Ranked #3 of 18 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz from Barossa Valley
96/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Very deep, dark red colour with a good tint of purple. The bouquet is sweetly super-ripe with loads of blackberry jam and fruit sweetness, the palate likewise sumptuously deep in fruit with oak keeping very much in the background. The flavour fills the mouth superbly and continues long into the aftertaste, harmonised by lashings of soft, ripe tannins. There are definite notes of cassis and herb from the cabernet component and the oak contributes a subtle trace of charred timber that complements the fruit. Sumptuous fruit sweetness. A ripping wine that seems to be less oak-marked than this wine traditionally is.
Tasted: 07/07/2020
Drink: 2021 to 2040
96 Points James Halliday
This '20 release marks the 60th anniversary of Bin 389. It is a 57/43% blend from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway, Coonawarra, Robe and Wrattonbully, matured in American hogsheads (38% new). A perennial favourite of mine, though the price does cause me to blink. It has great colour, and a supple mouthfeel that invests the wine with a hint of elegance, underlined by the fluid, flawless balance, the length a given. Drink to 2040.
James Halliday. November, 2021