Finally, back to Australia, and a fairly classic wine. Although, it is not really classic, as it is a break away from tradition for Penfolds to release a wine from a single sub-region. It stills feels quite new, although the 2016 Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz is its 9th release.
The colour of the wine is deep purple. On the nose, you can smell the warm climate which delivers this ripe black fruit bouquet.
The wine opens with concentrated blackberry and mulberry fruit on the palate. The wine is still youthful and the fruit of high purity. Char-grilled meat flavours and aniseed add to the complexity of the wine. Firm grippy tannins hold up the structure, and the finish is long lasting. The problem? The palate is dominated by a strong vanilla influence from the American oak. It completely covers the beautiful fruit flavours. By now, after seven years, it should have been integrated, but it is not.
I first drank this wine on its own, and I did not enjoy it. When I had it with a fillet steak, the oak dominance was matched by the meat and nullified somewhat.
Score: 94/0
2 comments:
The question is how long will it take for the oak to integrate? I had a 2010 Marananga a few months ago, a good wine but this was also best kept until later. Screwcaps continue to work their Methuselah touch.
Yes, maybe it means that screwcap closures require more delicate oak treatment, which is the overall trend anyway.
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