1997 Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Shiraz 750ml

Producer tasting notes: "COLOUR Deep crimson red. NOSE This is a unique aromatic expression of the Barossa Valley - perfumed fruit with violet-like florals, dried mixed fruit and exotic spices. Berry fruit nuances rise above cedary French oak. PALATE This has the hallmarks of a great Penfolds red wine - superb structure, excellent oak integration, great palate weight and rich fruit. The sweet, rich and generous dark berried Shiraz flavours make a strong, clear statement. Pronounced savoury, cold roast" - Penfolds

Critic tasting note: "Seamless luxury from stem to stern, this ‘baby Grange' is impressive juice. Blackberry, menthol and smoke play unusually elegantly on the nose, the texture is velvet on the tongue with dark berry, coffee, licorice and muted black pepper flavors. The superb, very long finish combines all the elements with wonderful finesse and a rare grace. Not inexpensive, but fairly priced; you could pay twice as much for half the wine, almost any day in any fine wine store in the country. To be released 5/01." - 95/100, Wine Enthusiast

Producer Notes

Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz, first made in 1997, was released after several years of red winemaking trials from which the wine takes its name. In the Penfolds tradition of trial and innovation our winemakers embarked on a project in 1995 titled 'RWT' - meaning 'Red Winemaking Trial' - to create a new Australian Shiraz integrating the rich, generous flavours of Barossa Valley Shiraz with the finesse of tightly-grained French oak. The result is a fine wine of great elegance and depth of flavour. RWT is second only to Grange in the Penfolds Shiraz hierarchy, although the two wines are stylistically different. RWT expresses Shiraz more openly than Grange. This is partly a function of the grapes themselves and partly a result of maturation in French oak, rather than stronger, sweeter-flavoured American oak. RWT is opulent and voluptuous, and fleshy where Grange is muscular.

Vintage Notes