Dense, bold crimson core with garnet edges. An aromatic kaleidoscope. Primary fruits lead the charge with fresh blackberries, mulberry compote and poached plums. A slightly herbaceous note of mulberry leaf and bay leaf revealing the Cabernet Sauvignon inclusion. Warm and generous baking spices with hints of freshly baked boysenberry muffins affirming the presence of warm climate Shiraz. Incredibly smooth in texture with a rich and plush mouthfeel. Very alluring. Blackberry and plum fruits carry forward to the palate. Supportive oak helps frame the wine but remains integrated and balanced. Flavors of blue and blackberry compote flesh out the mid-palate, while fine tannins and fresh acidity provide balance and poise.
91 Wine Enthusiast This inky-hued Cab-Shiraz blend is a broody bottling, with a savory, black olive and dusty library-book note to the raspberry and blackcherry fruit. There’s a minty, earthy nuance too, plus a subtle polish of mealy, chocolatey oak. The powerful palate is densely packed with dark fruit and spice, cinched by chiseled tannins. While intended as Penfolds’s more approachable range, this vintage is a big, chewy one.
