NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds prior to 1992 (blind)
Darling Mills, Glebe
Tasted Monday, August 7, 2000 by graemeg with 739 views
Introduction
Just the seven Rotters gathered at the usual venue. But there was no shortage of bottles. In a twist, wines were served blind (except the last 1971 wine).
1990 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
Australia, South Australia
Dark coffee/chocolate nose. Stunning integration of blackcurrant fruit and oak on palate. Tannins absolutely fine and focussed. Warm on palate, extraordinary length. Super wine. Surprisingly drinkable now, and a hard act to follow…
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1992 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna
Australia, South Australia
Coconut, pepper & spice nose. Quite astringent on palate, although the tannins are quite fine – fruit is clearly dominated by oak. Not unripe, but fruit is in the background. Medium length.
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1991 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
First impression of earthiness. Bit wet & woolly. Again, palate is earthy, fruit very submerged. Quote astringent, and forward on palate (tip of the tongue). I thought it might have been Coonawarra in a bad year (served blind) was surprised to find it was 91…
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1991 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407
Australia, South Australia
Super nose of meat, blackberries and vanilla oak. Just screams cabernet! But the palate doesn’t really live up to the nose. Surprising to find a cabernet so light on the back palate, and the length of finish was medium at best. Hmmm.
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1990 Penfolds Bin 920
Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra
Incredibly intense nose of chocolate & oak and blackcurrant/blackberry fruits. Palate was incredibly rich, yet not overpowering. Tannins are fine yet strong. Rare to find a wine so soft but still powerful on the palate is such an elegant way. We felt it was a blend because it just seemed so complete… sensational length. Irresistible wine.
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1991 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna
Australia, South Australia
Inky raspberry nose. Hugely tannic on teeth & gums but somehow biased all towards the front palate. Finish fades surprisingly quickly. Not really up to scratch.
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1986 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri Claret
Australia, South Australia
Super nose of rich plums, red berries & soft oaky aromas. Stunningly rich mouthfeel; coats the whole palate with delicious black bery flavours. Tannins are rounded and soft, with wonderful length & finish. A really great wine.
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1990 Penfolds Bin 389
Australia, South Australia
Rather closed & concentrated. Very meaty, Penfolds-house-style barrel-berment characters plus rich stewed jam & berry fruits. Very rich & full on palate with great length. After the Bin 920 & St henri though, it feels rather brutal in the mouth. A very good wine, but still needs some time to soften out.
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1980 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707
Australia, South Australia
Towards the lighter side of brick red. Lovely aged characters on the nose, a slightly tarry note intrudes besides the soft cedary oak. Only just medium weight on palate, tending to be dominated a little by hard acid on the finish. Very pleasant but is clearly fading. Drink up.
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1971 Penfolds Bin 389
Australia, South Australia
A curio of mine. After double-decanting (very-high-shoulder) at about fours prior it seemed a bit tired and volatile, so I stuck the cork in and brought it along. It actually opened out beautifully in the glass. Still just a hint of volatility overlaid with old leather and tar aromas. Not much detectable fruit on the palate – it’s all secondary flavours, but very drinkable. Soft and gentle, and rather hard to find specific descriptors for. A nice surprise, in any case.
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1980 Château de Rayne-Vigneau
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Only just mid-yellow. Dusty nose with hints of figs and long-gone sulphur. Quite flinty on the palate, with an almost dry finish of medium length. Rather mean as far as sweetness goes, and clearly leaning towards austere rather than luscious, but refreshing none-the-less. Could make as good an aperitif.
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