Wine Advocate and Decanter ratings just released... adding to the mix... 

Please reply to order. The wines are due to arrive in March. There are FOUR wines being offered.

Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz Bin 98 Quantum 2018 – Sale $525 – 98 pts James Suckling / 97+ pts Wine Advocate / 97 pts Decanter / 95 pts Wine Enthusiast - 87% Cabernet Sauvignon/ 13% Syrah “What sticks with you about this global blend of Napa and Southern Australian wine is the intense and transparent purple and blue fruit. Lots of blackberry and blueberry aromas with some stones and flowers, such as violets. It’s a very layered and intense wine with very refined, creamy and chewy tannins. Full and very impressive. Very Penfolds. Mouth-filling texture. It’s made mostly from Napa grapes and predominantly from Oakville and Diamond Mountain. About one-fifth is from South Australia. Aged in 80% new American oak and 20% new French. Try after 2026.” JS

• “The inaugural release of this red combines 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Shiraz, using grapes from both Napa Valley and South Australia. Dark and brooding, it delivers a smooth, textured palate of bright red fruit and supple, integrated tannins, with meaty undertones along a continuum of black pepper, graphite and leather.” WE
• The first release of this new iconoclastic label, the 2018 Quantum Bin 98 is labeled as a "Wine of the World," although the AVA is the United States and technically 87% is American wine (Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley), while 13% is Australian ("Grade A1" Shiraz from South Australia). The wine spent 16 months in oak, 100% new, 80% American oak and 20% French. In fact, the wine is made very much like Grange, in that it completes fermentation in new, mainly American oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a good amount of swirling to unlock slowly emerging scents of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves, blueberry compote and cassis with fragrant suggestions of vanilla pod, violets, coconut, crushed rocks, pencil lead and clove oil. Medium to full-bodied, the generously fruited palate explodes in the mouth with ripe, juicy black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and a lovely burst of freshness, finishing long and spicy. It is mostly all fruit and American oak at this youthful stage, but I imagine that like Grange, its real appeal comes with bottle age. I would give it at least five years to allow the oak to marry and tertiary nuances to emerge, then drink it over the next 20 years or more. To manage expectations—this doesn't taste like Napa or South Australia. It doesn't even taste like the 2018 vintage here in Napa. It really is its own thing, which I suppose is the point. - WA
• A Wine of the World is a big statement, and this blend of 87% Napa Valley Cabernet with South Australian Shiraz creates a purposeful bridge between two national styles. The Cabernet is typically Napa (from the Oakville and Diamond Mountain District AVAs): stern and solid, flexing powerful muscle as earth and iodine notes speak much louder than fruit sweetness. The addition of Shiraz (an elite component, considered for Grange inclusion) isn’t obvious, yet its influence is profound, with a hint of ripe plum adding a vivid burst of colour to the dark flavour spectrum. The two varieties strike a happy equilibrium on the mid-palate, wrapping generous layers of rich fruit and supple texture into a seamless weave.  Decanter

Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 149 2018 - Sale $125.99 –  97 pts James Suckling / 96 pts Decanter / 95 pts Wine Enthusiast / 95 pts Wine Advocate- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 85% from Napa and 14.9% from Australia. “Lots of blackberry, currant, light chocolate and hazelnut. This is rather dense and plush, but shows impressive layers of tannins that have a rough-velvet texture. Juicy and intense fruit. The grapes come from the AVAs of Rutherford, Calistoga, Oakville and then spread across Napa. 14.9% comes from South Australia. A global wine. In the end, it’s nicely toned and curated. Needs three or four years to come together. Try after 2025.” JS

