Penfolds, Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz, 2023

"2023 was a challenging year in Coonawarra: it was wet, it was hot, it was wet, it was hot again. The Shiraz worked well, but the Cabernet Sauvignon not as well. The 2023 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz has notes of blue fruits, dried mint, dusty cocoa powder with a little bitterness therein, alongside sweet black licorice. It's a lovely, mid-weight wine here, with length and detail. It matured for 12 months in French oak hogsheads (26% new, 39% one year old). 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork."

"A cool-climate Shiraz sibling to the opulent multi-region Bin 28 and a successful one this year, as Shiraz escaped the issues that plagued Cabernet Sauvignon in Coonawarra in 2023. A friendly, juicy, crowd-pleasing wine – ripe and round, smooth and supple with bright peppery red fruit juiciness, a herbal orange bitter tang and cleansing acidity. There’s some smoky spice from 12 months in French oak hogsheads (26% new) and the tannins are fine and toothsome. While it will age happily for the next 20 years, I suspect it will be at its most charming over the next decade."