If ever we needed proof that cabernet of unbridled Barossa power is capable of flattering beyond words, it’s no surprise that this might emerge from the masterful genius of Wayne Dutschke. More than this, this Single Barrel is one of the finest wines to ever hail from the hallowed vines of St Jakobi. How such […]

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Benchmark 707, exact in every way, from the first waft of pristine violet fragrance to a finish that lingers into tomorrow. Such is the sheer determination of pure blackcurrant brilliance that flashes of eucalypt, mint and even 100% new American oak pale into the background. Sensational definition and intensity powers through a finish of epic […]

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On paper, Bin 169 is to 707 what RWT is to Grange: single region in 100% new French oak rather than a multi-region blend in American oak. But the comparison strictly ends here because the style and aspiration of this wine hark to a more lofty place altogether. Bin 169 is baby Bin 620 – […]

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Not released with the Penfolds so-called ‘Icon and Prestige’ brigade, Great Grandfather seems to elude all launch events and fanfare, yet the sheer grandeur of this wine deserves equal reverence. For a wine to capture such dizzying complexity of maturity after some thirty years in the cellar and yet such fresh, lively energy is a […]

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2007 is a thoroughly worthy Grange and an outstanding expression of a hot drought year, albeit the least vintage of Grange since 2003. The season is generally characterised by the drying tannin finish of drought stressed vines, but it is a credit to Penfolds’ fruit sources and winemaking polish that this deficiency is but a […]

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10A completes a trilogy of successive 97 point vintages – an unparalleled record in my score book! This alone must qualify Reserve Bin A as the finest Australian chardonnay of the modern era. 10A carries on the legacy as much by its ultra-fine Adelaide Hills fruit purity as its delightful lees-derived complexity of flint and […]

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There is an immediacy to the vibrant and ripe fruit core of 2008 St Henri that makes it particularly enticing. The finest vintage since 2005 may prove to rank among the greats, certainly for the enjoyment it affords in the medium-term, even if it doesn’t qualify among the longest-lived. Hints of soy and dark chocolate, […]

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A personality that contrasts 2008, the greatest Yattarna yet, thanks to less Tasmanian fruit (50%) and more Henty (43%, the remainder Adelaide Hills), but every bit as distinguished. In the Aboriginal language, ‘Yattarna’ means ‘little by little, gradually,’ and finally its most recent vintages have refined its personality to match. In the same spirit, this […]

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Penfolds’ only single vineyard flagship cannot benefit from the blending advantage of its stable mates, making this a particularly impressive result after a hot January and the earliest harvest in history. A classic expression of Magill, in a vibrant, sweet-fruited and perfumed style, with impressive fruit expression framed in milk chocolate oak (French and American) […]

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A mild vintage has given birth to the best RWT since 2006, a brilliantly inky black shiraz of dense fruit presence and an undercurrent of classic Barossa milk chocolate and liquorice. Nuances of game, charcuterie and dried earth hover around a ripe, black core, lingering long and lush amid firm, fine tannins.

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