Critic tasting note: (2003 vintage) "Spicy, savoury, pencil lead, black cherry, floral, resiny, ash, vanilla. Dry, round, elegant style but somewhat lean with some youthful, tight tannins. Black cherry, coffee, spicy, coriander, savoury, meaty, black olive, resiny, vanilla flavours. Very warm, coffee, cigar finish with some acidity poking through. A bit flat on the palate overall and lacks the fruit and sophistication of some prior vintages. Needs 2-4 years to soften out. (Anthony Gismondi and Stuart Tobe)." - 90/100, Gismondi on Wine
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
An outstanding Barossa Valley vintage that began late due to cool spring weather, although conditions were generally frost and disease-free. Warm summer weather led to an early vintage, with excellent fruit quality. Joins 1996, 1990 and 1986 as one of the best vintages of the past two decades.
Ageing: 15 months in new French oak
