Penfolds Coonawarra Bin128 Shiraz 1994

Date: 30 January 2006
Venue: Charter Boat - SeaQuarters, Icon Formula 52, Rozelle, Sydney

I bought a case of the Bin 128 back in 1995 when it first hit the shelves. People don't usually cellar the Coonawarra shiraz. It is an inexpensive wine and meant for immediate drinking.

This is the second year we chartered this boat for harbour cruise and fishing. We were well aware of the recent controversial dioxin issue and the ban on commercial fishing in Sydney harbour. Catering on the boat consisted of the quintessential Ozzie BBQ lamb chops, sausages, and prawns, with Sydney rock oysters as entrees. If Sydney harbour fish should not be eaten due to dioxin contamination, imagine the dioxin level in the famous Sydney Rock, each filters around 40 gallons of harbour water a day.

This 12 year old shiraz is already showing its age. Colour is brick red with a fading rim, loads of residue stirred up during the boat trip. In the absence of a decanter, it wasn't possible to separate the precipitates. Condition for tasting wasn't optimum, although there were plastic wine goblets, most us were drinking out of tumblers for fear of tipping the wine in the waves. Aroma is faint, with hint of blackberry and liquorice, there was no discernable oak despite the label explaining that the wine was matured in oak barrels for 12 months. Mild spice and plum flavour and a very smooth texture, tannin has all but disappeared. I have 6 bottles of this elderly shiraz left and these probably won't last much longer than another year or two in the wine fridge.

Catches of the day were red snappers, all of them released as they were not up to legal size, flatheads - a couple of keepers and a large silver bream.

Rating: average