Deep ruby with blackberries, blackcurrant and menthol on the nose. The purity of fruit dances on the tongue in balance with the acidity and smooth tannins. White pepper, fresh leather and smoked lardons wrapped by rich black fruit. Excellent wine and still plenty of years left ahead, but drinking well now.
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Very big, fairly dense but lots of fruit, with layers of complexity developing and notable length. It should have many years of life and even further development if I can bear to wait. Very Penfolds in character, not as distinctive as Grange (nothing is) but well above what we used to regard as their “basic” wines, eg Bin 28, which is still excellent.
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Hmmm what a great wine! Plenty of red and black berry fruit. Fruit still full and accompanied by a nice acidity that provides an excellent balanced wine. Tannins now softening. Long and complex finish. Drink now and over the next 5 years - will last a little longer but is at its peak now, expect to start to fall away from here.
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NobleRottersSydney - Random night (Fix, St James, Sydney): {screwcap, 14.5%} [Gordon] Bottle 40991; double-decanted three hours earlier. Barely developing nose. Plums, blackberry jam, sweet vanilla and coconut too. Slight porty note to the aromas. An odd mix of young and old. The palate is about full-bodied, ultra-ripe fruit, despite any pretence RWT has to elegance. Big blackberry fruit, a touch raisin-like too, confected a bit; lots of heft on the mid-palate. Feels a little formulaic to me; maybe at an awkward age. More time will help. It’s a crowd-pleaser, don’t get me wrong, with plenty of flavour and punch, I just think it would have been more nuanced were it a bit less ripe and ’worked’ somehow. Come back in five – or ten – years.
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Gift from Wassermann May, 2010. Removed from Bin North 10. Nose of spice and blackberry, blueberry. Deep dark purple. Vanilla oak and chalk presentation soft and even with hints of blackberry and spice on finish. Lovely aged wine. 8/10.
Next day all fruit gone.
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Deep currant/garnet colour. Nose: plum, blackberries and blueberries, chocolate, lightly toasted oak, some violets. Palate: Fine but prominent tannins, medium to full bodied. Good complexity and balance, nice long finish. It is a nice change to have a Barossa shiraz that isn't too big.
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Syrah vs Shiraz Blind Tasting ex-France (Victoria, BC): 2nd out of 5: Showing very well 15+ years. Wonderfully pronounced nose of savoury fruit, olive and licorice. Carried right thru on the palate. Excellent balance and seamless elements of alcohol, tannin and acidity. Elegant statesman.
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From magnum. No formal notes, over dinner. Dark and glossy. Sweet fruit, cherries, plum, spices, cedar on the nose. On the palate very generous with silky tannins, sufficient acidity, medium length. Drinking very well, but no rush.
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90 minute decant. A little fruit and some earthiness on the nose. Dark fruit and leather on the mid palate with integrated tannin on the finish. Became smooth with a velvet finish as the dinner progressed. Went extraordinarily well with Coq au vin in a dark wine sauce. The wine got better through the evening. looking forward to holding my other bottles for a couple years and seeing how the wine progresses. Lots of time to enjoy this wine.
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This wine over delivered for me. Superb evolved balance and a surprising degree of elegance. Black fruits, hints of sandalwood and cinnamon. Full fruited but a nice tightness leaving it not overbearing. Very enjoyable.
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Pretty much in-line with others' assessments of this wine. I prefer the Bin 707 from the '04 vintage; but as I was doing a P&P at a local restaurant (La Fontana, Seattle- a favorite of mine for over two decades now), I had a limited decanting time- though after about an hour, it opened nicely. Well-structured, strong; but not acidic on the palate at all; medium-length finish with mild hints of the Terroir.
Overall, I enjoyed this wine tremendously with my tortellini Gorgonzola & Caprese. In my estimation, it is at its best right about now; but it will age another five to seven years, if I had to guess. The Bin 707s should age through the 2030s.
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A Real knock-out Syrah that has truly come of age after it's sleep in the bottle. Beauty of jeweled purple in the glass, shinny but nearly opaque. Medium to full bodied. Excellent legs and big alcohol, but the fruit easily matched this. Fruit and florals on the nose we very enjoyable. NOT a Auzzie fruit bomb at all. Very classy. Mouthfeel was excellent. Probably one of the top 3 bottles we drank during the holidays (of over 35 bottles tasted)
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Absolutely loved this wine...picked it up around 9 years ago at a steal of a price and finally opened with expectations that it would be Run Rig's little brother. Perhaps even better as a tremendous combination of earthy and dark fruit with and exceptional mouth feel.
