2019 Penfolds - FWT 584 Rotweincuvee - Haut-Medoc

Decanter.com – 94 pts – DS: *In making its own classic Bordeaux blend (53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot) from Haut-Médoc grapes, Penfolds pays due homage and respect to the home of claret in this French Winemaking Trial (FWT). It’s a pretty wine – the Petit Verdot and Merlot fragrance dances lightly on the nose and slides through the mid-palate with graceful ease. Wild brambly fruit and bright redcurrant tones are lean, cased in a savoury frame and dusted with spice, leading to a keen, persistent finish, like an athletic middle-distance runner.GEORGINA HINDLE: 92 points (Tasted in London on 28 June 2022) The first Penfolds wine made from Treasury Wine Estates' recently acquired Bordeaux properties in Haut-Médoc: the 60ha Cambon la Pelouse in 2019; then in 2021 the 15ha Château Belle-Vue and the 5ha Château de Gironville. Soft red berries and a touch of floral and herbal nuances to the nose. Supple and fresh on the palate with a lovely clarity to the expression. Supremely lifted with excellent acidity, giving the sharp balsamic strawberry, red cherry and spiced plum flavours vibrancy, yet it is also well structured with balance and length. Velvety, mineral-edged tannins give support, but this retains a sense of easy drinkability. Polished and well presented, ageing 14 months in French (44% new) and American oak (14% new) barriques (…).* - 06/2022

Falstaff Magazin – 92 pts – PM: *Leuchtendes Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Zart nach schwarze Waldbeeren, Oliven, ein Hauch von Trüffel, kandierte Orangenzesten, feine Holzwürze. Komplex, reife Kirschen, Brombeeren, fester Tanninkern, mineralisch, engmaschiger, kompakter Stil, salziger Nachhall, würzig und bereits antrinkbar, dezentes Reifepotenzial. (2025 -2035).* - 07/2022

JancisRobinson.com – 17+/20pts – RH: *From Bordeaux. Aged 14 months in French (44% new) and American (14% new) oak. From Cambon La Pelouse. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot. That is beautiful fruit! Very Cabernet, very Penfolds yet somehow very Bordeaux too. Elastic tannins, high acid, superb lifted fragrance. Really smartly done, very expressive. Combines fruit with classic savoury leather notes.* - 07/2022