Penfolds Max’s Shiraz Cabernet 2020

Max's is named for Max Schubert, the first chief winemaker at Penfolds and the creator of Grange, and the range is made as a tribute to the house style at an approachable level. This bottling blends Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from across South Australia, the classic Australian pairing in which Cabernet supplies blackcurrant fruit and tannic structure while Shiraz fills the mid-palate with ripe dark fruit and pepper. The warm South Australian climate brings both grapes to full ripeness, giving deep colour, soft tannins and generous fruit. The wine spends eighteen months in a mix of American and French oak, the slow oxygen exchange through barrel rounding the tannins and adding a frame of vanilla, sweet spice and dark chocolate. The result is deep crimson, with ripe plum, red berry and blackcurrant over chocolate, vanilla and a lift of mint. The palate is medium to full bodied and smooth, the tannins fine and ripe, the finish savoury and clean. It drinks well young and takes a few years of cellaring. Serve at 18 degrees in a standard glass with grilled beef, roast lamb or a rich stew.