2013 «««« Drink now to 2028.
Deep crimson. Intense cranberry and dark plum aromas with ground coffee and slightly tarry wood spice notes. Generous and inky deep with ripe redcurrant, cranberry and plum fruits, fine plentiful loose-knit velvety tannins and underlying savoury vanilla oak. Finishes chocolaty and long. Early drinking in style with plush ripe red fruits and integrated tannins.
Rich and weighty with sweet dark berry fruits, vanilla oak and long controlled tannins. (JR)
A wine of serious intent. You can almost feel the clang of hammer on anvil on the palate. Firm and forthright in the mouth with expansive tannins coated with liqueur- like black fruit. (NR)
2014 «««« Drink now to 2035.
Medium-deep crimson. Fresh blackcurrant, blackberry and leafy sesame aromas. A generous and inky wine with blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, firm graphite cedar tannins, attractive mid-palate richness and mocha oak. Finishes chocolaty graphite firm with cedar and slight leafy notes. Linear and tight but needs time to reach its full potential.
All rhythm and length with ripe fruit, balanced tannin and oak. A classic Penfolds HQ style. (JH)
Floral, vegetal and mineral notes with supple but pronounced tannins and lively acidity. Needs more time to settle. (NB)
2015 ««««« Drink 2025 to 2040.
Deep crimson. Expressive and fragrant with roasted chestnut, blackberry, mocha, ginger and sesame notes. Rich ripe and chocolaty with deep-set blackberry, mulberry and raspberry fruits, fine grainy/satin tannins and integrated mocha vanilla oak. Finishes chalky firm with graphite spicy notes. A beautifully polished and finely framed wine.
A younger version of the 2008 with a similar burst of chocolate, savoury richness and structure. (JH)
A big brooding wine with heaps of coating tannins and plentiful sweet black fruits and chocolate that temper the fierceness. A big wine for the seriously long term. (FW)
2016 ««««« Drink now to 2050.
Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, blackcurrant and mulberry aromas with superb dark chocolate, roasted chestnut and vanilla notes. Inky deep with superb fruit density, blackberry, blackcurrant and mulberry fruits, fine grainy/al dente tannins and underlying roasted nut and vanilla notes. Finishes firm with lovely tannin plume.
A complex shiraz with a pure stream of bitter dark chocolate, olive and blackberry jetting through the palate. (JH)
Supremely elegant wine with cool-ripe black fruits, silky supple textures, attractive fleshiness and integrated acidity. Outstanding promise. (NB)
2017 ««««« Drink now to 2045.
Deep crimson. Intense and pure blackcurrant and blackberry fruit with glorious dark chocolate, cigar box, herb garden and star anise notes. Dense and saturated with blackberry and blackcurrant fruits, fine chocolaty tannins and plentiful ginger/roasted nut oak notes. Finishes chocolaty and inky. Elemental but perfectly balanced with superb fruit concentration and density.
Very structured with dark chocolate, black fruits, spicy nuances and a spine of chewy tannins. (JR)
Beautifully perfumed, opulent, intricately detailed and shamelessly decadent with perfect ripeness, lap cheong sweetness and completely coated tannins. (NR)
2018 ««««« Drink 2023 to 2035.
Deep crimson. Lifted blueberry, blackberry and juniper berry aromas with roasted chestnut, ginger and chinotto notes. A rich and concentrated palate with youthful boysenberry, blackberry and mulberry fruits with cola and aniseed notes, plentiful fine, graphite al dente tannins and roasted nut and ginger oak. Finishes firm with ironstone notes. Vigorous and minerally with generous ripe fruits and mid-palate density. A classic Barossa shiraz.
Marananga, Barossa
Valley, South Australia
T H
E W
IN E
S
/
B IN
5
0 M
A R
A N
A N
G A
S H
IR A
Z
1 5 5
T H
E R
E W
A R
D S
O F
P A
T IE
N C
E
1 5 4
