Winemaker Notes
Color: A deepened crimson with a purple core.
Nose: The nose is complex and beguiling, with notes of demi-glace and roasting pan juices, beneath scents of pipe tobacco, vanilla and pencil shavings oak - much more than just a simple varietal offering.
Palate: The palate is full-bodied, refined and taut showing dark, black conserve fruit flavors with Satsuma plum notes to the fore. Further liqueur chocolate and spice flavors are impregnated by overt, chewy and ripe tannins. To sum up, the integrated fruit, oak and acid loudly proclaim harmony and balance. The 2004 vintage conditions were first class and rank alongside and recent exemplary vintage. This, the 2004 vintage, is a real Bin 28, showing polish, poise and pedigree. By all means, drink whenever, but save some for the cellar, and the 2010's.
Food matches: beef, duck & game, lamb
Professional Ratings
Since 1844, Penfolds has been grounded in experimentation, curiosity and uncompromising quality. Their success has been driven by a lineage of visionary winemakers. It began with Dr. Christopher and Mary Penfold, the pioneers who dreamed big, inventing tonics, brandies, and fortified wines made from grapes and Australian sunshine. It continued with celebrated winemaking legends including Max Schubert, who pushed the development to extraordinary, bold new heights. It is this pioneering spirit and curiosity that still rings true after nearly two centuries, it is what has helped Penfolds become one of the most celebrated winemakers in the world today.
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.