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The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), coffee and espresso. It tastes like game, meaty, black pepper, espresso and coffee. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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(Bottle no. 34478) I last drank this almost exactly a year ago and made a note then to drink it in a more contemplative setting next time....... which I didn't do last night as it was a farewell dinner to friends at a busy Cantonese restaurant. So no detailed notes, but this was an absolutely beautiful wine that has matured a little in the passing year and is now beautifully elegant.........this is relatively light and much more like a Hill of Grace in feminine elegance than the more full throttle depth of a good vintage of Grange. It is a lovely wine and I have to repeat my own advice from last year to drink it in more contemplative surroundings next time. Thanks, Mark!
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Got lots of prunes and plum, with slight vanilla. Tannin was a little rough but do last a while with the finish. The lasting memory unfortunately is not the finish, but the fruits...not quite sure what to make of it .... is that its real character?
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Dinner with some Penfolds wines (Magill’05/RWT’04/StHenry’04) - Decanted and showed its luscious character some 30-40 min after that. Rich and opulent, with some herbal and earthy component and lovely black olives/olive oil in the back.
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Storage problem causing the cork to go bad. Color brownish, nice nose with coffee/expresso/Choc, balance palette of oak. med+ body and strong coffee, truffle, licorice. Finishing not as long due to cork issue, still a good bottle.
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Well controlled elegant french oak aroma. Gorgeous nose of black fruit, dark plum, herbs and soil. Big fruitiness. Quite full and jammy. Good balance. The finish was quite young, with some bitter tannin.
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Unscrewed (the first screwcap vintage?) and immediately poured but nurtured in the glass over a couple of hours. Lovely rich opaque velvety red colour. Opulent and velvety nose that draws you in and makes you contemplative. Palate is lovely rich red fruits and velvety texture....definitely open for business but with at least a decade to mature and improve. This was a slightly frivolously opened last bottle of a not crazy evening but where I didn't take notes. Note to self: must definitely revisit and pay more attention.
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Tried this at a wine tasting dinner. This lovely RWT was remarkably awesome among all wines on that night. Its inky and dark purple in color. Powerful nose with creme de cassis, oak and blackfruits. Full body, very concentrated with smooth tannins. Velvet and juicy mouthfeel with massive blueberry, blackfruits and hints of mint. Long Finish. Impressive! When it compares with Grange in terms of quality and price ratio, RWT is undoubtedly for sure!
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Took 24 hours to really open up as the second day was much better than the pop and pour. Dark ink, almost black in the glass. Massive nose of iodine, crème de cassis, and tar explode from the glass. Likely drinking at its peak with a velvety mouth-feel and smooth tannin that coat the palate with flavors of juicy black fruit. Finish lingers for over a minute.
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This is a great Shiraz that makes you think of Grange (really). Nearly black in the glass with strong legs, nose of tea, cherries and blackberry, BIG on the palate and as smooth as silk. Not too complex but nice structure. At $65/btl I paid this is an amazing wine when you consider that the new Grange (2008) was released at $850. This is very enjoyable now but another year or two or five would do no harm. All the Penfolds wines I have experienced, from bottom to top have aged gracefully. They seem to get better every year.
If you like Shiraz you will like this wine. Be sure to decant as there was a fair amount of sediment in this bottle.
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Wow! WOTN!! Massive wine, huge dark berry fruit, full bodied, but tempered with decent acidity still, and some nice secondary flavors coming through after an hour of air. Very smooth also...this is certainly in its prime drinking window. Very enjoyable, and loved by all at the dinner party.
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tiff out to town so popped this for me solo, drank one glass and poured the rest down the drain, this confirms that - with only rare exceptions - shiraz is not for me... way too BIG, huge alcohol, hot hot hot, fruit was there and there was acid to keep it from being flabby but this wine tasted like rocket fuel
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Aromas of violets and spice, with a touch of grilled meat . As much cherry as the expected blackberry, and the acidity was the dominate balancing agent, as the tannins were minimal. Opened up over the course of an hour, showing licorice and smokey spices. This wine has plenty of life left. Drink over the next 3-5 years.
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New cellar tracker sure is buggy. Already wrote a review and tried to knock this out of inventory. Review was lengthy and I went on a long tirade about how amazing this wine is. Bottom line, inky, layered, silky and just plain sexy. Drink it!
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Tasted side by side with Dougos Opsimos 2008 this is a wine that reveals power together with finesse. Broad and velvety on palate with cocoa, coffee along blackberries and cassis. Not a beast but well defined and intense. Not a lot of complexity however, perhaps it well get better with time.
