Penfolds 802.A Superblend Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2018

The designation 802.A places this Superblend within Penfolds' internal coding architecture — a deliberate signal that this is not a Bin wine but a tier conceived to sit between the commercial range and Grange itself, drawing on Kalimna's ancient, phylloxera-free alluvial and sandy loam soils in the Barossa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines have been cultivated since the 1880s. Those deep, low-vigour soils force root systems downward, concentrating flavour and producing the mid-palate density that defines Barossa's most serious reds.

The Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz blend follows Penfolds' multi-vineyard blending doctrine — winemaker expertise over single-terroir purity — with maturation in barrels previously used for Grange (American oak hogsheads), a seasoning regime that imparts structural tannin and subtle vanilla integration without overwhelming the fruit with new-oak character. This is the same vessel lineage that underpins Bin 389, but the Superblend tier selects at a higher threshold.

What separates 802.A categorically is its position as a named Superblend expression — a classification Penfolds reserves for blends of exceptional vintage material that do not conform to the fixed Bin identity, making it one of the rarest recurring releases in the portfolio. The 2018 vintage earned eight perfect scores from leading critics including Andrew Caillard MW, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Ken Gargett, and Nick Stock, alongside 98 pts from Wine Spectator; the drinking window is projected at 2030–2060+.