Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
Sourced from vineyards in McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Clare Valley. Matured for 12 months in American hogsheads (16% new). Penfolds' team of winemakers have come up with an improbably fluid wine that has entirely unexpected elements of grace. All the components of fruit, oak, tannins and acidity – the last particularly important – are in synergistic union.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Barossa has the ability to convey a sense of place, dirt and air in the glass. The trick is to not get in the way—a cooper does not terroir make. Despite not being the dominant region in this blend (for specificity: McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Clare Valley), the Barossa makes a potent contribution. Here, in the 2020 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, the concentrated, dry and warm vintage is on show and provides a splay of earthy, dense fruit, stretched over a framework of savory tannin. Despite Penfolds's reputation for big tannins/big oak, the fruit here overpowers both and streams out over the long finish. The heart of Barossa is here. Very good. Will get better.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
Ripe and generous, but the aromatics take this to the next level, with notes of cardamom, paprika and dried rose petal, plus touches of candied violet and cocoa powder, to complement the core of fleshy blackberry, black cherry and cassis. The tannins are dense but velvety, and this finishes with warm chocolaty notes.
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James Suckling
A homage to warmer-region, South Australian shiraz, this has a rich and smooth delivery of ripe blackberries and red-to-dark plums on the nose. The wine has taken its 12 months in American oak (16% new) well and truly in its stride. Plush and suave mouth-feel here, this is effortless and a style that sits right in the Penfolds sweet spot. A blend of McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Clare Valley. Drink or hold.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
South Australia is the historic heart of Australian wine, a great wine capital of the world, and home to some of the most famous regions. It produces more than 80% of Australia’s premium wine from some of the oldest vines in the world. There is an abundance of varieties and wide spectrum of styles to explore. From the rogue to refined, discover Australian wines that are far from ordinary.