The theme for tonight's Wine Blogging Wednesday is "Comfort Wine", an appropriate theme considering the wind-whipped ice pellets thrashing my face as I walked home from the subway. And with my good friend Ed celebrating his second anniversary, a wine from Oz was in order.To comfort my frozen body and honour a friend I opened a 2000 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz (South Australia), a bottle that has been waiting patiently in my cellar for four years. This wine was already standing upright in my cellar, as Ed recently recommended that I open it soon (he thought it might be past its prime). Deep cherry red with a vibrant nose of musk, violet, black pepper, dark cherries, wet hay, meaty liquorice - lots going on. Juicy, not jammy, with crisp strawberry fruit and velvety tannins wrapped around a good core of acidity, followed by a lengthy, flinty finish. A pleasure with tortellini in a low fat alfredo sauce, but a comforting pour that I sipped by the fire on a wintery Montreal evening. Ahhhh.....big and brooding, a multilayered wine of complexity and depth - a wine to get lost in as you ponder its secrets by a warm winter fire...success!
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$38.50 (SAQ)
Cheers to Joel for hosting, and Ed for being Ed. Not past its prime, Ed, but don't worry - I'll save my other bottle for you...;)
Bravo and thank you!
ReplyDeleteGlad the wine was still in the groove. Coincidentally I spent the day buying the latest release (2005) Bin 389. We must have been parted at birth :)
Hmmm...separated at birth? If you got the brains, did I get the looks? We have the 2004 Bin 389 available here - any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeleteHave not been sure about my brains since I graduated :)
The 04 is an excellent 389. I have a few bottles waiting in the cellar based on the strength of the vintage.
Thanks, Ed, will pick some up (almost sold out up here...)
ReplyDelete