the 20th century and a colossus in the canon of Australian wine. Although it wasn’t commercially released (yet bottles found their way into the market in various ways), it enjoyed an astonishing wine show career and established a mythical status within the Australian wine community and beyond. As a biographer of the Penfolds brand and erstwhile wine auctioneer, I have been privileged to see the wine on many occasions through myriad forums, dinners and tastings over 35 years. Whenever I taste or drink the wine, it is like catching up with an old friend who is rarely out of sorts. Although the frequency has diminished over the years, it will always remain a standout all-time great. At a recent Penfolds dinner in Bordeaux, with a distinguished guest list of winemakers and international journalists, we were treated to a perfect example of this most famous wine. While it does not have the Churchillian references of 1945 Ch Mouton Rothschild, the transformative 1962 Bin 60A paved the way for ultra-fine Australian wine and brought kudos and fame to Coonawarra. The Barossa component gave the wine richness and volume, but it was the expressive cool climate cabernet that turned heads at the time. The South Australian Cabernet Shiraz blend, where the woof of cabernet and weft of shiraz magically intertwines, also took off as a classic red wine style during the 1960s. Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz has since become a wine collector’s stalwart and rarely disappoints. And every now and again, Penfolds releases an homage to Bin 60A, some of which have established very good secondary market currency. 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Kalimna Shiraz South Australia 1962 Penfolds Bin 60A is one of the greatest Australian wines ever made. In a world where egos readily clashed, the 1962 Penfold Bin 60A unified wine critics and show judges. It is Penfolds’ most successful show wine, winning 19 trophies and 33 gold medals. A confluence of oenological, physical and philosophical achievement, 1962 Bin 60A was a cross- regional blend which exemplified the emerging Penfolds house wine style and the compelling attributes of blending Cabernet with Shiraz. In seeking his ‘ethereal’ wine, Max Schubert identified that the perfumed cassis/violet aromas, elegant flavours and fine-grained tannins of cool climate Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon could be complemented with the warm climate characteristics of ripe fruit and round chocolaty textures of Barossa Valley Shiraz.
Penfolds Collection 2022
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