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Unfortunately, this bottle is no good due to prior arrival storage condition before it enters my cellar. Yet, it still delivers a very beautiful nose and bouque. Sadly, the taste is gone.
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Black Purple in the glass with strong legs and seductive tears. Nose typical of Shiraz with black fruit. Palate is tight reflecting more time needed. However, smooth tannins and velvet mouth feel with little oak but nice black fruit on both palate and finish. Should develop nicely over next 3 years but approachable now.
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Think this bottle needs a little more time. Still very good, just nothing impressive. Decanting even for a couple hours could likely help a great deal.
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Rich, with minty accents to its mocha, jammy black fruit, coconut and spice aromas. Medium bodied, supple, and mature on the palate with minty sour cherry flavors, medium acidity, good balance and no hard edges.
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This Shiraz from the Barossa Valley is a perfect example of why Australia should not be overlooked for high quality wine production. This is a few steps away from the legendary Grange label, but shows tremendous structure. Notes of plum, dark and red berries, vanilla, mint. Some spice from the very present but well-integrated french oak lend great complexity. With medium acidity and firm tannins, the body of the wine is smooth and takes a long finish. All elements are in harmony and make for an enjoyable experience.
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2 hour decant. Had a bit of fun with this one by trying in 3 different style Riedels and comparing the results. Details on the forum, but the overwhelming conclusion is that this needs more time - on this showing plenty of it.
Spicy brambly and peppery nose followed by a tight and tannic palate. Very compact with plenty of concentrated red berry fruit and a lot of oak, yet to fully integrate. A hint of licorice struggles to be heard along with some herbaceous background noise - mint and basil? Very full bodied but fresh and fairly well balanced. Fruit is a little austere right now and the monster tannins in here are a little severe.
Right now this needs some very assertive food to work, but there is plenty of upside. From 2014 maybe based on this botttle?
EDIT : +24 hours decanted. Really not giving up much at all. Tight and fearsomely backwards this is clearly going through a difficult phase. The problem is I'm not sure if this caterpillar will ever become a butterfly. Some underlying quality for sure, but for the price there are far greater examples out there - Mt Edelstone from Henschke and Peter Lehmann's Stonewell absolutely WHALE on this, and in the case of the Stonewell for half the price...
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Showing a lot of oak at this tasting with pronounced aromas of wood smoke, baking spice and vanilla appearing in front of plush black cherry notes. Full bodied on the palate with tons of fine, ripe tannins framing cherry, spice and mint flavors.
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2010 Penfolds Tasting (Liner and Elsen, Portland OR): The nose is quite earthy with clay and dust running the show and the blackberry fruit lurking underneath it all. It's clean right away with gentle tannins setting in quickly. Some bright and light peach flavors show and quickly become subdued by dark and juicy blackberry flavors. I really like that transition! The peach flavors aren't eliminated entirely, and they linger onto the finish. The tannins build fully and are backed by blalanced acidity that waters the mouth. Late on the finish, some chocolate makes an appearance too. Yum! Complex with many tasty flavors.
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Penfolds Tasting Seminar (Liner & Elsen Wine Merchants, Portland, OR): Wine #7. From magnum. Wow...Spices and sweet black fruits. This is what I like in Shiraz! Still quite tannic and drying, but very smooth and silky too. Blackberry pie comes close, with the sweet fruit and vanilla. Happy I have a bottle in the cellar, but I won't be touching it for at least 5 years.
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Enormously concentrated with a lot of freshness and elegance. Good ripe fruits like black cherries, blackberries and plums. Some cinnamon. Great wine. Give it another 3 - 5+ years of rest.
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Just in the mood for a big shiraz. No decant. Almost black in the glass with an extremely ripe and spicy blackberry fruit nose. Lashings of leather and a real peppy freshness. Young palate of brambles and tobacco - quite a bit of oak in here. Good concentration brings a strong black licorice note. Finish is of good length and supported by ample fine tannins. The freshness OTN follows trough in the mouth for such a big wine. Certainly needs another few years but really rather good.
EDIT : +24 hours for uncorked remainder. Not really changed, although the oak (whilst strong) is better integrated with the extra air time. Very firm tannins, particularly noticeable on the finish. It's good but I feel that those tannins have some significant toning up (or should that be down?) to do. If they soften then it will be lovely but I'm not entirely convinced. Lacks some of the complexity and finnesse that many of the top Aussies now seem to find so regularly. Would be unfair to judge it too harshly due to youth, but at present this is dining out a little too much on a 2-dimensional fruit-and-structure profile. -2 from original rating, From 2012 to let those tannis mellow?
