Penley Estate Project Shiraz Coonawarra 2018 - QWine Reviews

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Penley Estate Project Shiraz Coonawarra 2018


I admire Kate Goodman for what she has done at Penley Estate since jumping on board as winemaker in recent years. To say she has shaken the tree is an understatement. Here's another example of her willingness to push boundaries.

It was great to be able to try the McLaren Vale Project Shiraz beside this Coonawarra Project Shiraz. Both to be released 1 April, 2019, the fundamental difference between the two being the percentage of whole bunches used. Here, 100% were used whereas the Vale expression saw 30% tossed in. Yep, Coonawarra was the whole shebang! And although I'm a BIG whole bunch fan, this struggled to reach high levels of excitement for me. It's a tidy drink, don't get me wrong, but the McLaren Vale had me at "Hello". I got the sense this Coonawarra Shiraz walked with heavy feet and seems bogged down.

As with the McLaren Vale, it saw French oak for six months, but it chugs along in first gear gaining some momentum in time to shift into second.

Smokey, blackcurrants, baked raspberry and cherries. It's slippery through the mouth - silty like. The whole bunch savouriness ticks away adding some dried herbs and soft spices, but for I wine which I think should have me up dancing, I'm still on the bar stool.

Regardless, I applaud the initiative and willingness to demonstrate that Coonawarra has a few more strings to the bow and not pigeon-holed, as some have, as a one-trick pony.

Drink now to three years.

91/100

Region: Coonawarra
RRP: $35
Source: Sample

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