Wine Code Breaker #351

The greatest wines are out of the reach of most of us.  They are wines that fill your dreams.  Their costs far exceed your bank balances, or the consequences of an extravagant spend far exceed the perceived benefit to the palate experience.  Then there are wines that you look at and um and ah over.  Their price is up there, but not stratospheric.  Their reputation is right up there too,  but not at the head of the peloton.  You may have had it years ago and thought it was pretty special and it would be nice to see it again.  It may have filled a day dream, but not a night of dreams and that is absolutely okay.  Penfolds Bin 389 is one of those and a benchmark of the great Aussie blend.

The 2018 Penfolds Bin 389 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the benchmark regions in South Australia.  Its colour is a vibrant display of ruby reds and purples that leaves you marvelling.  The nose is intensely youthful like the colour.  An abundance of liquorice spices, blackberries, blueberries and red fruits galore.  There is an ever so subtle oak with crushed nuts, Chinese five spices and an essence of Peking duck.  The palate presents flavours that are intense and mouthfilling.  Red, black and blue fruits play out on a bed of velvety and emery board like tannins.  It is juxtaposition between the raw and the integrated.  It is imposing and approachable.  It is rewardingly persistent transgressing your day dream to a marvellous shared experience.