Shiraz – Penfolds Rwt Barossa 750ml

Tasting Note: Penfolds RWT is of course Barossa Valley, Shiraz, all French oak hogsheads (Australian coopered), 70% new, the remainder 1-year-old oak. It has you cruising for a bruising and then it just brushes past you with the lightest of touches. This is Barossa shiraz in its black tie best. It’s rich, it’s black, it’s carved with tannin and yet it’s soft and svelte. You’ve signed on the dotted line before you’ve thought through the repayments. The release notes mention chestnuts. It’s not a bad call: there are nutty notes here but they’re sweet and smoky. There’s a whiff of coffee. A sizeable surge of classic blackberry and plum, pegged to soy and earth. Undeniable shiraz. Drink : 2020 – 2040+ Score – 95. (Campbell Mattinson, winefront.com.au, Oct. 6, 2016)