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Penfolds
2017 Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz
This wine can ship to the following states: AK, CA, DC, FL, MA, MN, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OR, SC, TN, WV, and WI. View state guidelines on import and domestic wines.
Description
Description
Penfolds RWT Shiraz presents an admirable alternative to the multi-regional sourcing and American oak maturation that are hallmarks of Grange, expressing instead, single-region Barossa Valley Shiraz matured only in French oak. Its style is opulent and fleshy, contrasting with Grange, which is more muscular and assertive. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for its aromatic qualities and fine texture. The result is a wine that helps to redefine Barossa Shiraz at the highest quality level.
The RWT Story
The initials RWT stand for ‘Red Winemaking Trial’, the name given to the project internally when developmental work began in 1995. Naturally, now no longer a ‘Trial’ RWT Shiraz was launched in May 2000 with the 1997 vintage. Since the 2014 vintage it has been allocated Bin number 798, based on the alpha-numeric telephone punch dial, to reflect its established status within the Penfolds portfolio. These wines have the precision, concentration, persistency and balance to age for many years. The best vintages should last at least thirty years.
Awards & Accolades
Awards & Accolades
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96
JamesSuckling.com
“Stunning blueberries and mulberries here with a wealth of baking spices and red berries, as well as tarry notes and blackberries. It is all here. The palate has a super plush, rich and quite compressed tannin feel. Some firm and powerful moments, as the palate builds with plentiful spiced summer berries. Red plums and blackberries to close. Try from 2025."
- James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, August 2019 -
95
Robert Parkers, Wine Advocate
"Red raspberries abound on the nose of the 2017 RWT Shiraz, which—as usual—is all Barossa fruit aged in French oak (70% new). It's full-bodied and velvety, with appealing notes of dried spices, beef and plenty of red fruit. There's a cedary veneer to this vintage, which looks as if it will need a couple of years to come together, then drink well for up to two decades."
Joe Cerzinski, Robert Parkers Wine Advocate, August 2019 -
93
Jeb Dunnuck
“The 2017 Shiraz RWT, also known as the Bin 798, is all Barossa Valley Shiraz that’s always brought up in French oak, with 70% being new in 2017. It checks in behind the magical 2016, but nevertheless it’s still a beautiful Shiraz that offers everything you could want from this variety. Sporting a deep purple color as well as a beautiful perfume of crème de cassis, black raspberries, toasted bread, vanilla bean, white flowers, and plenty of spice, it’s full-bodied, elegant, and silky on the palate, and what it lacks in density and depth, it makes up for it with its incredible purity and elegance. It’s approachable today (give bottles an hour in a decanter), yet I suspect it will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 15+ years or more. It’s a class act."
- Jeb Dunnuck, November 2019
Wine & Vintage Details
Wine & Vintage Details
Tasting Note
Color
Deep crimson/ferrous red.
Nose
Vibrant. Red earth / ’Barossa dirt’ regional cues not hindered by a 15-month sojourn in French oak.
Initially, a lift of trademark tar/bitumen and subtle V.A. ... above scents of assorted carpaccio meats, steak tartare, green olive, capers, rosemary.
Upon sitting/swirling, patisserie scents of almond croissant, cinnamon bun ... and perhaps crème brûlée glaze (oak-derived?).
To repeat, very Barossa!
Palate
A firm and binding structure, medium-bodied. Focussed/defined, yet still generous.
Mouth-watering acidity clutching opulent fruits renders an impressive pathway cleaved across front/middle/back palate ... a pathway all ably assisted by chalky tannins and absorbed integrated oak.
Currently youthful and energetic, yet this vintage already impatiently awaits its secondary and tertiary maturation phases.
Tension.
In the interim, partake.
2017 Vintage
Winter and spring rainfall were above the long-term average providing the vines with optimal soil moisture profiles. Most of the spring rain fell during September, with long-standing rainfall records broken. Windy conditions in October helped dry out the vineyards and ensured there were no significant frost events. November was cool with only a couple of minor frosts. The recorded temperatures over the growing season were generally cool, with only March above the long-term average, the second hottest recorded in 30 years. The prevailing cool conditions extended the growing season with flowering and veraison, both later than usual. Across the Barossa Valley, the shiraz berry and bunch weights were above average with optimal flavour and bright, vibrant colour.
Vineyard & Winemaking Details
Vineyard & Winemaking Details
Peter Gago - Chief Winemaker
Peter joined the winemaking team in 1989, initially in the craftsmanship of sparkling wines, before moving on to reds as Penfolds Red Wine Maker. In 2002 Peter became the fourth ever Chief Winemaker for Penfolds. Together with his fellow winemakers, Peter’s careful custodianship has ensured that Grange and the other ‘older’ members of the Penfolds family, have continued to set the benchmark for their style and quality, while new additions to the range push the boundaries ever wider.
| Alcohol % | 14.5% |
|---|---|
| Enclosure Type | Cork |
| Oak Treatment | 15 months in French oak hogsheads (70% new and 30% 1-y.o.) |
| pH | 3.58 |
| Blend | Shiraz |