Penfolds - Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2021

Matthew Jukes

Huon Hooke

Dave Brookes

Ray Jordan

James Suckling

Loads of flavor and chomp to this full-weighted, highly regional expression. Black currant, blue fruits, clove, verdant herbs, charcuterie and a waft of menthol across a finish framed by malty oak. Yet nothing obtuse. The finish is warm, poised and nourishing. A highly satisfying expression with a strong track record. Drink or hold.

Decanter Magazine

A cool-climate Coonawarra counterpoint to the multi-region Bin 28 Shiraz (much like Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon is to Bin 707 further up the ladder). And in this vintage it is very much the superior wine, displaying real elegance, delicacy and lift through the flavours of blueberry, damson skin and sweet frangipane countering savoury meaty notes, black pepper spice and tapenade. The acidity is refreshing and the supple tannins well knit, while the oak (12 months in French hogsheads, 21% new) lends support without intruding. Released at £42.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz is blue-fruited and spicy, with blueberry compote, salted licorice, blackberry bramble and olive tapenade. In the mouth, the fruit is powered by an effusive wall of soft, pillowy tannin, and there's lovely length through the finish (shaved fennel/garden mint through here). It's pure and blue and spicy. It matured for 12 months in French oak hogsheads (21% new). 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.

The Wine Front

Wine & Spirits Magazine

Gismondi on Wine

128 is sourced from fruit grown on Coonawarra's famed terra rossa soils, the same source since the wine's inception in 1962. Winemaker Peter Gago uses a mix of new and seasoned French oak hogsheads to tighten up the fruit, which seems better than American oak here. It yields a wine that speaks to its roots, pitching floral violet and mint aromas. Its cool classic Coonawarra jacket on the palate carries a mix of fresh mulberries and cedar flecked with a whiff of charcuterie spice and licorice. A top notch vintage has pumped this wine to its ultimate end, allowing you to drink or hold it easily through 2035. This 128 spent a year in French oak hogsheads, of which 21% were new. (Anthony Gismondi).