Critic tasting note: (2001 vintage) "RWT is a single-region (Barossa Valley) shiraz whose initials stand for 'Red Winemaking Trial. It was the working name affixed to the developmental wines as early as 1995 when former chief winemaker John Duval began work on the initial bottlings. The '01 has a unique spicy, pencil lead, coffee, saddle leather nose with peppery, sandalwood, blackberry jam notes. Rich, concentrated and intense with good grainy tannins and blueberry, blackberry jam, leather, coffee and creamy vanilla flavours. The finish is long and intense with cassis and smoky pepper highlights. It needs another two to five years to really offer up its best. (Anthony Gismondi and Stuart Tobe)." - Gismondi on Wine

Producer Notes

Penfolds RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz, first made in 1997, was released after several years of red winemaking trials from which the wine takes its name. In the Penfolds tradition of trial and innovation our winemakers embarked on a project in 1995 titled 'RWT' - meaning 'Red Winemaking Trial' - to create a new Australian Shiraz integrating the rich, generous flavours of Barossa Valley Shiraz with the finesse of tightly-grained French oak. The result is a fine wine of great elegance and depth of flavour. RWT is second only to Grange in the Penfolds Shiraz hierarchy, although the two wines are stylistically different. RWT expresses Shiraz more openly than Grange. This is partly a function of the grapes themselves and partly a result of maturation in French oak, rather than stronger, sweeter-flavoured American oak. RWT is opulent and voluptuous, and fleshy where Grange is muscular.

Vintage Notes