Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling 2021
Style: White Wine
Variety: Riesling
Closure: Screwcap
Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling 2021
Camberwell
Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124
Australia
Producer: Penfolds
Country: Australia
Region: Eden Valley
Vintage: 2021
Critic Score: 96
Alcohol: 11.0%
Size: 750 ml
Drink by: 2040
Created in the 1990's as part of the evolving Penfolds white wine development program, Bin 51 captures many attributes of the Eden Valley locale. The region's high altitude and cool-climate induces riesling with great finesse and elegance with a capacity for long-term cellaring. South Australia has gained worldwide recognition for producing definitive world-class riesling and Eden Valley always features. In their youth, the wines possess scented floral and citrus aromas, with a mineral edge and marked natural acidity, contributing significantly to the palate texture and flavour.
"This is a brilliant release for Bin 51. Maker Kym Schroeter rightly hails it up with '02 and '05 as the best Eden Valley vintage in 2 decades. It cascades from the glass in a torrent of lily blossom, talc, fresh lemon, lime and Granny Smith apple. The palate follows a focused line of magnificent tension, powder-fine mineral structure and the scintillating acid drive of cool nights. The most precise and enthralling Bin 51 of the recent era, irresistible now, and with a grand future before it." Tyson Stelzer
Nose: A kaleidoscopic ascent of citrus derivatives – lemon sherbet is the first to be impatiently released; later, at their own pace and more assuredly, notes of Tahitian lime and lemon verbena. And then there's more – scents of citrus bath salts/fresh linen and lemongrass. No shortage of highly aromatic descriptors remain, primarily a beguiling limestone-talc lift, yet it's the freshness and vitality of another retronasal engagement that impresses further – freshly-cut flowers, freshly-cut fennel, freshly-sliced cucumber, sea spray.
Palate: No shortage of flavour, yet as noted in the commentary above, it's the fineness and purity of this youthful riesling that immediately impacts upon that first sip. If we were to proactively and immediately leap to the other end of the palate – it certainly finishes exactingly clean and 'soft'. Be assured, no lack of acidity, no lack of attaque …albeit gently. What of the mid-palate, flavours? Certainly a highlight – finger lime, lemon/lime zest, again sherbet, juniper berries, mirin, and a slatey/crushed marble chalkiness. Eden Valley riesling attired in its Sunday-best. Peak Drinking: Now-2031.
Vintage conditions: Eden Valley enjoyed near long-term average winter rainfall with good early rainfall at the beginning of the growing season. The latter half of spring and summer were very dry, conditions that prevailed until the end of harvest. There were only a handful of summer days over 35ºC and no prolonged heatwaves. Overnight temperatures during the growing season were marginally above-average yet below-average during harvest allowing for excellent riesling picking conditions. Riesling grapes across High Eden were able to ripen slowly and evenly, developing great flavour and acidity. An outstanding vintage for this varietal. " Penfolds
Expert reviews
"A contender for the wine of the Collection first up. Impressive for the youngest and cheapest wine. This is the best Bin 51 I can remember – it will rank with 2002 and 2005, two other stellar Riesling years, but I think might exceed them. This is a brilliant Riesling.
