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Tasting notes
Acidity 6.8 g/l, pH 3.61. 17 months in French oak hogsheads (70% new, 30% one year old). They have started to label it Bin 798 since it hardly qualifies as a Red Wine ‘Trial’ nowadays. Blackish purple. Very rich and almost toasted nose. Somehow a little leathery and Syrah-like (as opposed to Shiraz) yet definitely Barossa. Racy and chewy. A bit austere at the moment. Needs lots of time. Crunchy and grainy. One of most youthful wines in this range. Sep 2016, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2019-2035
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Halliday
More reviews and scores
Bottle no. BX084. The quixotic RWT (Red Wine Trial) name used since 1987 now has a bin number and a bottle number, the latter to thwart counterfeiting. It completed fermentation in French hogsheads, followed by 17 months maturation. The power and length of the wine is awesome, as is the price – but it’s what the global market is prepared to pay. 14.5% alc. Sep 2016, www.winecompanion.com.au, Drink: 2016-2049
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 RWT Shiraz from the Barossa Valley offers cedar and cassis notes over a core of blackberry preserves, mocha and spice cake. Big, full, opulent and with notable notes of toasty oak, it has a solid structure and very long finish. Matured for 17 months in French hogsheads, 70% new, this baby needs a lot of time to integrate and shed some of its puppy fat. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.