With thick skins, royal purple in colour, and elegant flavours derived from ideal grape-growing conditions, cabernet sauvignon provides the structure and palate length. Shiraz grapes, akin to small black pearls, provide the intensity, opulence and flesh. First made in 1960, Bin 389 has a reputation for consistency and longevity and has earned its well-deserved moniker, ‘baby Grange’, from time spent maturing in oak hogsheads used the previous vintage for Grange. This much-loved, beautifully consistent style shows all the hallmarks and benefits of cross-varietal blending and for many wine drinkers, it is their preferred Penfolds wine. Bin 389 is an Australian Grand Vin; a selection and interpretation of the best parcels from the best vineyard sites, by a winemaking team steeped in the ethos and tradition of a great Australian wine style.

Food pairing

Rare roasted rack of lamb with garlic, rosemary and sea salt Argentinean style beef Ideal with hearty meat dishes

Producer

Australia’s winemaking history of less than two hundred years is brief by European measures though, like Europe, punctuated by periods of extreme success and difficult times. From the earliest winemaking days Penfolds has figured prominently and few would argue the importance of Penfolds’ influence on Australia’s winemaking psyche. Without the influence of Penfolds the modern Australian wine industry would look very different indeed. Sitting comfortably outside of fad and fashion, Penfolds has taken Australian wine to the world on a grand stage and forged a reputation for quality that is without peer. Penfolds’ reputation for making wines of provenance and cellaring potential might suggest a mantle of tradition and formality is the preferred attire of a company with so much history to defend. But to label Penfolds as simply an established and conventional winemaker, would be to confuse tradition with consideration and to overlook the innovative spirit that has driven Penfolds since its foundation, and continues to find expression in modern times. If there is anything traditional about Penfolds, it is the practice of constantly reviewing the wines it already does well, and continuously evolving and refining styles as vineyards mature and access to ever older and more varied vineyard sites improves.