2007 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 750ml

The 2007 vintage was challenging with low winter temperatures threatening severe frosts and accompanied by low winter rainfall. Dry conditions persisted throughout the growing season and unusually high summer temperatures followed, which placed pressure on water resources and fruit exposure. Low crops and the resultant fruit ripened relatively quickly and was selectively and successfully harvested earlier, parcel by parcel, pursuing full flavours, structure and balance.

COLOUR As a five year-old, dense vivid red—impenetrable almost to the rim. NOSE Unmistakably Grange—formic, ripe, pungent, confronting. Core: darker elements—soy/cola/peat/ coal-dust/Dutch black liquorice with sesame/sea-weed/quince paste. Beneath: coffee-grind/mocha/ bitter chocolate (from oak?). Above: African spices coupled with a fleeting and appealing glacial waft. PALATE At once, balanced and accessible; fresh and tight. A structural and textural continuum—no beginning or end, no gaps. Complete. In an attempt to define the palate profile... Flavours: dates, persimmon, roasted nuts â€?freshly baked pecan-pie/Portuguese custard tart. Oak: omnipresent, yet neither prominent nor ostentatious—completely assimilated. Tannins: neither obstructive nor aggressive, yet effortlessly conveying flavours. Yes, maturation of 21 months in barrel and three years in bottle, has moulded quite the structural and tactile Grange package.