Penfolds

Dark ruby garnet colour, purple reflections, delicate ochre rim. Spicy, fresh southern herbs, tobacco, some pomegranate seed, liquorice and candied mandarin zest. Medium complexity, red heart cherry, mineral, firm texture, integrated tannins, salty on the finish, still a little shy and underdeveloped, still needs time, eucalyptus in the aftertaste.

Perhaps the wine that surprised me the most at my recent Penfolds tasting was the Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz. Marananga sits in the heart of the Barossa, over rich red clay and sandy soils that have played a role in several great Barossa shiraz over the decades. In this case, Penfolds ages the Marananga fruit in various new and used large oak puncheons and hogsheads oak vessels, including the year and a half in new French (29%) and American (29%). The almost opaque red is a slick version of plummy chocolate and blueberry with candied notes and glossy, smooth tannins. The flavours persist forever. Despite all the sweet fruit, the spice and mineral notes keep this from running amok in the finish. A delicious drinking shiraz we do not see enough. When the Marananga doesn't make the cut for 389 it goes to this label.