Penfolds RWT Shiraz Magnum 2008

Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Magnum, 2008

Grape: 100% Shiraz 

"Deep, dark magenta. Dark spices and saturated fresh regional Shiraz fruits – tell-tale wafts of blueberry, blackberry, liquorice and black olive. Secondary notes of rosemary, peppercorn, thyme, juices of beef – verging on that of a terrine / corned beef. Subtle cedary French oak in the background, plush velvety tannins. "A richer, plumper and more concentrated RWT which manages to retain its customary elegance and charm. Its sweet, heady bouquet of violets, jujube-like blueberries, blackberries and cassis is backed by cedar/chocolate vanilla oak, while its luscious, silky-smooth palate of fine length and full to medium weight reveals a full spectrum of ripe and just slightly meaty and raisined fruits!" - JeremyOliver.com

"83% new oak. Very deep, intense crimson. Super-spicy sweet nose. Round and fully resolved aromatically. Seems more evolved than the St Henri 2008 on the nose. Lightly dusty finish. Very sweet but lacks just a little freshness."

17-/20 points, Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com

RWT Shiraz presents an admirable alternative to the multi-regional sourcing and American oak maturation that are hallmarks of Grange, expressing instead, single-region Barossa Valley Shiraz matured only in French oak. The initials RWT stand for Red Winemaking Trial, the name given to the project internally when developmental work began in 1995, naturally now no longer a trial. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for its aromatic qualities and fine texture rather than sheer intensity or power of flavour.