Colour is very pale gold, limpid. An utterly glorious Riesling nose. Spice, chalk, limes, lemon zest. Lifted and fragrant, intense and yet both delicate and balanced. The texture is like crème brulee. There is a gorgeous softness to the wine, fully backed by vibrant, slightly puckering acidity. Great length here and no let up on the intensity as it proceeds. An immaculate young Eden Valley Riesling. Simply stunning. Drink: 2024 - 2035." Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot - 96 points
"From the coolest summer in Eden Valley since the lauded 2002, this is a brilliant release for Bin 51. Maker Kym Schroeter rightly hails it up with '02 and '05 as the best Eden Valley vintage in 2 decades. It cascades from the glass in a torrent of lily blossom, talc, fresh lemon, lime and Granny Smith apple. Yet for all its exuberance, it is honed and streamlined like only a cool season can achieve. The palate follows a focused line of magnificent tension, powder-fine mineral structure and the scintillating acid drive of cool nights. The most precise and enthralling Bin 51 of the recent era, irresistible now, and with a grand future before it. Drink by 2041." Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion - 96 points and Special Value Wine ★
"Pale green gold. Beautifully perfumed wine with bitter lemon, grapefruit camomile aromas with hints of marzipan and lemon grass notes. Razor sharp palate with plentiful pure lemon curd, lime, tonic water flavours, fine chalky textures and fresh persistent indelible acidity. Finishes crisp and minerally with al dente notes. Lovely fruit volume and drive despite its elegant structure. Should age for the medium to long term. Seal; screwcap Drink Now – 2028." Andrew Caillard MW - 96 points
"A brilliant year; Kym Schroeter believes this is the best Eden Valley riesling vintage since 2002, or 2005. Lime, coriander, early season nashi pear and ginger root on the nose. This has Thai basil and green apple to boot. On the palate the acidity is fine and lacy, interwoven into the fruit from woe to go. The phenolics are chalky and super fine, creating shape and line through the middle palate and into the long finish. Lovely, saline, fresh…. Nice tension between acid/fruit and phenolics." Erin Larkin, erinlarkin.com.au – 95 points
"Pale colour, almost water-white in its extreme youth, the bouquet lime-blossomy, extremely attractive and lifted, fragrant, not estery or yeasty, but all fruit. The palate is a fraction disjointed at this tender stage, lacking the perfect line, but it's a minor thing and will no doubt come together more in the coming weeks and months. Very recently bottled. Great potential. Drink: 2022–2036." Huon Hooke, The Real Review - 95 points
"Shows a shining vintage and loads of typicity with fresh lemons and mineral salts. The palate is stitched to a long, fine band of acidity and carries bracingly ripe citrus flavor with impressive purity. Drink or hold." Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com – 95 points
"Penfolds Bin 51 Eden Valley riesling is about as reliable as they come, in both quality and style. First impression was the lasting one. Pretty and perfumed, bath salts and limes with clear floral overtones. Expressive aromatics, up and about, before a dry, lengthy palate. Classic style, in good form. A riesling that you just want to rip into.Drink : 2021 - 2028+." Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 93 points
"A very pale almost watery white colour is followed by a bright, fragrant yet reserved aromatic style that beautifully showcases the cooler Eden Valley climate. There is piecing lime, bath salt and peppery scented fruits with youthful vitality bursting from the glass. The palate is then dry and lightweight – floral fruits are silky in texture with crisp acidity again showcasing youthful vitality, and supporting a long finish. While still a little closed, there is no doubt this wine has plenty more to offer in the coming years as a refreshing dry white. Drink: 2021 - 2030." Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot - 93 points
Awards
Special Value Wine – Halliday Wine Companion ★
Peter Gago
The following text is taken from an article by Ken Gargett in Quill & Pad, https://quillandpad.com
Peter Gago has what many people in the wine world think is the best job on the planet. He is chief winemaker for Penfolds, based in South Australia and one of Australia’s oldest wine producers.
Max Schubert created Grange with the experimental first wine, the 1951, after he returned from Bordeaux and wanted to establish an Aussie First Growth. The story of Grange has been told many times, and as fascinating as it is I won’t rehash it again. Schubert ruled at Penfolds right through to the 1976 vintage, when he handed the reins to Don Ditter. Ditter made the wines right through to the 1986 vintage when John Duval stepped up. Duval was chief winemaker until the 2002 vintage, when he left to do his own thing, very successfully.
Since that time, Peter Gago has been the chief winemaker. It should be noted that although the role of chief winemaker at Penfolds will always be inextricably linked with Grange, there are a great many other wines in the portfolio for which this position assumes ultimate responsibility.