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This is some pretty intense stuff. Has that big, ripe Aussie thing going on, but stay in balance somewhat, and is so laden without falling off its feet that it's impossible not to apreciate it. Dark fruits, minerals, just really intense. Let this sit for 5+ years and try again.
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Second time drinking this. It wasn't as good as the first. Drank this initially at the 2008 Wine and Spirits Top 100 event and it blew all of us away. This time around, however, it fell short of our expectations. A few hours later, the wine showed some brilliance, but it wasn't the same experience. Slow starter, so make sure this is properly decanted. Seemed to have a nutty flavor, mouthfeel was nice, but remained tight. Bottle just didn't open up like I expected.
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Blue fruit, black licorice and some floral notes on the nose. Alcohol was noticeable, medium acidity. Blue fruit and licorice in the flavour profile - long finish carrying these through.
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dark inky leathery blackberry, medium clarity Nose: blackberries, dark chocolate, chalk, eath, thyme, smoke, oak Pal: blackberry, dark chocolate, chalk, savory, thyme, vanilla, touch pepper Feel: rich and savory Finish: long TC9
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South of the Equator Wines! (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had blueberries, and licorice, along with some bacon, some game, and a little leather. The palate was silky, with black currants, spice, some oak, and a bit of smoked meat. The finish was great.
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11/21/2023 - GrumpyGilly Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep ruby with blackberries, blackcurrant and menthol on the nose. The purity of fruit dances on the tongue in balance with the acidity and smooth tannins. White pepper, fresh leather and smoked lardons wrapped by rich black fruit. Excellent wine and still plenty of years left ahead, but drinking well now.
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3/15/2022 - swiftr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very big, fairly dense but lots of fruit, with layers of complexity developing and notable length. It should have many years of life and even further development if I can bear to wait. Very Penfolds in character, not as distinctive as Grange (nothing is) but well above what we used to regard as their “basic” wines, eg Bin 28, which is still excellent.
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7/4/2021 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Hmmm what a great wine! Plenty of red and black berry fruit. Fruit still full and accompanied by a nice acidity that provides an excellent balanced wine. Tannins now softening. Long and complex finish. Drink now and over the next 5 years - will last a little longer but is at its peak now, expect to start to fall away from here.
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3/16/2021 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply fabulous!
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2/6/2021 - WineDoctors wrote: 90 Points
Blueberry. smooth tannins. plum jam, long finish. med acid. a little flabby
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11/4/2020 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Random night (Fix, St James, Sydney): {screwcap, 14.5%} [Gordon] Bottle 40991; double-decanted three hours earlier. Barely developing nose. Plums, blackberry jam, sweet vanilla and coconut too. Slight porty note to the aromas. An odd mix of young and old. The palate is about full-bodied, ultra-ripe fruit, despite any pretence RWT has to elegance. Big blackberry fruit, a touch raisin-like too, confected a bit; lots of heft on the mid-palate. Feels a little formulaic to me; maybe at an awkward age. More time will help. It’s a crowd-pleaser, don’t get me wrong, with plenty of flavour and punch, I just think it would have been more nuanced were it a bit less ripe and ’worked’ somehow. Come back in five – or ten – years.
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10/28/2020 - RDB Wine Likes this wine: flawed
Gift from Wassermann May, 2010. Removed from Bin North 10. Nose of spice and blackberry, blueberry. Deep dark purple. Vanilla oak and chalk presentation soft and even with hints of blackberry and spice on finish. Lovely aged wine. 8/10.
Next day all fruit gone.
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10/3/2020 - BAJRiley wrote: 93 Points
Deep currant/garnet colour. Nose: plum, blackberries and blueberries, chocolate, lightly toasted oak, some violets. Palate: Fine but prominent tannins, medium to full bodied. Good complexity and balance, nice long finish. It is a nice change to have a Barossa shiraz that isn't too big.
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9/15/2020 - swiftr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mature, complex, still lots of fruit but not a blockbuster like many Barossa Shirazes. More like an excellent northern Rhône.
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8/6/2020 - WineDoctors Likes this wine: 90 Points
Short finish. eucalyptus ids. Med acid medium tannins. Drink now
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6/15/2020 - Canoehead Likes this wine: 93 Points
Syrah vs Shiraz Blind Tasting ex-France (Victoria, BC): 2nd out of 5: Showing very well 15+ years. Wonderfully pronounced nose of savoury fruit, olive and licorice. Carried right thru on the palate. Excellent balance and seamless elements of alcohol, tannin and acidity. Elegant statesman.
