Australia

Bright medium ruby. Cool, expressive aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, dark chocolate, espresso and cola; the oak seems more successfully integrated than in most of the other Penfolds releases. Intensely flavored and firmly built, with lovely ripe acidity; initially wanted a bit for flesh but grew lusher and sweeter with aeration. Finishes with tongue-dusting, fine tannins and noteworthy persistence.

-- Stephen Tanzer

AY S MILLER: 99

THE WINE ADVOCATE: 99

The flagship 2004 Run Rig is 96.5% Shiraz and 3.5% Viognier with the Shiraz component aged for 30 months in a mixture of new and used French oak. Yields were a minuscule 14 hl/ha (about 1 ton per acre). Saturated opaque purple/black, it has a remarkably kinky, exotic perfume of fresh asphalt, pencil lead, smoke, pepper, game, blueberry and black raspberry. Full-bodied and voluptuous in the mouth, the wine is dense and packed, with amazing purity, sweet tannins, and a complex collection of sensory stimuli. The wine demands 10 years of cellaring and will provide hedonistic delights through 2035+. 

James Halliday

96

Rich, wonderfully, hedonistically luscious, but not jammy; perfect tannin support (and oak) provides the magic to a very particular wine. Oh for a screwcap.

- James Halliday (winecompanion.com.au) tasted Mar 2008

Rating

97

Release Price

$500

Drink Date

2013 - 2025

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

23rd Dec 2010

Source

192, The Wine Advocate

Containing just a dollop of 4.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2005 Grange is about 85%+ Barossa fruit with the remaining proportions coming from McLaren vale and Coonawarra. It was aged for 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads. The nose begins a bit animal with some smoked game, mincemeat and bacon notes emerging over the freshly crushed, sun-warmed blackberries, black currant cordial, earth, black truffles, anise and allspice. Rich and full with very firm very fine tannins and very crisp acid, it gives a long finish layered with coffee, mincemeat and toast. Drink it 2013 to 2025+.  

Rating

98

Release Price

$110

Drink Date

2016 - 2041

Reviewed by

Jay S Miller

Issue Date

25th Feb 2009

Source

181, The Wine Advocate

The flagship of Kilikanoon is the 2006 Attunga 1865 Shiraz. Thick and rich, it coats the glass with glycerin. It gives up a brooding bouquet of wood smoke, game, truffle, espresso, leather, blueberry, and blackberry leading to a massive, masculine, full-bore Shiraz with dense, spicy fruit, a splendid integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, and a 60-second finish. It merits a decade of cellaring and will reward those with discipline with 25 years of pleasurable drinking from 2016 to 2041.   

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2008 Bin 620 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz (a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz) is a little restrained on the nose, presenting earthy, black truffle, moss covered bark and loam aromas over gentle notes of cassis, crushed blackberries, chocolate mint and pencil shavings, plus a fragrant whiff of cloves. Medium to full bodied, very ripe and rich in the mouth, the complex, layered fruit is densely packed and well supported by firm, finely grained tannins and very crisp acid. The finish is very long with a subtle hint of mint interspersed with warm berries, vanilla and baking spices. Consider drinking it 2015 to 2025+. Only about 900 cases were made of this wine.

Score: 98+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (199), February 2012

Deep garnet-purple in color and sporting a very forward and expressive, creme de cassis-led nose with hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and cigar boxes plus a whiff of dried herbs following, the full-bodied 2010 Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, concentrated and classic Barossa Cabernet style shaped by medium to firm, grainy tannins and crisp acid. It finishes very long. Drink now to 2015+.