Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2020
98 POINT RATED ANDREW CAILLARD MW 96 POINT RATED THE REAL REVIEW & WINE PILOT
- ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 0 out of 5 stars.
- 98 Point Rated Andrew Caillard MW
- 96 Point Rated Huon Hooke The Real Review
- 96 Point Rated Nick Stock James Suckling
- 95 Point Rated James Halliday Wine Companion
Vintage: | 2020 |
Source/Region: | Marananga, Barossa Valley |
Grape Variety: | Shiraz |
Cellaring: | Drink now or cellar up to 2040 |
Bottle Top: | Stelvin |
Alcohol Content: | 14.50 |
Standard Drinks: | 8.60 |
Rating: | 98 |
Our Marananga vineyards lie in the heart of the Barossa Valley, typifying everything we love about Barossa shiraz. Such complexity! So many layers to unfurl. A distinctive ferric nose denotes the ancient Marananga ironstone, hundreds of millions of years old. Also derived from this geology, dusty graphite powder and whetstone, asphalt/hydrocarbon. A walk-through Chinatown... roast duck with plum sauce, Hoisin BBQ pork ribs. Notes of exotic spice, star anis, cardamom, pimento, acknowledging French puncheon influence. As we have come to anticipate, satsuma plums and boysenberries provide a varietal/regional signature. Grippy, ripe and rich tannins anchor a tightly structured frame. Freshly sawn oak. Rye sourdough crust – still hot out of the oven. Toasted pumpkin seeds on grilled haloumi. Sarsaparilla, black cardamom pods and ethereal nutmeg spice.
Marananga experienced the second consecutive year of winter drought. Soil moisture levels were well below average leading into the growing season. Spring was cool and dry, driven by below average minimum and maximum temperatures. The trend of cool and dry weather continued well into November delaying flowering and fruit-set. The 2019 calendar year was the driest on record for the Nuriootpa weather station. Summer was typically hot, the Barossa Valley recorded 26 days over 35°C. Conditions in January and February provided some relief. Average February maximum temperatures were 3°C below average. This, combined with a welcome downpour of rain on 1 February, allowed the grapes to slowly reach full ripeness. The unique soils and aspect of Marananga, along with managed irrigation, ensured the region was able to meet the climate.
98 Point Rated - Andrew Caillard MW
"Medium deep crimson. Intense liquorice, dark chocolate, blackberry aromas with toasty vanilla notes. Classical inky, blackberry, dark plum, dark chocolate flavours, vigorous fine graphite/ al dente tannins, superb roasted chestnut/ vanilla oak complexity and underlying persistent acidity. Finishes cedar firm with a brambly tannin plume. Superb density, richness and claret-like torque. A brilliant year for Bin 150. 12 months in American (24% new), French (23% new) and seasoned oak hogsheads and puncheons. Drink now – 2038."
96 Point Rated - Erin Larkin Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
“ The Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz has always been a dense, concentrated and muscly wine. Then imagine the overlay of a warm and dry vintage (for some context – 26 days in a row over 35 degrees Celsius), the second in a string of warm, dry vintages. Yields were drastically down, up to 70% in some places, and the power of the reds in particular are a force to be reckoned with. So here, to 2020 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz: savoury, spicy tannins form a casing around the fruit, the oak supporting from the back. There are notes of dark blackberry, blood plum. Nag Champa (clove tabacco), pink peppercorns and saturated fruit. There’s a side of deli meat in there, too. If you can put aside the density and weight of the wine (impressive), the fruit is pure and beautiful. 2020 may have been responsible for brooding and concentrated wines, but I have found much to love this year. This included. Sensational.”
96 Point Rated - Huon Hooke The Real Review
"Very deep, rich red-purple with faint tints of black, the bouquet earth and dried blood/ferrous notes, terracotta, licorice and blackberry jam; the wine is very full-bodied and stacked with tannin, chocolate and subtle touches of toasty oak, the palate and finish very drying with firm, mouth-puckering but good-quality tannins that cleanse the aftertaste. A powerhouse of a wine."
96 Point Rated - Nick Stock JamesSuckling.com
“ Deeply expressive and rich in dark plum and blackberry fruit, as well as iodine and tarry elements, this speaks so clearly to the warm and dry Marananga area of the Barossa Valley. Powerful dark fruit and tarry and savoury notes on the palate, with bold and muscular tannins that carry the ripe black-fruit flavours so deep. Some licorice and sarsaparilla to close. Striking as always, this is a very composed Bin 150 with impressive poise.”
96 Point Rated - Ken Gargett Wine Pilot
"A sub-regional red here, with Marananga being quintessential Barossa for many. A blend of Shiraz which saw eighteen months in French (29% new) and American oak (also 29% new), from a mix of hogsheads and large puncheons. Equals any Bin 150 yet released. Dark purple/maroon hue, there is a wonderful nose here – intense, concentrated and yet immaculately balanced. Notes of plums, quality dark chocolate, black fruits, blueberries, leather, cocoa powder, warm earth, tobacco leaves and bergamot – amazing early complexity. Silky tannins and great length, there is a fine acid/tannin balance with the intensity never wavering. Celler for twenty years in good cellars."
95 Point Rated - Jeni Port Wine Pilot
"Vintage and winemaking variation is apparent in the ’21 Marananga. A cool vintage in the Barossa combined with longer time in oak is noted but the essence, intensity and velvety richness of Marananga remains strong. Vibrant inky purple hues, so dense, so Marananga. Abundant ripe dark and blue berry fruits, briar, blackstrap licorice and spicy oak envelope the senses. A terrific ensemble cast works the palate with great teamwork between fruit and oak. It must be noted that Marananga saw a total of 18 months in American and French oak, six months more than some previous releases, giving rise to a creamy texture and added savoury notes. The usual rounded warmth and richness remains, as ever, a lasting sensation."
95 Point Rated - James Halliday Wine Companion
"Matured for 12 months in American (24% new) and French (23% new) hogsheads and puncheons. From the heart of the Barossa Valley, and – as usual – proud of it. The deep colour stains the glass as the wine is swirled. A fusion of dark chocolate, dark berries, leather and cedar oak. Dialled up, not down, yet it achieves without heat on a full-bodied palate that is not confronted by tannins. A very good example of the style."
94 Point Rated - Campbell Mattinson
"Shiraz from the Marananga sub-region of the Barossa Valley. 12 months in American (24% new) and French oak (23% new) hogsheads and puncheons. This is syrupy and soft, straightforward but seductive. Milk chocolate and blackberry, rich plum and resiny-vanilla. Tannin spreads out through the back half of the wine, importantly, necessarily, lest the fruits run away with the spoon. This is the bold, flavour-rich face of Penfolds, black fruit soaked in black fruit, oak sunk within. It’s a full-on or V8 expression of Barossa shiraz but it’s an excellent version of it."
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