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11/23/2019 - Old Joe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just keeps getting better and better. Still plenty of life as i stated two (2) years ago
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5/25/2019 - rossi.wine wrote:
From magnum. No formal notes, over dinner. Dark and glossy. Sweet fruit, cherries, plum, spices, cedar on the nose. On the palate very generous with silky tannins, sufficient acidity, medium length. Drinking very well, but no rush.
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1/10/2019 - fcs@macsimsllc.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
90 minute decant. A little fruit and some earthiness on the nose. Dark fruit and leather on the mid palate with integrated tannin on the finish. Became smooth with a velvet finish as the dinner progressed. Went extraordinarily well with Coq au vin in a dark wine sauce. The wine got better through the evening. looking forward to holding my other bottles for a couple years and seeing how the wine progresses. Lots of time to enjoy this wine.
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10/20/2018 - BuckNaked6969 wrote: 90 Points
Pretty good while not amazing, had 3 hours in decanter and could prob have done another hour,
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5/28/2017 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine over delivered for me. Superb evolved balance and a surprising degree of elegance. Black fruits, hints of sandalwood and cinnamon. Full fruited but a nice tightness leaving it not overbearing. Very enjoyable.
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3/5/2017 - saxual Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty much in-line with others' assessments of this wine. I prefer the Bin 707 from the '04 vintage; but as I was doing a P&P at a local restaurant (La Fontana, Seattle- a favorite of mine for over two decades now), I had a limited decanting time- though after about an hour, it opened nicely. Well-structured, strong; but not acidic on the palate at all; medium-length finish with mild hints of the Terroir.
Overall, I enjoyed this wine tremendously with my tortellini Gorgonzola & Caprese. In my estimation, it is at its best right about now; but it will age another five to seven years, if I had to guess. The Bin 707s should age through the 2030s.
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2/18/2017 - Old Joe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lots of life left in it. Full bodied and lots of tannin. A variety of flavors surround this wine. A classic Penfold delivery. Enjoy
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10/16/2016 - rdearing wrote: 92 Points
Drink 'em if you got 'em. Time running out.
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1/9/2016 - mpricher wrote: 94 Points
A Real knock-out Syrah that has truly come of age after it's sleep in the bottle. Beauty of jeweled purple in the glass, shinny but nearly opaque. Medium to full bodied. Excellent legs and big alcohol, but the fruit easily matched this. Fruit and florals on the nose we very enjoyable. NOT a Auzzie fruit bomb at all. Very classy. Mouthfeel was excellent. Probably one of the top 3 bottles we drank during the holidays (of over 35 bottles tasted)
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11/20/2015 - DaddyO wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely loved this wine...picked it up around 9 years ago at a steal of a price and finally opened with expectations that it would be Run Rig's little brother. Perhaps even better as a tremendous combination of earthy and dark fruit with and exceptional mouth feel.
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11/5/2015 - Brownvino wrote: 92 Points
The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), coffee and espresso. It tastes like game, meaty, black pepper, espresso and coffee. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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7/7/2015 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 91 Points
(Bottle no. 34478) I last drank this almost exactly a year ago and made a note then to drink it in a more contemplative setting next time....... which I didn't do last night as it was a farewell dinner to friends at a busy Cantonese restaurant. So no detailed notes, but this was an absolutely beautiful wine that has matured a little in the passing year and is now beautifully elegant.........this is relatively light and much more like a Hill of Grace in feminine elegance than the more full throttle depth of a good vintage of Grange. It is a lovely wine and I have to repeat my own advice from last year to drink it in more contemplative surroundings next time. Thanks, Mark!
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4/10/2015 - bboard wrote:
Got lots of prunes and plum, with slight vanilla. Tannin was a little rough but do last a while with the finish. The lasting memory unfortunately is not the finish, but the fruits...not quite sure what to make of it .... is that its real character?
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3/5/2015 - jskuek wrote: 92 Points
mostly secondary notes, prune, sweet plum, vanilla, coffee, full body and long finish.
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2/8/2015 - jskuek Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose coffee, chassis, vanilla. All the secondary notes. Body full, Choc, coffee. Very long finish.
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1/18/2015 - Lyubomir Lefterov wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with some Penfolds wines (Magill’05/RWT’04/StHenry’04) - Decanted and showed its luscious character some 30-40 min after that. Rich and opulent, with some herbal and earthy component and lovely black olives/olive oil in the back.
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1/10/2015 - jskuek Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow legs, creamy-fruits nose. Dark fruits, cedar, coffee/mocha, vanilla. Nice integrated oak and tannins. Smooth and very long finish. Great wine!
