Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview
A more tightly wound and concentrated expression of Bin 389, showcasing the same Cabernet-Shiraz framework (Cabernet for backbone, Shiraz for richness) but delivered with greater tension, density, and youthful drive. This vintage leans more serious and structured than 2022, highlighting the fascinating impact vintage conditions have on balance, ripeness, and extraction in agricultural wines.

Aromas & Flavors
Intense blackcurrant, crushed blackberry, dark cherry, and graphite dominate the aromatics, layered with fresh cedar, cocoa nib, and subtle minty spice. The palate is compact and powerful, showing darker fruit concentration, savory spice, and tightly coiled oak structure that promises excellent evolution with time.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and more compact than the 2022. Tannins are firmer and more youthful, giving a punchier, more linear profile. The wine feels energetic and focused, with impressive density and length, clearly built for further integration.

Food Pairings
Char-grilled steak or venison. Slow-braised beef cheeks. Pepper-crusted lamb. Smoked meats and firm aged cheeses.

Verdict
A bolder, more muscular Bin 389 that trades immediate plushness for intensity and aging potential. A striking reminder of how vintage variation shapes personality, same blueprint, very different expression.

Did You Know?
Penfolds sources fruit for Bin 389 from multiple South Australian regions, blending different terroirs and climates to build complexity, consistency, and layered structure across vintages.

🍷 Personal Pick
If you enjoy tracking wine evolution, this is a fantastic candidate for short-to-mid-term cellaring, revisit in a few years to watch the structure melt into harmony. Also check my previous 2022 review!
— 13 days ago

Diane Heyboer

8.9

Had the 2021 in February of 2026. Lots of blueberry and vanilla with some spice with this one. Enjoyed this one more with food rather than sipping alone. — 3 days ago

Tami Whatcott

10

Very unique, vanilla, coffee, and something that smells and tastes like turkey jerky — a month ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Gotham dinner party

Was a bit subdued but showed really nice complexity and fruit. — 9 days ago

Amanda Drazka

9.2

This New Zealand Sauvignon blanc offers a bright nose with notes of lime, grapefruit, tropical fruit and sea salt at the end. It is a dry, acidic, medium bodied wine. Flavours of grapefruit and mango are present on the palette. It has a long finish beginning with tropical fruits and ending with sea salt. This wine paired well with sushi. — 12 days ago

Diane Heyboer

8.9

Had the 2022 in February of 2026. Blackberry and dark cherry with a barrel forward character on the nose. Not super tannic- berry/cherry throughout. Short finish with hints of tannin on the end. — 3 days ago

with Matthew, Ethan and 2 others

Peter Coulthard

9.0

Really good wine but remembered it better. Maybe I aerated it too well but lacked some of its usual smooth punch. — 9 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

10

Torbreck RunRig Shiraz–Viognier 2021
Barossa Valley, South Australia 🇦🇺

Overview: 
A monumental Barossa Rhône-inspired powerhouse blend of approximately 98% Shiraz and 2% Viognier, delivering extraordinary depth, concentration, and architectural structure while retaining aromatic lift and finesse. This is Barossa at its most commanding yet disciplined, massive fruit density wrapped in precision, energy, and length. A wine that commands attention, rewards contemplation, and delivers relentless momentum from first sip to finish.

Aromas & Flavors: 
Explosive black plum, blackberry compote, cassis, and dark cherry saturate the nose, layered with violets, smoked spice, cocoa nib, graphite, and subtle savory meat tones. The palate unfolds in waves of black fruit intensity, crushed stone minerality, licorice, espresso, and warm spice, finishing long, deep, and persistently resonant.

Mouthfeel: 
Full-bodied, muscular, and impeccably structured with commanding tannins that feel polished rather than aggressive. Immense mid-palate density is balanced by freshness and lift, creating a sense of power without heaviness. The texture is authoritative, layered, and built for long-term evolution.

Food Pairings: 
Dry-aged ribeye or wagyu. Slow-braised lamb shank with rosemary and garlic. Venison with black cherry reduction. Smoked brisket. Aged hard cheeses such as Comté, Manchego, or aged Gouda.

Verdict: 
A truly elite expression of modern Barossa Shiraz, concentrated, complex, and unapologetically serious while remaining beautifully balanced and energetic. This is a reference-point wine that delivers immediate impact and exceptional cellar potential.

Did You Know?: 
RunRig is sourced from some of Barossa’s oldest and most revered Shiraz vineyards, with Viognier co-fermented in the traditional Northern Rhône style to enhance aromatic complexity, texture, and freshness.

🍷 Personal Pick: 
This wine completely captured my heart 100%, layered, commanding, and dangerously irresistible. One of those bottles that makes restraint impossible and reminds you why great wine can be genuinely emotional. A true benchmark experience.
— 13 days ago

Sam Friedland

9.1

Very nice Shiraz, reminds me CNDP-rhone valley. — 16 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Often the Grosset Polish Hill doesn’t live up to its billing as perhaps Australia’s finest dry Riesling but with this 2017 it probably exceeds expectations. It is simply fabulous. Some ripe lusciousness to the mid palate amid lime and lemon notes, but finishes bone dry. My first of 4 bottles so I will enjoy the journey over the next 5+ years if I can keep my hands off it. HH said it is shaping up as one of the greatest Polish Hill Rieslings. — a month ago