Penfolds, Barossa Valley-Coonawarra, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, Bin 60A 2004

VERY RARE - Nationwide merchants will have only 2-3 bottles available in any year, rarely will any one merchant have 2 or more available at a time. 

The 2004 Penfolds Bin 60A, which was first offered to the public as a futures release (en primeur), is Peter Gago's gesture to the great 1962 Bin 60A.

in 2005, I was part of the Christie's North American team who's partnership with Penfolds allowed us exclusive auction access to a 6 bottle lot. The New York Times, Eric Asimov, March 22, 2006 column wrote:

Penfolds's 1962 Bin 60A, half cabernet, half shiraz, is a legendary wine, and for the first time since then, in 2004, Penfolds produced another Bin 60A.

In an auction at Christie's in New York last fall, a six-bottle lot sold for more than $4,900.

This is by far the greatest wine I have ever tasted from Penfolds. - Scott, C4

PENFOLDS NOTES

Exquisite parcels of Bock 20 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, Koonungal Hill and Kalimna Vineyard Barossa Shiraz were identified and separately vinified at Magill and Nuriootpa in open and closed headed down fermenters. Towards dryness, the wine was racked into 100% new oak where the wine completed fermentation. After malolactic fermentation, individual components were classified and then selected for inclusion into the 2004 PENFOLDS Bin 60A blend.

VINTAGE CONDITIONS

Above average winter rainfall led into a promising vintage, which was characterised by mild conditions up until February, followed by hot weather conditions throughout March and April. South Australia fared well and produced wines of elegance and intensity.

GRAPE VARIETY

Block 20 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvingon (56%), Kalimna Blocks 4 & 14, Koonunga Hill Block 53G Shiraz (44%)

Winemaker comments by Peter Gago - PENFOLDS Chief Winemaker

COLOUR Deep in colour.

NOSE This youthful, elemental wine shows a miraculous overlapping of aromas and flavours. The regional characters of both Coonawarra and the Barossa Valley are finely poised.

PALATE The highly perfumed, chamomile/violet/mocha aromas, immense concentration, savoury flavours and classically structured palate are in superb balance. This beautifully defined, cross-regional/ varietal with its meaty nuanced and fine-grained tannins will continue to evolve in the cellar for decades.

99 points Wine Advocate

Blended of 56% Coonawarra Cabernet from Block 20 and 44% Barossa Shiraz from Koonunga Hill Block 56G and Kalimna Blocks 4 and 14, the wine was matured in 100% new American oak hogsheads for 13 months. Very deep purple-black in color, it offers restrained notes of game, smoked meat, earth, blackberry and black currant liqueurs, yeast, marmite-toast plus whiffs of dried lavender, cedar and bark. Very crisp, very tight and very firm, this taut medium-bodied wine is still all structure at this stage, going very long and earthy in the finish. (LPB) 99+  (12/2010)

97 points James Suckling

Plum, currant and blackberry. Mint. Dark berry. Full body chewy and rich. Just a baby. Needs time to soften. A great wine. Better in 2022 but already great.  (2/2018)