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11/22/2014 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Smoky, beefy nose. Strikingly balanced palate with hints of cinnamon and orange rind. Very clean wine. Really liked this.
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11/21/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Penfolds Tasting with 5 vintages of Grange and a bunch more (Downtown Cleveland): Black raspberries, a bit of eucalyptus and some grilled meats on the nose. Black raspberries on the palate. This is very nice, not a monster wine, but drinking well if youthful. It is accessible though, the most in the flight.
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11/9/2014 - jskuek Likes this wine: 90 Points
Storage problem causing the cork to go bad. Color brownish, nice nose with coffee/expresso/Choc, balance palette of oak. med+ body and strong coffee, truffle, licorice. Finishing not as long due to cork issue, still a good bottle.
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10/4/2014 - dimdic wrote: 92 Points
Well controlled elegant french oak aroma. Gorgeous nose of black fruit, dark plum, herbs and soil. Big fruitiness. Quite full and jammy. Good balance. The finish was quite young, with some bitter tannin.
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8/8/2014 - jskuek Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fabulous nose, coffee mocha vanilla all integrated nicely. Long complex very smooth.
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6/30/2014 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 90 Points
Unscrewed (the first screwcap vintage?) and immediately poured but nurtured in the glass over a couple of hours. Lovely rich opaque velvety red colour. Opulent and velvety nose that draws you in and makes you contemplative. Palate is lovely rich red fruits and velvety texture....definitely open for business but with at least a decade to mature and improve. This was a slightly frivolously opened last bottle of a not crazy evening but where I didn't take notes. Note to self: must definitely revisit and pay more attention.
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5/17/2014 - Ivan Ma wrote: 95 Points
Tried this at a wine tasting dinner. This lovely RWT was remarkably awesome among all wines on that night. Its inky and dark purple in color. Powerful nose with creme de cassis, oak and blackfruits. Full body, very concentrated with smooth tannins. Velvet and juicy mouthfeel with massive blueberry, blackfruits and hints of mint. Long Finish. Impressive! When it compares with Grange in terms of quality and price ratio, RWT is undoubtedly for sure!
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3/16/2014 - matthyson wrote: 92 Points
Took 24 hours to really open up as the second day was much better than the pop and pour. Dark ink, almost black in the glass. Massive nose of iodine, crème de cassis, and tar explode from the glass. Likely drinking at its peak with a velvety mouth-feel and smooth tannin that coat the palate with flavors of juicy black fruit. Finish lingers for over a minute.
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3/16/2014 - tplskylrk wrote:
Nice, not sure I would give it mid 90's, but a killer wine. I love Aussie Shiraz and this was right there. Old world compared to toays producers.
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2/12/2014 - heldermramos@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aroma volátil, destacando frutas negras em geléia, baunilha e levedura. Sabor intenso, levemente amargo, intenso, picante, frutado. Taninos macios. Excelente vinho. Muito agradável.
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8/30/2013 - GaryHOhio wrote: 95 Points
This is a great Shiraz that makes you think of Grange (really). Nearly black in the glass with strong legs, nose of tea, cherries and blackberry, BIG on the palate and as smooth as silk. Not too complex but nice structure. At $65/btl I paid this is an amazing wine when you consider that the new Grange (2008) was released at $850. This is very enjoyable now but another year or two or five would do no harm. All the Penfolds wines I have experienced, from bottom to top have aged gracefully. They seem to get better every year.
If you like Shiraz you will like this wine. Be sure to decant as there was a fair amount of sediment in this bottle.
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5/12/2013 - RPerro Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! WOTN!! Massive wine, huge dark berry fruit, full bodied, but tempered with decent acidity still, and some nice secondary flavors coming through after an hour of air. Very smooth also...this is certainly in its prime drinking window. Very enjoyable, and loved by all at the dinner party.
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5/8/2013 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 87 Points
tiff out to town so popped this for me solo, drank one glass and poured the rest down the drain, this confirms that - with only rare exceptions - shiraz is not for me... way too BIG, huge alcohol, hot hot hot, fruit was there and there was acid to keep it from being flabby but this wine tasted like rocket fuel
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1/19/2013 - Zingrrl Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich jam nose. Brilliant dark fruit, some leather, and good structure.
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1/19/2013 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromas of violets and spice, with a touch of grilled meat . As much cherry as the expected blackberry, and the acidity was the dominate balancing agent, as the tannins were minimal. Opened up over the course of an hour, showing licorice and smokey spices. This wine has plenty of life left. Drink over the next 3-5 years.
