rossa soils and the swinging effect of the weather.’ Nonetheless, most wines from this era are past their best, but 1972 was a very good Penfolds year and prime cellaring conditions preserved the wine brilliantly. 4 Medium crimson. Typical red cherry, redcurrant aromas with roasted walnut, hint praline notes. Fresh, well concentrated and sweet-fruited with ample red berry fruits, some dark chocolate notes and plentiful chalky textures, medium-bodied claret style. In near-perfect condition. Looks much younger than its label date! 1972 Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz Coonawarra – South Australia After seeing the Penfolds Bin 49 Grange, it was odd encountering another Bin 49 under the Leasingham label. The series first kicked off with the 1967 vintage and was varietally labelled as cabernet sauvignon even though it comprised malbec or shiraz in the blend. James Halliday (1984) described the multi-gold-winning 1975 (Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth) as rich, complex, and with strong American oak, and the 1978 as, ‘quite outstanding, with excellent varietal definition and form, cool/ varietal cabernet evident on a long palate with a lingering finish’. 1975 Leasingham Bin 49 Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley – South Australia 3 Medium-deep crimson. Lifted blackcurrant, black cherry, earthy aromas with bush garrigue notes. VA evident on the nose. Inky deep with ample evolved dark berry fruits, earthy, leafy complexity, fine chalky/grainy textures, superb mid-palate volume and richness. Finishes firm with saline notes, 90% cabernet sauvignon, 10% malbec. Flawed but holding. Past its peak. 1978 Leasingham Bin 49 Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley – South Australia 3 Medium-deep crimson. Well-developed wine with ample dark chocolate, stone fruit, aromas and flavours with mineral/graphite/ petrichor notes. Well advanced and claret in style with fresh, slinky, touch leafy textures, very good mid-palate volume and underlying bittersweet/ chinotto notes. Dusty dry finish. 95% cabernet sauvignon, 5% shiraz (imported by Averys & Co, of Bristol, on the label).
Hong Kong, March 2026
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