Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2006

Shimmering purple hues. The nose is youthful and fresh with a rush of stylish fruits: raspberry, Satsuma plum—to the fore. A cedary oak background is in balance with the cooler climate spices and earthy, meat complexities. The palate is defined, tight, and focused. Integrated, stylish oak fuses effortlessly with a compote of expressive, red-berried fruits. Fine, persistent tannins comfortably convey a long and lingering finish, signing off and providing closure for this medium-weight Bin 128 package. While this wine needs time, it possesses all the right ingredients to excel as an A-level Bin 128. Ideal with hearty meat dishes.

In 1844 Dr. Penfold and his wife Mary purchased the 500-acre Magill (originally Mackgill) estate on the outskirts of Adelaide. Initially their wines, made from grenache, were prescribed as tonic wines for anemic patients. Harking back to this origin of prescribed tonics, roadside billboards in Australia used to read "Penfolds 1844 to Evermore." Following Dr Penfold's death in 1870, the vineyards and winery were left in the very capable hands of his wife Mary. The estate remained in the Penfold family until 1976 and is currently owned by Treasury Wine Estates. In the 1960s Penfolds released the first of the celebrated Bin wines. These Bins were the result of legendary winemaker Max Schubert's aspiration to create a family of wines which shared the distinctive Penfolds quality stamp while exhibiting a unique style of their own.