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12/15/2012 - winoj Likes this wine: 94 Points
New cellar tracker sure is buggy. Already wrote a review and tried to knock this out of inventory. Review was lengthy and I went on a long tirade about how amazing this wine is. Bottom line, inky, layered, silky and just plain sexy. Drink it!
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11/23/2012 - Dokken wrote: 91 Points
Tasted side by side with Dougos Opsimos 2008 this is a wine that reveals power together with finesse. Broad and velvety on palate with cocoa, coffee along blackberries and cassis. Not a beast but well defined and intense. Not a lot of complexity however, perhaps it well get better with time.
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10/27/2012 - nrad6949 wrote: flawed
Unfortunately, this bottle is no good due to prior arrival storage condition before it enters my cellar. Yet, it still delivers a very beautiful nose and bouque. Sadly, the taste is gone.
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4/2/2012 - BillyT wrote: 91 Points
Black Purple in the glass with strong legs and seductive tears. Nose typical of Shiraz with black fruit. Palate is tight reflecting more time needed. However, smooth tannins and velvet mouth feel with little oak but nice black fruit on both palate and finish. Should develop nicely over next 3 years but approachable now.
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11/14/2011 - barolo_99 wrote:
In 5 jahren wieder
Feuchtes leder
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8/31/2011 - winoj wrote: 89 Points
Think this bottle needs a little more time. Still very good, just nothing impressive. Decanting even for a couple hours could likely help a great deal.
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5/17/2011 - wino_tim wrote: 88 Points
Rich, with minty accents to its mocha, jammy black fruit, coconut and spice aromas. Medium bodied, supple, and mature on the palate with minty sour cherry flavors, medium acidity, good balance and no hard edges.
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4/28/2011 - Gizmo2011 wrote: 88 Points
Oaky coconut butter cooky caramel. Super modern
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2/18/2011 - oenophilip Likes this wine: 92 Points
This Shiraz from the Barossa Valley is a perfect example of why Australia should not be overlooked for high quality wine production. This is a few steps away from the legendary Grange label, but shows tremendous structure. Notes of plum, dark and red berries, vanilla, mint. Some spice from the very present but well-integrated french oak lend great complexity. With medium acidity and firm tannins, the body of the wine is smooth and takes a long finish. All elements are in harmony and make for an enjoyable experience.
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2/18/2011 - Khamen wrote: 88 Points
2 hour decant. Had a bit of fun with this one by trying in 3 different style Riedels and comparing the results. Details on the forum, but the overwhelming conclusion is that this needs more time - on this showing plenty of it.
Spicy brambly and peppery nose followed by a tight and tannic palate. Very compact with plenty of concentrated red berry fruit and a lot of oak, yet to fully integrate. A hint of licorice struggles to be heard along with some herbaceous background noise - mint and basil? Very full bodied but fresh and fairly well balanced. Fruit is a little austere right now and the monster tannins in here are a little severe.
Right now this needs some very assertive food to work, but there is plenty of upside. From 2014 maybe based on this botttle?
EDIT : +24 hours decanted. Really not giving up much at all. Tight and fearsomely backwards this is clearly going through a difficult phase. The problem is I'm not sure if this caterpillar will ever become a butterfly. Some underlying quality for sure, but for the price there are far greater examples out there - Mt Edelstone from Henschke and Peter Lehmann's Stonewell absolutely WHALE on this, and in the case of the Stonewell for half the price...
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2/17/2011 - wino_tim wrote: 89 Points
Showing a lot of oak at this tasting with pronounced aromas of wood smoke, baking spice and vanilla appearing in front of plush black cherry notes. Full bodied on the palate with tons of fine, ripe tannins framing cherry, spice and mint flavors.
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10/4/2010 - subtlet Likes this wine: 91 Points
2010 Penfolds Tasting (Liner and Elsen, Portland OR): The nose is quite earthy with clay and dust running the show and the blackberry fruit lurking underneath it all. It's clean right away with gentle tannins setting in quickly. Some bright and light peach flavors show and quickly become subdued by dark and juicy blackberry flavors. I really like that transition! The peach flavors aren't eliminated entirely, and they linger onto the finish. The tannins build fully and are backed by blalanced acidity that waters the mouth. Late on the finish, some chocolate makes an appearance too. Yum! Complex with many tasty flavors.
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10/4/2010 - MBannon wrote: 94 Points
Clean red fruit and chocolate. Very lithe & sleek. Delicious and still a baby. From magnum.
