2017 penfolds, bin 798 rwt shiraz, barossa valley
Why We're Buying
Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Shiraz is a powerful, rich, and intense wine that takes after Penfolds Grange. It elaborates on the hallmark characteristics, carving its own muscular and assertive image in the process. In 2018, Dan Murphy's Wine Panel wrote, "Our wine panel, in unison, exclaimed, "Wow!" on nosing this wine. We were instantly captivated by its brooding darkness...Silky smooth and without a hair out of place, this is the premier wine of the 2020 Penfolds release."
Critics Scores
Decanter
A deep, dark, brooding ruby in colour, this RWT 2017 (from 'Red Winemaking Trial' originally developed in 1995) displays an intense yet subtly peppery and tarry fragrance with an added veneer of vanilla from its 15 months in new French oak. That intensity splashes onto the tongue in a profusion of flavours mingling opulently ripe black cherry with pepper, vanilla, tarry spice and herbs in a polished Barossa red that, thanks to the cooler growing season, shows an elegance of texture and balance through all the richness. At the same time, it has a seriously tongue-coating, chocolatey firmness in Barossa-meets-Côte Rôtie style. Chicken and game are great food options here.
James Halliday
Deep, vibrant colour; the bouquet is very expressive, speaking of a legion of black fruits, licorice, plum and spice, none of which prepare you for the sheer power of this amazing wine, and its untold depths.
Wine Spectator
Offers a lush, juicy mix of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry flavors that appears seamless, integrating with notes of amaretto, clove and lavender. Plush, juicy and very generous on the long, expressive finish.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Red raspberries abound on the nose of the 2017 RWT Shiraz, which—as usual—is all Barossa fruit aged in French oak (70 new). It's full-bodied and velvety, with appealing notes of dried spices, beef and plenty of red fruit. There's a cedary veneer to this vintage, which looks as if it will need a couple of years to come together, then drink well for up to two decades.
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Shiraz RWT, also known as the Bin 798, is all Barossa Valley Shiraz that’s always brought up in French oak, with 70 being new in 2017. It checks in behind the magical 2016, but nevertheless it’s still a beautiful Shiraz that offers everything you could want from this variety. Sporting a deep purple color as well as a beautiful perfume of crème de cassis, black raspberries, toasted bread, vanilla bean, white flowers, and plenty of spice, it’s full-bodied, elegant, and silky on the palate, and what it lacks in density and depth, it makes up for it with its incredible purity and elegance. It’s approachable today (give bottles an hour in a decanter), yet I suspect it will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 15+ years or more. It’s a class act.
Wine Enthusiast
With all of the glossy polish that Penfolds is famed for, the RWT showcases heady aromas of raspberries, currants, plums, dried flowers and anise with furniture polish and butterscotch oak influence and undercurrents of beet and earthy herbs. Rich, satiny fruit on the palate is nipped and tucked by powerful, spicy tannins, and there's a lingering oak character. A big, classy wine with nary a hair out of place.