Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2018 750ml

Colour: Shiny plum red. Nose: An assortment of gamey scents (to remind of an Italian salumeria!) – cured venison, sweet smell of bresaola, and finocchiona (salami with fennel seeds). Not to preclude the local – a suggestion of kangaroo prosciutto, yet a definite assertion of the red dust of regional Coonawarra. Redcurrant – crushed raspberry/cherry pip and a dried herb crustiness – thyme flowers? Certainly quite a bit arising from the glass ... Coonawarra complexity! Palate: Medium-bodied – well-proportioned, yet not big. Layered. Appetising, juicy ... laced with cracked black pepper, red spices (Hungarian paprika) and caraway. A skerrick of (cherrywood) oak and brick-dust tannins – verging on chalky Fruits evident, yet the savouries beckon greater attention (glazed meats, green olive, capers). Yet another manifestation of the flavours and structure of cooler-climate French oak-matured shiraz ... channelled via a Penfolds winemaking lens.