The name Penfolds has been associated with wine since a young English doctor, Dr. Christopher Penfold, and his wife Mary acquired 500 acres of land in 1884 in South Australia. This vineyard came to be known as Magill Estate; the very first vineyard to carry the Penfolds name. Penfolds currently operated 5 wine outlets in Southern Australia - Magill, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra.
Making all kinds of wine from all vintages, perhaps their most noted wine is Penfolds Grange. It also happens to be one of the most costly wines in the world. In 2012, a bottle of Penfolds Grange 2004 vintage went on sale for $168,000, with the wine came in a special hand blown glass ampoules
Since the first vintage in 1976 of a Shiraz Cabernet, Penfolds Koonunga Hill has positioned itself in the higher levels of Australian premium wines. It's high quality and consistency, as well as it's excellent value, has guaranteed that Koonunga Hill remains a favorite of wine lovers all over. Produced from premium vineyards around South Australia, the center of this wine comes from the Barossa Valley. A grade fruit from Coonawarra and McLaren Vale can also be found in this wine, giving it fantastic structure and length.
While this wine is ready for drinking immediately, the Koonunga Hill Shiraz will age gracefully and gain further qualities over the next one or two years. This is a rich Shiraz, with the flavour of blueberries, plums and layered with a touch of spice.
In our taste test, the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz held up pretty well to Penfolds own outlines of the wine. Priced at $9.99, it provides great value for cash for a Shiraz. It has got a full bodied taste, with a definite berry like sweetness that comes straight out at you. There's also some hints of vanilla, although the after taste is barely green, with an acrimony that sits on the tongue. Nothing too major though, and certainly not something to put the drinker off.
Overall, for taste and value for money this is a solid Shiraz. If you like Shiraz's you could go worse than this.
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For more in-depth information on the wine mentioned in this article, tcheck out the full video review by Alexander James on our YouTube channel over here.