Too bad we all missed out on that bottle of Bin 1 when it surfaced at an auction in Australia a couple of years ago and hammered at a record-breaking, no joke, $30,000+ link to the story here. Instead, on this glorious day dear Operatives, your favorite spies bring you the next one over… Bin 2, for less than $30!!!???

Legend has it that the cellar at Magill is where all the extra special wines were kept. As the diversity grew, a need for a system to label each specific fine wine lot arose and the Bin labeling was born in the 1950s with Bin 1, the first experimental and now legendary Grange, the flagship crown jewel of The Penfolds Collection. The next lot to stand out enough to receive its own number was Bin 2 in 1960. While Bin 1 was brawny and tannic, Bin 2 was elegant and finessed. In the 1970s Bin 2 went MIA, only to reappear in the 1990s.

It took us 4 dang years since our last one - what is this, the Olympics?! - that felt like eons to land you this next Penfolds deal, requiring the patience of a saint. They are SO protective of these Bins as each and every precious release is allocated by the bottle worldwide. Asia wants all, Europe wants all, and America wants all too, but there just isn’t enough! Well, here you are Operatives, we had to dig deep, and with our heels in to get you this Aussie rarity, while supplies last!

Glass staining deep purple to ruby to blue to black even deep within, with viscosity obvious to the eye. Powerful, exotic, luscious, the classy and inviting nose brings it together with fine, seductive black and red fruits, meat, and spices. Cherry, plum, game, Provençal herbs, and sweet notes of cardamom, backed by plenty of silky tannins all come full-throttle on the palate. The finish is filled to the brim with resonating, lingering layers of chocolate, licorice, black pepper and leather hints. For pairings, either go simple with hard aged cheeses, cured meats, and dried fruits or simmer up a rich, gamey stew.

The great Max Schubert, creator of the original Bin 2, and of course Bin 1, aka Grange, once said; “we must not be afraid to put into effect the strength of our own convictions, continue to use our imagination in wine-making generally, and be prepared to experiment in order to gain something extra, different and unique in the world of wine.”

With roots in the 19th century as the definitive institutional winery Down Under, Penfolds has accolades to fill pages and pages. To quote from a most recent Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate visit; “it’s always a treat to sit with Chief Winemaker Peter Gago and taste through the latest releases… with the wide net Penfolds casts to source fruit, the winery seems capable of maintaining a remarkable degree of consistency.” The production on this revival Bin 2 red is so tiny that the mainstream wine press rarely gets to review it, we only found a couple of local ratings for this tremendous bargain.

Here’s what the wine press has to say:

93 Points - Andrew Caillard MW, Tastingbook

92 Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front