Penfolds Shiraz RWT Bin 798 South Australia 2020

“The 2020 RWT Shiraz Bin 798 is a powerhouse of bloody fruit and firm tannin. It veritably explodes from the blocks, showing plum skin, raspberry leaf, blackberry, mulberry, lashings of salted licorice and rendered lamb fat. I am coming to love (in a big and serious way) the Barossa Shiraz' bottlings from 2020—the year was significantly down in yields, warm and dry, and responsible for wines of muscle, density and gravitas. So, too, for this wine. Excellent.”

“This is a wonderful Bin 789 with striking poise, polish and intensity on offer. Show-stopping aromas of ripe blackberry, dark plum and espresso are primal and freshly captured. The palate is rich and lusciously expressed, with a very plush and intense core of ripe blackberry and dark-plum fruit. Roasted coffee here, too. Such poise and polish. Drink over the next decade or more.”

“Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections and subtle ochre brightening on the rim. On the nose, subtle notes of oak, black fruits of the forest, candied orange zest and blackberries. Complex, mineral and salty with cherry notes, vivid wood savouriness and red berries on the finish. Still very closed and unapproachable, needs a lot of time. (2030-2045).”

“The 2020 RWT Shiraz Bin 798 is made from 100% Shiraz, sourced from the Barossa Valley, and aged in French oak hogsheads (slightly larger than the classic Bordeaux barriques), 49% new, for 16 months. Very deep purple-black, it needs a fair bit of swirling to really bring out the full fragrance of baked black plums, lilacs, licorice, and tilled soil with nuances of sandalwood, dark chocolate, and menthol, plus a tough of smoked meats. Big, full-bodied, rich, and impactful in the mouth, it has a rock solid framed of pebble-smooth tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy. It needs a good 3-5 years in the bottle to really sing, then should cellar gracefully for two decades+.”

“This is a strong vintage of RWT. It's austere, dense and still-young but is also seamlessly layered, almost unnoticeably complex. The brambly blueberry and raspberry fruit is woven with plums, dried herbs, spices and florals, with a note of freshly sealed tarmac. The palate is silky and supple, tightened by a muscular line of chalky tannins with lifted acidity and densely packed flavor. A long distance runner, this should be held another few years until around 2026, then drunk for several decades after.”

“The orchestra strikes with big volume on entry, announcing this as a very dark, very plush composition. There’s quite a bit of bustle and bluster to work through with the crowd of bold blackberry, bramble, blueberry, high violets, wild raspberry and dark plum notes, and it only softens into a savoury embrace after an age in the glass. The big architecture of oak and tannin that contains this wine only reveals itself at the finish, suggesting a long life ahead. Released at A$200/bottle.”