A new wine to me, opened by an Oz-dwelling friend Steven Macfarlane on his recent visit back to our shores. I hadn’t tried this Penfolds – Napa wine, although I heard that the project started with the ‘Heritage Selections’ viticulture program in the 1980s, with vines making there way over to California. This wine from across Napa Valley, a blend of distinctive Penfolds house style, but that silky, succulence of Napa cabernet.
A lively garnet colour in the glass, and a very approachable, tangy fragrance showing redcurrant, cinnamon, pomegranate, cedar, bramble, mint, blood orange, musk rose, bayleaf, cranberry and cassis. Liberal acidity glides you into the palate that has perhaps a little more depth than the nose suggests, although this is distinctly medium-bodied. Graphite-flecked, supple tannins are the heartbeat, supported by opulent french oak and a silken texture that just envelops that firm core. The fruit turns darker – mulberry and boysenberry – succulent and spicy. Lovely detail here – focus and energetic throughout. This could cellar for many, many years, despite this obvious youthful appeal. 95pts
