What's good enough for the Noble Price dinner guests in Stockholm, is good enough for me. Last night I had a 1998 Penfolds RWT Shiraz. This brand is positioned as the little brother to Grange, with the same winemaking, I believe, but maturation in French as opposed to American oak.
There was no visible wine evaporation, and the cork came out fine.
I am scoring this wine relatively high because of the sweet, but not overripe core, which only South Australian Shiraz can deliver, in my view. The wine is still youthful, with vibrant blackberry fruit. The tannins are firm and lead to a long finish. The problem is, overall, the wine is not very harmonious. I did not decant the wine, but used the nuance wine finer, which aerates the wine as you pour. It also has a filter to keep the solids in the bottle. For the first time ever, the filter got blocked in the process, so much gunk was in the bottle.
This wine still has many years ahead, but fruit, tannins and oak have not quite come together, and I doubt they will. This is a top wine for those who enjoy a big bold Barossa Shiraz. I would have liked a bit more refinement.
Score: 94/+
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