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10/4/2010 - RPerro wrote: 94 Points
Penfolds Tasting Seminar (Liner & Elsen Wine Merchants, Portland, OR): Wine #7. From magnum. Wow...Spices and sweet black fruits. This is what I like in Shiraz! Still quite tannic and drying, but very smooth and silky too. Blackberry pie comes close, with the sweet fruit and vanilla. Happy I have a bottle in the cellar, but I won't be touching it for at least 5 years.
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6/22/2010 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Enormously concentrated with a lot of freshness and elegance. Good ripe fruits like black cherries, blackberries and plums. Some cinnamon. Great wine. Give it another 3 - 5+ years of rest.
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6/1/2010 - Khamen wrote: 89 Points
Just in the mood for a big shiraz. No decant. Almost black in the glass with an extremely ripe and spicy blackberry fruit nose. Lashings of leather and a real peppy freshness. Young palate of brambles and tobacco - quite a bit of oak in here. Good concentration brings a strong black licorice note. Finish is of good length and supported by ample fine tannins. The freshness OTN follows trough in the mouth for such a big wine. Certainly needs another few years but really rather good.
EDIT : +24 hours for uncorked remainder. Not really changed, although the oak (whilst strong) is better integrated with the extra air time. Very firm tannins, particularly noticeable on the finish. It's good but I feel that those tannins have some significant toning up (or should that be down?) to do. If they soften then it will be lovely but I'm not entirely convinced. Lacks some of the complexity and finnesse that many of the top Aussies now seem to find so regularly. Would be unfair to judge it too harshly due to youth, but at present this is dining out a little too much on a 2-dimensional fruit-and-structure profile. -2 from original rating, From 2012 to let those tannis mellow?
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4/10/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 90 Points
Penfolds Grange among Australias greatest (Heemstede - Rest. Southern Cross): 2004 Penfolds Shiraz RWT (Australië, South Australië, Barossa, Barossa Valley) Kleur: Diep donkerrood, iets paarsig. Aroma / bouquet: Halfgesloten, iets jammy donker fruit, gedroogd fruit (pruimen), iets kruidig maar nu niet heel interessant. Wel veel potentie. Smaak / Afdronk: Zwoele, zacht zoetige aanzet, mild zuur, krachtige maar boterzachte tannines. Prachtige balans. Algemeen / potentieel: Mooi alternatief voor de Grange… Dit komt verdomd goed in de buurt, maar tegen 1/3e van de prijs… 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 90/100
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3/13/2010 - eudora wrote: 94 Points
This is an exceptional wine -- gamey, meaty, licorice -- but balanced, intense, powerful. A sensational alternative to a $300 Grange.
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2/27/2010 - winebuff037 wrote:
Jancis Robinson Dinner (Pudong Shangri-La): Broad and generous, as one would expect from an Australian Shiraz.
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6/21/2009 - hutch wrote: 92 Points
This is some pretty intense stuff. Has that big, ripe Aussie thing going on, but stay in balance somewhat, and is so laden without falling off its feet that it's impossible not to apreciate it. Dark fruits, minerals, just really intense. Let this sit for 5+ years and try again.
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3/29/2009 - Terran23 wrote:
Second time drinking this. It wasn't as good as the first. Drank this initially at the 2008 Wine and Spirits Top 100 event and it blew all of us away. This time around, however, it fell short of our expectations. A few hours later, the wine showed some brilliance, but it wasn't the same experience. Slow starter, so make sure this is properly decanted. Seemed to have a nutty flavor, mouthfeel was nice, but remained tight. Bottle just didn't open up like I expected.
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3/7/2009 - db from oz wrote: 90 Points
young and big. patience needed
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2/21/2009 - bigdogflow wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Big licorice on the nose and taste. Wonderful balance thru to the finish. Great finish.
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5/11/2008 - Mozelrider wrote: 95 Points
Great wine, very Shiraz!
Fantastic nose en great balance, big aftertaste.
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5/7/2008 - the drops of god wrote: 90 Points
Not impresed
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2/16/2008 - Canadian Chris wrote: 90 Points
Blue fruit, black licorice and some floral notes on the nose. Alcohol was noticeable, medium acidity. Blue fruit and licorice in the flavour profile - long finish carrying these through.
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11/29/2007 - Frijole wrote:
dark inky leathery blackberry, medium clarity
Nose: blackberries, dark chocolate, chalk, eath, thyme, smoke, oak
Pal: blackberry, dark chocolate, chalk, savory, thyme, vanilla, touch pepper
Feel: rich and savory
Finish: long
TC9
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11/10/2007 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
South of the Equator Wines! (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had blueberries, and licorice, along with some bacon, some game, and a little leather. The palate was silky, with black currants, spice, some oak, and a bit of smoked meat. The finish was great.
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