• “This wine is a blend of grapes from Napa Valley (85.1%) and South Australia (14.9%). A tannic structure gives way to a welcome juiciness of tangy cranberry and currant flavors. French and American oak aging impart a moderate level of toast and vanilla tones, with accents of cedar, dried herbs and black pepper chiming in. The bright acidity lasts through a long, supple finish.”WE
• Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 149 slips gracefully out of the glass with notions of wild blueberries, blackcurrant cordial and mulberries with an undercurrent of Indian spices, sandalwood, cigar box and dusty soil plus a touch of garrigue. Full-bodied, rich and decadently played in the mouth, it has firm, rounded tannins and bold freshness supporting the voluptuous layers, finishing long and spicy. The adaption of some of the Grange "formula" (for want of a better term) of winemaking seems to lend more of an Australian style to this wine, although there is no mistaking the Napa Cabernet fruit profile in all but the texture of the tannins, which are more typical of Australia. It's a true chimera! WA
• A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, combining 85.1% fruit from the Napa Valley (predominantly from Oakville, Rutherford and Calistoga AVAs) and the remainder from several of Penfolds’ South Australian vineyards, moving it beyond the expected Napa Cab expression to instead exert its own unique personality. The Australian component introduces rich, lifted aromas of blueberry and blackberry, and a more opulent fruit presence. It adds freshness and vibrancy to the dense Napa body, resulting in a vivacious, cheery red still bound by firm tannins. Decanter

Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 704 2018 - Sale $59.99 – 96 pts Wine Enthusiast /  95 pts James Suckling/ 95 pts Decanter / 91 pts Wine Advocate - “A beautiful,aromatic wine with blackcurrant, cool fruit and hints of minerals and tar. Full-bodied, yet polished and really well manicured. Long and creamy. Shows tension, energy and refinement. Drink after 2024, but so beautiful already. Hard not to drink.” JS

• “This is the first vintage of the Australian producer’s foray into Napa Valley. It is tightly structured yet supple, bursting in bright currant and strawberry flavors. Savory components of sage, dried herb and black pepper dot the palate alongside silky tannins and chocolate-laced richness. A fresh touch of blood orange arises on the finish. Enjoy from 2028 – 2033.” WE
• Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vibrant Morello cherries, crushed black and red currants and boysenberries scents, followed by touches of cedar chest, menthol, dried roses and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has an approachable, grainy texture and a lively line lifting the black berry flavors on the bright, pure finish. Among the recently released quartet of USA/Californian wines under the Penfolds banner, this has the clearest sense of identity (other than Penfolds). It is a well-made Napa Cab with its own take on the typical style.  WA
• Bright and vibrant in the glass with deep, dark aromas of black plum grasped in a tight-fisted blackberry glove. While the body is fashionably lean, the initially tight flavours relax to a plush embrace. More is revealed as the wine opens up in the mouth: sumptuous fruit that remains firm and politely behaved, a chew of tobacco and deliberate oak tannins that bite in the tail. Decanter

Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz Bin 600 2018 - Sale $44.99 – 93 pts James Suckling / 93 pts Wine Enthusiast / 92 pts Decanter / 90 pts Wine Advocate - 78% Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa & Sonoma) / 22% Shiraz (Camatta Hills Vineyard, Paso) “ A very fine and polished red with cherry, berry, chocolate and cedar aromas and flavors. Some spice and meat with hints of tea leaf. Some ash, too. Medium body and extremely refined texture, showing real balance and elegance. The tannins spread across the palate in a beautiful way. 78% cabernet sauvignon and 22% shiraz.” JS

• ”This is a blend of 78% Napa Valley and Sonoma-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Shiraz from Paso Robles. IT is a smooth and earthy wine that offers flavors of leather, earth, iron and crushed rock cut against herbal accents.” WE
• Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of stewed plums, black cherry preserves and blueberry pie plus suggestions of kirsch, spice cake, licorice and dried mint. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a nice chewiness to the texture and just enough freshness supporting the black fruit preserves, finishing on a savory note. WA
•  It’s a brassy move to indoctrinate Californian fruit with a strapping Aussie identity, in a Cab-Shiraz clearly fashioned to fit the Penfolds' mould. The addition of 22% Shiraz brings warmth and plum pudding generosity to the mid-palate, a warm embrace of firm red fruits that is both bold and cohesive. An arresting nose presents lifted spice notes – clove, allspice and nutmeg – along with a shaving of cedar wood, while the assertive oak influence and biting tannins speak with a boisterous Australian accent rather than a Californian drawl.