Alongside the winemaking, in which he is still heavily involved, a usual week in non-Covid times sees Gago flying around the world to tastings, dinners, events, festivals, and promotions. I suspect that only David Attenborough (outside of pilots and crew) has racked up more flying miles. I remember seeing him one day when he seemed even more pleased with the world than usual. Turns out he’d just run into his wife, Gail, now retired but a long-term and highly regarded member of the South Australian parliament, at the airport. Gago had not been aware that they would both be in the same country that week, let alone cross paths, such is his usual peripatetic lifestyle.
Gago has friends and admirers all around the globe, from the rich and famous to young, aspiring wine lovers, and will spend time talking to them all. I suspect that if he wanted to start dropping names, the din would reverberate for days, but you could not find a humbler man. Gago is a serious music buff and you’d be amazed at the number of rock stars who revere him, much in the way their fans might do for them (for instance, after crawling over broken glass to get a ticket to a Bruce Springsteen concert I saw Gago sitting in prime seats with Springsteen’s family, after which they went for dinner and knocked off a few bottles of Grange).
Gago is probably as close to a rock star himself in the world of wine, although perhaps more modest rather than flamboyant. And I have no idea if he can sing.
The thing that most amazes me with Gago is that every time you talk to him, he is bubbling with genuine enthusiasm, not just for Grange but for all his wines. He just loves what he is doing. One gets the feeling that every morning he wakes up and pinches himself to make sure it is real.
Among his many attributes, Gago has the gift of the gab like few others. Only once have I ever seen him lost for words and caught off guard. Many years ago, at the annual release – held in a very fancy location near the shores of Sydney Harbor; it is always a fancy location somewhere and also always includes great champagne to kick off the day as Gago is fanatical about the world’s best bubbles – the then current chairman or CEO of whichever corporate entity was then the owner of Penfolds attended the day. Forgive me for my failure to remember just where the corporate snakes and ladders left Penfolds that day and for failing to remember the relevant gentleman’s name. He had only been appointed as a temporary executive while the search for a more permanent one was ongoing, but unlike any of the CEOs before and after, this man had a genuine interest and came to a couple of tastings to learn.
Anyway, as we sipped our champagne on the lawns overlooking Sydney Harbor and chatted, our friend suddenly posed a question to Gago. He had been meaning to ask, he said, just how much Grange the company made. There were five or six writers in this little group and suddenly, every single one of us had pad and pen poised. The production of Grange is a national secret that is not to be disclosed under pain of death (general consensus puts it at, depending on the vintage, between 5,000 and 15,000 cases, with most releases in the mid range, but this is pure speculation).
Gago was at a loss. The boss of bosses had just asked him a direct question and Gago is far too polite not to answer but knew he couldn’t give that information out in public. He managed a fair bit of mumbling and generalizations and I think he suggested they meet later. Pads and pens all went back into bags, and we could not help grinning while Gago looked like he’d just swallowed a bad oyster.
Gago was born in England in 1957, but his family moved to Melbourne when he was only six years of age. Originally a math teacher (teaching is still a passion), he undertook a science degree at the University of Melbourne and then attended Roseworthy College, a famous Australian winemaking college, graduating as Dux (the highest ranking academic performance -ed), which will surprise no one.
In 1989 he joined Penfolds as a sparkling winemaker, working with Ed Carr, who has established a career in sparkling wine (now with Arras) as successful as Gago’s is with table wines. He moved to reds and quickly rose through the ranks until succeeding Duval in 2002. In the 73 years since Schubert was first appointed, Gago is only the fourth chief winemaker.
During his tenure, he has stacked up an extraordinary array of bling, as has Penfolds under his stewardship (Gago heads a team of eight winemakers for table wines and a couple more for fortifieds). He has several “Winemaker of the Year” awards from different entities and publications, both from Australia and abroad, but the accolades go well beyond that.
In 2017, in what is termed “the Queen’s Birthday Honors List,” he was awarded the highly prestigious Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the wine industry. For non-Aussies, that is a big one! A year later, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia and named the Great Wine Capitals Ambassador for South Australia.
