A Lifetime with Bin 95
In the world of wine, Penfolds Grange reaches beyond the clouds and above the din. My journey with Bin 95 has covered nearly five decades of wine research. Tasting and evaluating this wine over the years have encouraged me never to stop. In a recent meeting with Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, I tasted 13 wines before arriving at bottle 14, the 2018 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange. As with many of these standout moments in my career, time freezes, making the impression indelible for all eternity. While the meeting involved evaluating a baker's dozen from the Penfolds portfolio before the star took the stage, My senses were ready for the main event as Peter poured the wine with a smile.
“The journey begins in 1950, when Max Schubert returned from a trip to Europe inspired to make, in his view, a great Australian claret; a full-bodied and well-balanced wine capable of staying alive for a minimum of 20 years.” (Penfolds® The Rewards of Patience, Eight Edition, Andrew Caillard MW). As a young wine professional in the early 1970s, I learned to respect the term, “claret.” The British, who ruled the wine business, and the Americans in the wine hierarchy used the word denoting Bordeaux of a higher class. Winemaker Schubert embracing the concept, brazenly felt he could match the French with his Australian version. He launched the wine as his experiment. Initially, the project proceeded with the company’s okay. Then, in 1957, Penfolds wanted Max to discontinue the project. Management felt that the wine was not aged-worthy and not worth the company’s investment of time and money. An unnamed wine critic thought it was no better than a “good, dry port.” Today the new releases arrive in the marketplace at $950.00 and always get media and trade attention.
Peter Gago at Rutherford House
It was powerful and yet incredibly elegant.
Over the years, I have evaluated many vintages in different circumstances, and the wine has always commanded my attention. So when I tasted the 2018 vintage with Peter, everything was perfect. I arrived early and tasted four offerings of the Champagne Thiénot x Penfolds project; they were terrific, and I have visited Thiénot in Champagne before. We worked methodically through the wines, and though we did not spend much time with the show's star, that moment was all I needed to understand the newly released vintage. It was powerful and yet incredibly elegant. As Chief Winemaker Peter Gago poured the wine, I could already see his knowing expression that he was offering one of the most incredible Bin 95 Grange he has made. He was, as expected, silent as he watched my reaction.
In 2020, in the dark days of the Pandemic, I attended the unveiling of the 2015 vintage at the Penfolds California Korean Pig, An Emperor’s Feast event. The moment was bizarre because of the protocols of Covid_19. From the moment I drove into the garage to my arrival at The Vault Garden in the courtyard of the Bank of America building in San Francisco’s FiDi, I was careful and nervous. It was difficult in a time before vaccinations, and now I would be drinking great wines and enjoying incredible food with people besides my wife for the first time in months. But, the venue was mindful, and we enjoyed one of the year’s most exciting events. The 2015 Bin 95 Grange took the spotlight. Powerful as expected and worthy of 20+ years in the cellar.
On November 16, 2021, I attended Penfolds – “Meet Extraordinary” at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, where they showcased the 2017 Bin 95 Grange. The room buzzed with wine excitement, smiling faces, and highly-trained professionals. It was a breakout event in year two of Covid 19.
I tasted the 2010 and the 2006 vintage of Bin 95 Grange, and this pair may have been the best vintages up to that time.
Penfolds Grange bin 95
At the 12th Annual Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting on October 21, 2015, in the lovely City View at San Francisco’s Metreon, I tasted the 2010 and the 2006 vintage of Bin 95 Grange, and this pair may have been the best vintages up to that date in time. The event was star-studded with luminaries and exceptional wines. Crowded and dark, this setting would always be a challenge. While I couldn’t see the wine color well in that darkened room, I could feel their presence on my palate. I would love to re-taste the wines a decade from now.
Yerba Buena Ballroom - San Francisco Marriot Marquis on April 24, 2013, and tasting the 2004 vintage of Bin 95 Grange. The event was the Wine Spectator Grand Tasting. Colleagues filled the room wanting to swap wine stories, but as usual, Penfolds stole the show. With just a little more bottle age than many of its siblings I have tasted through the years, the vintage showed well and offered a glimpse of what it will become. While it is still decades away from reaching its optimum expression, I enjoy tasting the wine with a couple of extra years in the bottle (my life is always about tasting new releases).
After five decades of wine research, I understand what this wine is about and that it is still evolving as we live.
Where is this iconic wine going? As we always remember the pioneering efforts of renegade Schubert and how he brought this baby into the world, I have spent a lifetime tasting a succession of its vintages. Often at significant events, sometimes in small groups, and many times with Peter Gago. Tasting with Peter has always been the most satisfying. I always watch and interact with him as we are tasting. Both he, the wine, and I are having a conversation. I often feel that the wine is talking with me as a live entity and ensuring that I understand what this is all about—yes, Bin 95 Grange, I will always listen to you. Sometimes in agreement and sometimes not. After five decades of wine research, I understand what this wine is about and that it is still evolving as we live.
