Lee Pitofsky

9.4

On paper they say 08 wasn’t a good vintage but hey I love it. Old vine Reynard is excellent in 2008 showing all the Allemand sigs with dark fruit, olive tapenade and a liquid rock minerality. 08 is particularly Bordeaux like and not at all thin—that magical Reynard vineyard really ups the concentration of any vintage. Always a thrill to drink Allemand, my favorite Syrah. — 4 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.

Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.

Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.

Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.

Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.

🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— 5 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Decant for sediment and pour(decent chunky/fine sediment). A striking dark ruby red color. On the nose: jumping from the glass are port drenched cherries, pencil shavings, tobacco, toffee, balsamic, and cinnamon. Taste: silky, balanced, still fresh wine with currants, little dried cherry, tobacco, earth, dried herbs, and a spicy saline graphite satisfying finish. YUM! In the home stretch, drink. — 6 months ago

with Brenda

George Yasutake

9.3

Dark purple nectar as I poured into my wine decanter. The wine did not disappoint. Drank wine over 4 hours over a Christmas Eve dinner. . — 6 months ago

with Michael

Tom Garland

9.3

2 hour decant. A marvelous medium garnet color (decent fine sediment). On the nose: dark berries, cassis, forest floor, sandalwood, pencil shavings, chocolate, and cigar box. Taste: layered, balanced, still young wine with dark cherry/plum, cedar, dark chocolate, charcoal, and a lingering tobacco/leather finish. YUM! No hurry, a long distance Las Cases. — 7 months ago

with Brenda

Leslie Fort

9.0

Interesting and fun with a good steak and brussel sprouts. Dark dark dark. Smooth in the sip and light in the swallow. — 5 years ago

Nedas Ka

10

Ritch oily smoothness😉 — 7 years ago

Ming L

8.9

The Clark & Telephone Vineyard PN gave me a long lasting impression, and this Las Alturas is very similar in style in its richness and intensity.

Ripe plum, blackberry jam, eucalyptus, fig, black tea, and Chinese medicinal herbs bursting on the nose. Palate has more texture and a more elegant feel with dark chocolate and spice. Firm and a bit dusty tannins. This tastes more like a blend of Zinfandel and Cab. Nice! But again this is not the type of PN I like. — 8 years ago

Tricia

9.0

Very rich with flavor. More flavor then the regular red ménage a trois. Both are great! — 9 years ago

Zac Alinder

9.3

Needs time to open up. Huge wine. Finish keeps going. Confusing but delicious mix of sweet dark fruit, tar, and salty ocean air. — 10 years ago

Ted Holland

9.3

Beautiful wine full of fruit and structure. The nose is delicate but I am pulling baking spices, violets and dark fruits. This wine brings balance and finesse that can easily go many more years. Tannins are elegant but strong, not grippy but structured. Delicious leading with dark cherry but developing into an elegant display of terroir and artistry!! Enjoy!! — 5 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates and black pepper.

Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, cooked cherries, light green vegetables, spices, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old red blend from California is still drinking beautifully. Complex and interesting. Nice to see that it aged nicely.

Showing slight RS on the palate, but I can live with that.

Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Charbono.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60. — 5 months ago

Dave

9.0

Solid Sonoma Cab that tastes like Left Bank Bordeaux. Supple feel, dark berries, cedar, graphite, tobacco. A little eucalyptus and a little espresso. Lengthy tannins. Drinkable now and will age for some time.
Listening to Radiohead — 5 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Another beautiful drinking older Napa Cab that was showing younger than its 35 yrs with dark fruits, mocha, cedar, graphite, spice & tobacco — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Dark Ruby color with aromas of berry fruits, herbs and earthy oak spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry, raspberry and currants with espresso, cacao and earthy notes. Well balanced, lively acidity, fine tannins long ending with fruit, oak, mineral and tobacco spice! Very Nice Napa Cab! — 7 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Pop and pour 375ml bottle. Dark ruby red color. On the nose: dark cherry, toasty oak, licorice, floral. Taste: young and tannic, give it time. — 10 months ago

with Brenda

Julie Gorsline Perry

10

Black cherry and spice with a chocolate finish — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

