Coonawarra is one of Australia’s most celebrated and distinctive wine regions — a narrow strip of that famous terra rossa soil, the vivid red iron-rich earth over free-draining limestone, that produces Shiraz and Cabernet of a depth, a structure, and a mineral complexity that is quite unlike anything else in Australian wine. Penfolds Bin 128 has been the definitive expression of Coonawarra Shiraz for decades — a wine that captures the region’s unique combination of warmth and cool-climate freshness, of generous fruit and the mineral backbone that only terra rossa over limestone can provide. The 2024 is more exotic and expansive than usual: deep spice, iron, ripe tobacco, and fertile earth, with a complexity and a layered character that speaks directly of the extraordinary terroir from which it comes. Notably, fruit from the great Block 5 plot — one of Coonawarra’s most celebrated and sought-after vineyard sites — is in the blend, adding a depth and a distinction that makes this vintage particularly special. Matthew Jukes was amazed by it at the price, awarding 18.5 points. Quite the bargain. Six bottles In Bond — the smart way to buy fine wine for the cellar.