2022 Bin 169
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Tasting notes
The Bin 169 is wonderfully distinct and balanced, the nose reveals layers of peppery spice and perfectly ripe blackberries that open up in the glass. Full-bodied the and intense The palate is full of ripe cassis, blackberry and wild herbs – at 14.5% abv this wine carries its weight well through to the finish. This 2022 has a vibrant energy that will give pleasure over the next 2 decades.
Critic scores
Average Score
Colin Hay, The Drinks Business
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
This is really fantastic, with blackcurrants, blackberries, dark tobacco and cassis bush. It’s full-bodied and layered with gorgeous tannins that are caressing and focused. Plush texture, yet it’s focused, framed, bright and vivid. No hints of mint or eucalyptus. A classical approach to Coonawarra cabernet. Needs three to five years to really show its greatness. Best after 2027.
This wonderfully expressive 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 169 Coonawarra is delightful with a powerful core of youthful, focused and energetic fruit still tightly bound. It then manages to balance layers of vibrant flavors with a significant load of tannins before tightening up on the finish. Embryonic today, but promises much over the next two decades.
The Bin 169 is Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra and matured in French oak. The 2022 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is succulent and fresh. Certainly, it is powerfully structured and concentrated but manages vitality and detail. It is Coonawarra more than anything, and in a great, ferruginous, pure sort of way. In terms of context, I like this vintage as much as the 2010 vintage, which I view to be the greatest Bin 169 made since its inception in 2008. I note that I have historically given the 2019 a higher score the 2021; however, on other occasions have scored it several points lower. Different bottles, different environments. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. Stylistically, this cuvée tends to be viewed as an elegant iteration of Cabernet Sauvignon, within the context of the collection. This is true, to a certain extent. However, it is possessed of imposing structure and firm tannins, the impact of which is softened in the Bin 707 due to its élevage in American oak. This rigid, imposing, tannin structure of the Bin 169 is indicative of the style inherent in Coonawarra, and it sits well within the wine. While I prefer French oak influence in Cabernet generally, I find the Bin 169 wine has less flesh and less cushioning than its sibling 707 and will evolve in a leafier, "cigar box" direction. They are quite different styles, with distinct futures ahead of them.
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.