10

To me Shafer is among the worlds best wineries. Aged 32 months in 100% new French oak. Vivid deep purple color, and outstanding aromas of red/black fruits, cherries and blackberries, with hints of cedar, floral oak & spice. Tasting this wine was absolutely magnificent, concentrated dark berry fruit flavors, spices, leather and oak, exploding on my palate. Soft velvety subtle tannins provide a nice deep lingering finish. Truly an outstanding Cab, one of the best. If you can find yourself a bottle, do not hesitate. Should last at least 10 more yrs. — 7 years ago

Jose Rico

9.2

Dark fruits, intense colour, great legs. A real bargain. — 8 years ago

Peter UPA

9.7

Big potent nose with notes of black cherries, dark chocolate, leather, cedarwood, licorice and forrest ground. Big body with concentrated fruit, well balanced tannins, fresh acidity and long aromatic finnish - Always a great pleasure👍 — 9 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.3

Classic left bank Bordeaux. Well integrated rounded tannins leading the march surrounded with dark fruit and that unmistakable lead pencil. Was hoping for a little more layered complexity. — 5 months ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.0

Dark rubi robe with a purple hue, not showing its 25 years. Nose is very evolved and more on secondary notes. Big disappointment on the mouth, very evolved and lacking complexity for such a stellar reputation. A good bottle that is not worth the price tag… — 5 months ago

with Jose, veronique and 1 other

Andrew McIntyre

9.6

Excellent...are truly impressive wine. Power and finesse combined. Still loads of fruits but dark and heavy. Very enjoyable — 5 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Pretty deep ruby garnet , medium wide garnet rim . Aromatic and really classic with a mix or red and dark fruits , tobacco , grafite and cedar . On the palate this is quite linear , again with the red and dark fruits from the nose, cedar and grafite and quite rounded resolved tannins . Fresh acidity , good cedar with grafite length , very classic in style . Enough density and fruit to cover the rest of the structure. In a perfect place now at least in this format , and probably will be over the next 10 years . This was from an Imperial , at BBR in London . — 6 months ago

Scot Walker

9.4

Mixed berries in the nose with dark fruit and black tea in the palate. Paired well with cheese and salami — 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Something for my Wagyu Burger.

I do enjoy this producers style/craft. Also, enjoy the elegance of St. Julien. 2012 is a vintage Sofia & 1 worked harvest at Clerc Milon. So, the 2012 vintage will always be a special vintage for me, even if it was only one that was good to very good for the right terroirs and producers. Just wasn’t special like; 00, 05, 09, 10, 16 or 19 etc..

Having said all that, this Ducru is not the 2012 star of the region. It’s elegant but falls short on depth, character & umpf, which are things I have grown to expect and have experienced from this producer in many vintages.

The palate shows, soft, round & velvety M-M+ tannins. Ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, some of both plums, slightly baked strawberries & circling raspberries. Slightly dry tobacco w/ ash, soft leather, sandalwood, mid, dark, rounded spice, nutmeg, clove, some cinnamon & vanillin, dark most earth with clay & dry leaves, herbaceous notes, very soft & elegant graphite, a touch of of mid berry cola/licorice, dark withering flowers, red roses, nice acidity with nicely balance, good tension/structured, elegant finish that last nearly two minutes and long sets on rounded dark spice.

@EmiratesLoungeDubai — 8 months ago

Patrick Devine

9.2

Great for dessert, chocolate. Somewhat sweet. — 8 years ago

Marc vanholst

9.9

Not too much to say....power in a silky glove...close to perfection. — 8 years ago

Doctor No

9.1

Wow. This is young, and the nose is a bit of dark red berry suffusing a sea of resolving American Oak. The American oak is so pronounced that, had I tasted this blind, I might have taken it for Ridge... :) This has decades ahead, even if -only- a Riserva. Like La Rioja Alta 904, a fantastic value in old school Rioja... — 9 years ago

Mandy Capehart

9.1

Excellent stand alone red! — 12 years ago