger. It also tends to be widely available and I have seen it in Tesco, the Co-op and Somerfield.
The wine that I drank was from the very 2002 vintage but I can confirm that while visiting a wine tasting event that the 2003 is pretty damn ... more

Sometimes I crave a rich and hugely flavoured red wine to wash me away on a luxurious wave of pleasure. One of my favourite ways of doing this is to treat my expectant palate to a bottle of Penfold’s Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz from South Australia. Penfold’s are a very well known Australian wine maker who produce a full range of wines from the moderately priced (the Rawson’s Retreat range at around £4-5 for example) to the monstrously expensive which is represented by The Grange wine which is a famous Shiraz that retails for well over £100. Fortunately the Bin 28 is priced considerably lower at the £10-11 mark. This makes it in my opinion a special occasion or treat wine rather than a casual everyday glugger. It also tends to be widely available and I have seen it in Tesco, the Co-op and Somerfield.
The wine that I drank was from the very 2002 vintage but I can confirm that while visiting a wine tasting event that the 2003 is pretty damn fine as well ! First impressions upon breathing in the aromas of the Bin 28 was that it had a stonkingly huge and complex nose which incorporated elements of vanilla, black cherry, blackcurrant, vanilla, toast and coffee in a luscious and well integrated package. Mmmmm..
Taking a few sips it was plainly obvious that this was a decadent and opulent wine with a full body that exuded black cherry and raspberry flavours in a smooth, tasty oak framework with soft, ripe tannin. The palate was attractively complex as this initially huge attack softened gently into a mellow leather hinted vanilla finish which lingered deliciously after swallowing. The alcohol level was a large 14.5% but it was a well balanced wine so the booze was barely noticeable until it hit the brain a minute or so later and caused your mouth to feel a little dehydrated ! For this reason it is a good idea to have this wine with some food and water even though it would be a great winter warmer on a cold evening (or a summer warmer given our constant rain !). I had it with a cheese pizza but it may have overwhelmed it slightly due to it full body and huge flavours. Probably a good match would be robustly flavoured food like some barbequed meat. This wine may also survive a few years cellaring due to its huge concentration of flavour and structure and hence mellow further.
Overall a totally huge and delicious wine which can be suited for aging but it is not cheap due to its quality level and it can overwhelm lots of food types with powerful flavour. Nevertheless a very reliable premium Australian Shiraz.

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