Penfolds RWT Shiraz

Penfolds RWT Shiraz was released after several years of red wine making trials (thus the name RWT – Red Wine-making Trials) this was a result of demand for 100 per cent Barossa Shiraz back in the 90’s.

Launched in May 2000 with the 1997 vintage, it’s obviously no longer a trial! Penfolds wines are built for longevity and this wine is no exception, you will be rewarded with patience. As you’d expect it’s received some mighty scores from the cream of the crop of Aussie critics…

98/100 & Top Rank (Huon Hooke, The Real Review)
“Very deep, glass-staining purple/red colour. The bouquet is also very intense and concentrated, essency and profound, loaded with toasty-charry oak and mocha, espresso coffee, dark chocolate aromas, the palate formidably powerful, concentrated and intense. The flavour tracks the bouquet precisely and the tannins and extract give the palate a massive density and breathtakingly mouth-coating texture, the whole entity combining in a mighty crescendo that roars through the finish to a very long aftertaste. The density of the wine is rare indeed: you almost feel you could stand a spoon up in it.”

98/100 & Top Rank (Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Real Review)
“It has impenetrable purplish colour and a seductive nose of crushed black fruits, jam, spice, mocha and toasted cedar. Everything is seamlessly woven together into a palate of extraordinary depth and richness, velvety flow, solid backbone and super-long finish. A magnificent wine that should develop superbly over many years.”

97/100 (James Halliday’s Wine Companion)
“This full-bodied shiraz spent 16 months in French hogsheads (64% new, 36% 1yo). The red winemaking team at Penfolds has the game by the throat here. It’s flashy, it’s opulent, its depth of black fruits and surrounds of oak and tannins sweep away any resistance. But beware of the pea and thimble trick – it needs at least 10 years to let you come up for air.”

This is a great alternative (price wise) to Penfolds Grange. The grapes for RWT are sourced entirely from the Barossa Valley while Grange is a multi-regional blend. Highly collectable with serious cellaring potential – up to 2045!