Bin 138 draws its inspiration from the wines of the southern Rhône Valley of France, where Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro (or Mourvèdre) are blended in varying proportions to create full-bodied wines possessing rich and heady perfume. Each year fruit for Bin 138 is sourced from old Barossa Valley vineyards (some more than 100 years old) and after fermentation the wine is matured for 12 to 15 months in seasoned oak hogsheads.. Bin 138 is defined by its distinctive plum, raspberry pastille and underlying spicy notes. The first vintage release of this blend was the 1992 and early vintages were labelled ‘Old Vine’. The wine was elevated to Bin status with the 1998 vintage.
Medium deep colour. Traditional Penfolds style with choco-berry graphite aromas with some herb garden notes. Generous and inky with attractive redcurrant, red plum flavours, fine loose knit slinky textures, underlying savoury roasted walnut notes and fresh long integrated acidity. Sturdy and “Penfoldsian” in character with attractive buoyancy of fruit and underlying vigour. Will keep but best to drink within a three or four-year time frame.
93 points, Andrew Caillard MW
The nose here has such rich raspberries and blackberries with a gently earthy and spicy edge. The Barossa valley lives large in this wine, a regional expression of hearty, ripe and flavorful red and dark fruit, framed in smooth, supple, glossy tannins, with freshness at the finish.
93 points, jamessuckling.com (August 2019)
Deep red/purple colour, dark and brooding. The bouquet exudes licorice and mixed spices, with hints of kola and a hint of toasted-nutty oak. The tannins are ample but tailored, supple and drying, adding backbone without ruling the palate. Licorice lingers.
91 points, The Real Review (July 2019)
A blend of 68% Shiraz, 23% Grenache and 9% Mataro, the Penfolds 2017 Bin 138 Shiraz-Grenache-Mataro boasts some slightly confectionary notes upfront, something like candied cherries, but they're balanced by earthier notes, savory tones of black olive and roasted meat and soft, dusty tannins. It's full-bodied but not overdone, with a firm, structural edge to it that keeps it very drinkable.
90 points, Wine Advocate (August 2019)
Each year there’s a flurry of excitement associated with the release of the latest Penfolds Bin range. Last year there was a great deal more razzle-dazzle and Hollywood style glam about it, as it was the label’s 175th anniversary. As with most Penfolds releases, the focus is on spectacular, stratospherically priced, flagships, and some other labels are lost in the noise. Bin 138 is one of them. Originally launched as “Old Vine Barossa Valley” with the 1992 vintage, this traditional blend became Bin 138 when the 1998 arrived.
This 2017 68% shiraz, 23% grenache and 9% mataro is a great example of the marque. It smells of crushed berries, spice and earth with lovely fruitcakey richness. There’s excellent depth and balance in the mouth, with a tight tannic backbone that will mellow as it develops over the years. I bought a dozen of the original 1992 wine when it was released and those bottles gave years of enjoyment; I reckon this 2017 is a worthy descendant. Drink over 10 years.
93 points, Real Review, February 2020
Colonel William Light, the South Australian colony’s Surveyor-General, named the Barossa in 1837 after the site of an English victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsular War. In the mid-1800’s Silesian and English immigrants settled in the area. The Barossa itself comprises two distinct sub-regions: Eden Valley and the warmer Barossa Valley floor at 270m.The Barossa Valley enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and relatively low rainfall. Cool sea breezes from the Gulf of St Vincent modify the temperature, however hot northerly winds can occasionally dominate creating considerable vine stress. Many older established vineyards are dry-grown, but supplementary irrigation is also extensively used. The valley is comprised of rich brown soils and alluvial sands. A long history of uninterrupted viticulture in the area means the Barossa valley is home to Australia’s largest concentration of old-vine Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre with many over 100 years old. Although most famous for Shiraz, the Barossa can also produce fragrant and deliciously fruity Grenache blends and beautifully rich, chocolatey Cabernet Sauvignons.
Penfolds
Penfolds is probably the most extraordinary of the world’s wine brands with an enviable reputation for quality at every price level. The original Penfold was an English doctor who, in 1844, planted grapes at Magill, now a suburb of Adelaide. However, it was not until the late 1940s that Penfolds began to forge a reputation for red wine.
The Penfolds house style emerged from a fortified wine producing culture and evolved as a winemaking philosophy which has had a profound effect on the entire Australian wine industry. Many of the techniques initially adopted to make Penfolds Grange would become part of the wider Penfolds winemaking culture. The number of techniques employed in the research and development of Penfolds wines is astonishing. Max Schubert and his team pioneered: major advances in yeast technology and paper chromatography; the understanding and use of pH in controlling bacterial spoilage; the use of headed down/submerged cap fermentation and the technique of rack and return; cold fermentation practices; the use of American oak as a maturation vessel and perhaps most critically, partial barrel fermentation. Nowadays, the use of American oak and barrel fermentation for instance is considered traditional Barossa winemaking practice!
Today, Penfolds house style embraces the concept of multi-regional blending, optimum fruit quality, the use of fine-grained American or French oak, barrel fermentation and maturation. Overall, the Penfolds style is about highly-defined fruit aromas, fruit sweetness, ripe tannins, richness, power and concentration. The number of iconic wines that have emerged from the Penfolds stable over the years is remarkable. Bin 389 a Cabernet Shiraz blend released in 1960 is now considered the quintessential Australian wine blend. Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz and Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz released in 1962 pre-empted the contemporary enthusiasm for regional definition by about 25 years. Improved vineyard management, site selection and winemaking brought about subsequent releases of Bin 707 and Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Penfolds Wine Making Philosophy is the accumulation of more than half-a-century of knowledge and winemaking practice initiated by Max Schubert and subsequently refined by Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago. Their collective commitment to multi-regional and vineyard blending contributed to a consistency of style and quality that has cemented Penfolds reputation as the foremost producer of premium age-worthy red wines in Australia.
