Bin 138 draws its inspiration from the wines of Southern Rhône, where shiraz, grenache and mataro (mourvèdre) are blended in varying proportions to create full-bodied wines possessing rich and heady perfume. Each year fruit for Bin 138 is sourced from old Barossa Valley vines (some more than 100 years old) and then matured for 12 to 15 months in seasoned oak hogsheads to allow the different varietals to shine through. The first vintage release of this varietal blend was the 1992, labelled ‘Old Vine Barossa Valley’ – it was then elevated to Bin status with the 1998 vintage.
ABV: 14.5%
The 2019 growing season was extremely dry and warm. In the 12 months to March, the region had only 61% of the long-term average rainfall. Spring temperatures were slightly below-average driven by lower minimum temperatures (-2.5°C) including two below 0°C events during September, which resulted in frost events on 4th September and 29th September. Summer was very warm, with December and January well above-average driven by a combination of both higher maximum and minimum temperatures. The Kalimna vineyard experienced 31 days of temperatures exceeding 35°C. While March was also dry, crucially it was not too hot allowing for an orderly harvest. Low yields delivered Barossa Valley shiraz with dark colours, intense depth of flavour and ripe firm tannin structure.