Very recently, Gago was awarded perhaps the most prestigious honor of all in the wine world: admission to the Decanter Hall of Fame (previously they honored the Decanter Man – or Woman – of the Year, but that changed). Decanter is a highly respected English wine magazine that established its hall of fame in 1984 with Serge Hochar from Château Musar in Lebanon the first recipient. There is only a single addition per year. Gago is the fourth Australian following Max Schubert in 1988, Len Evans in 1997, and Brian Croser in 2004. That two of the four chief winemakers from a single producer have made this list (Schubert and Gago) is unprecedented but shows just where Penfolds sits in the pantheon of wine producers around the globe.
And should you still remain unconvinced then take a moment to look at some of the names Gago has joined: Parker, Spurrier, Tchelistcheff, Robinson, Moueix, de Villaine, Antinori, Lichine, Gaja, Symington, Loosen, Guigal, Torres, Draper, Peynaud, Mondavi, and so many more. There is no question that the name Peter Gago sits very comfortably alongside them all.
What is most important is that across the board the Penfolds wines have never been better, and while it is a team effort, in the end we can thank Gago.
About the winery
After the success of early sherries and fortified wines, founders Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold planted the vine cuttings they had carried on their voyage over to Australia. In 1844 the fledging vineyard was officially established as the Penfolds wine company at Magill Estate.
As the company grew, so too did Dr Penfold's medical reputation, leaving much of the running of the winery to Mary Penfold. Early forays into Clarets and Rieslings proved increasingly popular, and on Christopher's death in 1870, Mary assumed total responsibility for the winery. Mary's reign at the helm of Penfolds saw years of determination and endeavour.
By the time Mary Penfold retired in 1884 (ceding management to her daughter, Georgina) Penfolds was producing 1/3 of all South Australia's wine. She'd set an agenda that continues today, experimenting with new methods in wine production. By Mary's death in 1896, the Penfolds legacy was well on its way to fruition. By 1907, Penfolds had become South Australia's largest winery.
In 1948, history was made again as Max Schubert became the company's first Chief Winemaker. A loyal company man and true innovator, Schubert would propel Penfolds onto the global stage with his experimentation of long-lasting wines - the creation of Penfolds Grange in the 1950s.
In 1959 (while Schubert was perfecting his Grange experiment in secret), the tradition of ‘bin wines' began. The first, a Shiraz wine with the grapes of the company's own Barossa Valley vineyards was simply named after the storage area of the cellars where it is aged. And so Kalimna Bin 28 becomes the first official Penfolds Bin number wine.
In 1960, the Penfolds board instructed Max Schubert to officially re-start production on Grange. His determination and the quality of the aged wine had won them over.
Soon, the medals began flowing and Grange quickly became one of the most revered wines around the world. In 1988 Schubert was named Decanter Magazine's Man of the Year, and on the 50th anniversary of its birth, Penfolds Grange was given a heritage listing in South Australia.
Despite great success, Penfolds never rests on its laurels. In 2012 Penfolds released its most innovative project to date - 12 handcrafted ampoules of the rare 2004 Kalimna Block Cabernet Sauvignon.
Two years later, Penfolds celebrated the 170th anniversary – having just picked up a perfect score of 100 for the 2008 Grange in two of the world's most influential wine magazines. Today, Penfolds continues to hold dear the philosophies and legends – '1844 to evermore!'.
South Australia
South Australian is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. It is home to more than 900 wineries across 18 wine regions. The regions are Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Currency Creek, Eden Valley, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Mount Benson, Mount Gambier, Padthaway, Riverland, Robe, Southern Fleurieu, Southern Flinders Ranges and Wrattonbully.
Many of the well-known names in the South Australian wine industry established their first vineyards in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The first vines in McLaren Vale were planted at Reynella in 1839 and Penfold's established Magill Estate on the outskirts of Adelaide in 1844.
South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the State to be able to produce a range of grape varieties - from cool climate Riesling in the Clare and Eden Vallies to the big, full bodied Shiraz wines of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Two of Australia's best-known wines, Penfolds Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace, are produced here. There is much to discover in South Australia for the wine lover.