Sunday, November 9, 2014

Issue XIV: Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz Edition



Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz 


This is one of the most well-worn and well-known wines from Australia, by one of the most renowned vineyards and with good reason. Like a good friend, it never lets you down and is always there when you need it and even if you branch out and go elsewhere for a bit, it’s always welcoming when you return.

I’ve written at length about my fondness for the Shiraz grape and my preference for a medium-bodied wine, but the #5 Shiraz/Cab from this same manufacturer I like slightly better. The small amounts of roundness, body and smoothness it adds are just right. With this Shiraz solo, it’s ever so slightly rougher and the taste, while still notably very good, is just a touch down. Say if it were a number scale and the Shiraz/Cab was an 8 (I don’t rank them that way – just using this as an example touchpoint), this would be a 7.5 or 7.75. On certain occasions, this one would be preferable, while on others (and frankly, most of the time, for me), the other one would be the better choice, but you really can’t go wrong with either.

For $11 or less a bottle (often you can find this for below $10), this is another one priced well enough  to pick up, even when not on SPA, but I generally will get the other one, if neither is on SPA. If this is on SPA and the other isn’t, I probably will get this. Given the availability, this is a very durable wine, just like the other, but in my actual practice, it is more of a Mixed rather than Standard.

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