1996 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet

Not only one of the great red wine bargains of the world, Koonunga Hill now has a world wide reputation for quality, regardless of cost. Australian winemakers are renown for their ability to blend the fruit of various vineyards into a unified whole. Unlike many other reds in its price range, Koonunga Hill is rich and complex with genuine cellaring potential. 1996 will go down in history for the record crush of 885,000 tonnes recorded by the Australian wine industry. Thankfully it was not only quantity that was up - the quality of 1996 wines, especially in South Australia, far exceeded the disappointing 1995 vintage. Most vineyard areas in South Australia reported good to excellent fruit quality while the Barossa and Coonawarra enjoyed particularly outstanding vintages.The fruit for the 1996 Koonunga Hill was largely sourced from premium, low yielding vineyards in Barossa Valley, Bordertown, Padthaway and Coonawarra. A blend of 51% Shiraz and 41% Cabernet Sauvignon the wine was matured for 12 months in French and American oak.Deep crimson, black red colour. The nose displays ripe plum, stewed fruit and spice aromas with a confectionary background. The palate has good weight and a firmish tannin structure which supports the generous plum, liquorice and spice flavours. A very good Koonunga Hill. Cellar 3-5 years. 13.5% alcohol volume.