Penfolds Australian Collection – 2022 Release The core Penfolds Australian collection remains the reference, and like every release in memory, there are peaks and troughs. The peaks this year are the exceptional 2018 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz and the 2020 Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna Chardonnay. The collection also highlights the consistency of Penfolds’ House Style, cross-regional sourcing, and staggered vintage releases (2018–2022). 2018 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange is a particularly beautiful wine, and highlights the evolution of fruit sourcing and winemaking. Although Chief Winemaker Peter Gago and his team still reference the original blueprint, the small ‘one-percenters’ over the last 30 years have taken the style to another level. Much of this work has been done in the vineyard, through meticulous management and fruit selection. But advances in winemaking techniques, technology and oak selection have also played their part. There was a waypoint in 1986, and I wonder whether 2018 might possibly be another important marker on the Grange journey. Regardless, it will be framed against the more recent great vintages (especially 1990 and 2010) for years to come. 2020 Penfolds Bin 144 Yattarna is also a splendid release, reflecting outstanding fruit sourcing, technical winemaking, selection and oak maturation. The wine has marvellous freshness, fruit definition, volume and tension, and should have a wonderful cellaring career ahead of it. The Tasmanian component is a significant feature of the wine. For those with a more modest budget, the 2020 Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz is a superb example of regional definition, fruit complexity and oak integration. Also worth mentioning are the 2020 Penfolds Bin 389, which lives up to its reputation as an Australian classic, and the impressive 2020 Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Shiraz, which furthers the reputation of the 2020 Barossa vintage. This particular style is really coming into its own now, with a very good track record for cellaring. 2019 Penfolds St Henri and 2019 Penfolds Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, both from a recognised Penfolds vintage, are also successful wines and promise a great cellaring career. 2020 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz is a brilliantly well-made wine, as is the very expressive 2021 Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay. Of special interest is the Tasmania fruit-sourced 2021 Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir. If its provenance continues in this direction, expect this series to take off now. 2020 Penfolds Bin 138 is also delicious. I prefer the primary fruit in this style and recommend it for early drinking, although it should last for some distance. In addition to the strikingly beautiful 2020 Penfolds Yattarna, the 2021 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay and the more modestly priced 2021 Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay are impressive reference styles, the latter being extremely good value. All of these chardonnay-based wines have been on form for years. This is largely
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