Penfolds

Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mataro 2018

Full bodied with a rich and heady perfume
A skillful blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mataro
Juicy, dense and incredibly moreish
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
Colour: Bright garnet red.
Nose: Raspberry-leaf and pastille fruits (blackberry) jostle to the fore. Barossa boot polish high-notes arise - ever so discretely! Scents of delightfully appealing, almost pungent salty prosciutto/cassoulet/beef ragu/osso buco ... stock(s)? A quince jelly and inky-berried aromatic sign-off at this early stage of bottle maturation. More to be revealed over time.
Palate: Juicy, dense and more-ish - a sophisticated varietal and regional matrix unfolds, stamped with Barossa integrity. But, what from what? Best guess: ironstone - from shiraz and a continuum of fresh red and dark berried fruits from its grenache and mataro stablemates. Super-fine tannins permeate across the palate, no doubt contributed by all three varieties. Background oak ever so distant. Lingers
Oak: Seasoned French and American oak hogsheads
Food Match: Chicken, salt baked celeriac and black truffle.
Winemaker: Peter Gago, Chief Winemaker
Drink Until: 2035
Autumn rainfall was below average, a trend that continued into early winter with only 25% of the long-term average achieved in June. The latter half of winter was wetter, with vines entering the growing season with very healthy moisture profiles. Temperatures were below average during winter, however it warmed substantially through spring boosting vine growth and rushing the vines through flowering. Spring conditions were dry early, followed by plentiful November rainfall which encouraged good, strong canopy development. Summer was dry, with no recorded major rain events. This carried into January with a heat spike around veraison causing vines to stall, pushing the start of vintage out by a week or so. The warm weather carried into autumn, setting up an Indian summer with favourable conditions for ripening grapes, and this coupled with dry conditions set up a high-quality vintage for all three varietals.