We take a quick look at the new releases from Penfolds, and offer an alternative shortlist of wines of the same quality at half the price.
Treasury Wine Estates has decided to move the annual Bin Red and Icon releases to mid October, and to merge the two events into one release labelled The Penfolds Collection.
The verdict from the Adelaide Advertiser: 2010 Penfolds Grange is a classic, but Bin 389 trumps it for a fraction of the cost. Sadly, the red once known as the poor man’s Grange is priced way out of reach of poor men and women. $60 is the best price we can find for the Bin 389 at Kemenys. However, we’ve come up with some more affordable alternatives.
A Strong Release for Penfolds?
So says Tyson Stelzer, and adds: ‘2012 is no 2010, but, goodness, if it weren’t for 2010, this would be heralded as the greatest vintage in at least six years, and perhaps ten. Shiraz is outstanding, but cabernet is the true star of the season. 389 is brilliant. 707 is monumental. Yattarna is probably the best ever. Reserve Bin A [Chardonnay] is undoubtedly the best buy of them all. And 2010 Grange is the finest young Australian wine I have ever tasted.’
I thought we’d make up a six-pack, choosing the best of the new Pennies releases, and see what it adds up to. We won’t worry about The $700 Grange or the Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, which is $330 at Dan M’s. ‘It’s a perverse freak of history, the notion of putting your best Cabernet in 100% new American Quercus alba hogsheads for fourteen months,’ says Philip White about the 707. ‘I still find it tricky to regard this sort of Quercus alba as a food.’ Philip’s reviews are a work in progress.
Penfolds against the Real Wold
There was a time when Bin 28 Kalimna was a terrific, affordable Barossa red. These days it is none of those three. Penfolds has treated it badly and diminished it, but still wants over $30 a bottle for it. To get to the good reds, you have to reach a bit higher these days – $60 – 65 for the 389, 407 and $75 for the St. Henri.
If we wanted to check this release, this might be a representative Penfolds list:
- Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2012 – $60
- Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 – $60
- St Henri 2011 – $75
- Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2012 – $130
- Bin 13A Chardonnay 2013 – $80
- Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling – $30
Total for 6-pack of Penfolds $435
Our real World Alternative List
- Yalumba FDR 1A Cabernet Shiraz 2010 – $38 at Kemenys
- Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 – $30 at Winestar
- Woodlands Margaret Cabernet Merlot 2011 – $37 at Winestar
- Shaw and Smith Shiraz 2012 – $37 at Winestar
- Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2011 – $50 at Kemenys
- Pewsey Vale Museum Reserve Contours Eden Valley Riesling 2009 – $27 at WLA
Total for BWU$20 Alternative list: $219
When you click on the links behind our list, you’ll realize that these wines are at least as good as the Penfolds offerings. The FDR 1A is a cracker, the Xanadu won 3 trophies at the National show late last year, the Woodlands is a giant-killer, The Shaw & Smith won the trophy for the best Australian red at Decanter’s International comp. The Coldstream Hill Chardy has won 3 trophies and 12 golds, and the Pewsey Vale Contours is in another league compared to the Bin 51.
A bonus with the reds on our list is that they have more elegance and finesse than the Penfolds reds, which are over-ripe, alcoholic (14.5) and overworked IMHO. So if you’re tempted by the new Penfolds releases, do yourselves a favour and check out the alternatives.
Kim
