The annual release of the Penfolds Collection wines sees the launch of the most collectible wine in the Southern Hemisphere (Penfolds Grange) and often sees its followers fall into two camps. In one camp are those clambering to get their hands on a bottle or a case of Grange while the other camp wonders about the notion of a 'fine wine' and whether cellaring for the future is worth it in such a messed up world. Fine wine has always been tricky terminology for some of us to get our heads around because it has an ever so slightly exclusive ring to it, which is what many wine communicators these days strenuously strive to avoid. It's always been high on my radar to make wine sound, feel and be accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget, especially in a world where the vast majority of wine produced is made to drink within an hour or so of purchase, if not 10 minutes after it's been paid for at the check out. And yet, I find myself drawn to these wines because of their incredible structure and ability to improve for decades. The only problem is that the world seems to be going to hell in a you-know-what and decades seems like a long time away, so where will we and our old bottles be in a couple of decades?
Parking that idea for now, it has been a privilege to have tasted old Penfolds Grange and seen its ability to age and evolve positively for decades, improving, morphing from a bold fruity Shiraz into an elegant, smoky, multi layered, juicy, powerful wine with structure, elegance and the ability to make most wine lovers think 'wow, how old is that wine again? Do most people collect Penfolds Grange in the hope of drinking it one day or to on-sell it for a profit?
The luxury of collecting wine means that money is tied up in the process, but for those of us who love wine, so is pleasure. A wine collection can be an investment in the best type of travel; a journey for the mind in each sip of a wine that has smoothly evolved in the bottle into something incredibly different from its fruit forward, powerful youth.
These wines of the week are worth keeping for the long haul, budget permitting, of course. Like most of the Penfolds Collection. Both have the structure to improve for at least a decade.
A keeper
18.5/20
2020 Penfolds RWT Bin 789 Shiraz RRP $249.99
Deep in colour, flavour and structure, the 2020 RWT is a long term wine for those with willpower - or a short term one for those with big glasses and even bigger budgets. Its name, RWT, stands for red wine trial and harks back to when it was a trial when first made in 1997. The name has stuck but the wine is a confident expression of ripe Shiraz with from a warm climate - 100% Barossa Valley grapes - aged entirely in French oak hogsheads for 16 months with 49% new oak and 51% being one year old barrels. Flavours of blackberry, blueberries and dark plums intermingle in the mouth while cloves and spice add depth. It needs time for these layers to come together and definitely deserves decanting. Drink now or wait as long as possible...
Winter drought for the second year running made the 2000 vintage a tricky one with late flowering on the vines and low soil moisture levels leading to low numbers of bunches on the vines. This made irrigation essential and volumes relatively low. A heat wave in December and hot summer days added to the heat stress but fortunately McLaren Vale had rain in late summer, which makes the blending of this wine make sense. It drinks impressively well now with its staunch structure and will reward those with patience to keep it for at least five to 10 years but if you're feeling optimistic about the state of the world - and have cool dark cellar conditions - this wine will age for 20+ years and improve in that time.
A drinker and a keeper
17.5/20
2000 Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz RRP $44.99
Layers of flavour leap out of the glass in this full bodied, deep purple coloured Shiraz with dark chocolate, cloves and black plums captured in a beautifully powerful and rich red wine which is made from grapes grown in four different regions of South Australia. It was first made in 1958 from grapes grown entirely on a vineyard called Kalimna in the Barossa Valley, south Australia but 65 years later, this wine is now a blend of grapes from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Clare Valley. Each contributes a diverse range of aromas and flavours.
Winter drought for the second year running made the 2000 vintage a tricky one with late flowering on the vines and low soil moisture levels leading to low numbers of bunches on the vines. This made irrigation essential and volumes relatively low. A heat wave in December and hot summer days added to the heat stress but fortunately McLaren Vale had rain in late summer, which makes the blending of this wine make sense. It drinks impressively well now with its staunch structure and will reward those with patience to keep it for at least five to 10 years but if you're feeling optimistic about the state of the world - and have cool dark cellar conditions - this wine will age for 20+ years and improve in that time.
