Winemaker Notes
Braised guinea fowl, house cured pancetta, Dutch creams and native thyme (Magill Estate Restaurant).
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
RWT (unromantically derived from “Red Wine Trial”) is 100% Barossa Valley Shiraz, aged in 100% French oak. In some vintages, like this one, the combination is incredibly sumptuous, offering layers of blueberry and blackberry fruit intermingled elegantly with hints of French vanilla. It’s long, subtle and complex on the finish—a stunning effort. It’s approachable now, but should age well through 2030 or so.
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Wine Spectator
Dark and dense, with firm tannins around a juicy core of black cherry and spice flavors. This lingers well on the finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Grange-level fruit aged in new French oak, RWT is a big, bosomy Barossa shiraz in 2009, huge, warm and gamey. There's dark meatiness and cedary spice over the wine's blueberry and cherry richness. All baby fat for now, this may grow more structured and detailed with age.
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.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.