1991 ««««« Drink now to 2038.
Medium-deep crimson. Beautiful dried herb, graphite, stone fruit and mulberry aromas. Inky rich palate with deep-set mulberry, herb and leathery mocha notes, fine plentiful slightly al dente tannins and attractive gamey notes. Finishes firm and minerally. Still shows plenty of richness, volume and vigour.
Ripe black fruit with minty notes. Savoury palate with generous sweet fruit flavours and plentiful oak and fruit tannins. Maturing well. (FW)
Attractive developed dark fruits, spicy, meaty aromas and fresh vegetal notes. Good overall freshness and balance with silky fine, slightly rustic tannins. (NB)
1992 ««« Drink now.
Medium-deep crimson. A sturdy wine with redcurrant, briary and dark chocolate aromas and flavours. Generously concentrated, with firm grippy textures. The wine still has plentiful sweet fruit, but the tannins are quite muscular. Not a great vintage but still holding on.
1993 «« Drink now to past.
Medium-deep crimson. Complex tertiary tobacco leaf, polished leather, barnyard and silage notes are dominating characters. The palate is drying out with pronounced firm tannins. Not a memorable vintage.
1994 ««««« Drink now to 2040.
Medium-deep crimson. Roasted nut, marzipan and shellac aromas with underlying dark cherry and mulberry fruits. Supple and complete with developed dried rose, herb garden, demi-glace and mulberry fruits. Firm persistent grainy tannins, attractive mid-palate richness and roasted chestnut notes. Firm dry finish with exceptional flavour length. Seventy percent of the cabernet sauvignon here came from Coonawarra.
Ample and lively with floral red fruits, smoked meat aromas, juicy flavours and harmonious tannins. (JR)
Beef stock, stewed tea, dried dark berries and leaves. A dense wine with chocolate-coated berry flavours, some earthiness and fine, gently drying tannins. (NR)
1995 ««« Drink now or soon.
Medium-deep crimson. Developed praline, dark berry and espresso aromas with soy demi-glace notes. Generously concentrated and fully mature with plentiful dark chocolate, blackberry, brambly flavours, mid-palate fruit sweetness and plentiful fine chalky dry tannins. Finishes chocolaty firm. Still holding on.
1996 ««««« Drink now to 2040.
Medium-deep crimson. Intense blackberry and dark chocolate aromas with panforte and graphite notes. Beautiful, complex and harmonious with rich nutty dark chocolate notes. Fine, loose-knit chalky textures and integrated acidity. Still possesses attractive richness, density and vigour. One of the stars of the vintage.
A wonderful display of structure with its balance, depth of fruit and ripe tannins. (JH)
Quite heady on the nose with enjoyable complex spice leather top notes. Lots of grippy powerful tannins. Will they ever calm down? (FW)
1997 ««« Drink now.
Medium-deep crimson. Fragrant cranberry, cassis and sage aromas with earthy tobacco and polished leather notes. The palate is generously concentrated and sweet fruited with attractive mid-palate density and plentiful grippy firm tannins. Holding on but best to drink up.
1998 «««« Drink now to 2035.
Medium-deep crimson. Developed mulberry, dark berry, dark chocolate, espresso and bay leaf aromas. Well-developed with mulberry, choco-berry, inky and spicy sous bois flavours, attractive mid-palate richness, fine grainy/firm but persistent tannins and underlying roasted chestnut and mocha oak complexity. Finishes chalky firm. A famous Penfolds vintage.
Balanced and concentrated with abundant dark fruits and compact fine-grained tannins. Very potent and structured with a drying finish. (NB)
Blueberries, dark chocolate, mint leaf and beef tea. Chewy musculature to the fruit, sinewy and long. (NR)
1999 ««««« Drink now to 2040.
Medium-deep crimson. Seductive and perfumed with superb cassis, dark chocolate and mocha aromas and herb garden and graphite notes. Generous deep-set cassis, mulberry and blackberry fruits with inky complexity, fine loose-knit chalky/grainy textures and underlying savoury, nutty oak notes. Finishes firm and minerally with tobacco leaf notes.
A rollicking wine, full of joy and happiness. (JH)
Dried black fruit, cedar, a touch of spice. Harmonious palate with a core of dense ripe fruit, plentiful grippy tannins and very long length. (FW)
2000 «« Drink now to past.
Medium crimson. A lighter vintage with developed redcurrant and dried herb aromas and tobacco forest floor notes. Developed and medium-bodied wine with redcurrant, cranberry and tobacco leaf flavours and fine sinewy tannins. Beginning to dry out.
2001 «««« Drink now to 2028.
Medium-deep crimson. Intense dark cherry, blackberry and praline aromas. Richly flavoured and chocolaty in texture with dense dark cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate notes, firm velvety tannins and mocha/malty oak complexity. Should still keep for a while.
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