Having splurged on some well marbled tiny Australian lamb chops at Costco, last night was the chosen moment to saute them to a turn and raid my ever dwindling cellar for something compatible.
I prepared one of my signature starters from slices of Hearts of Palm placed upon red leaf lettuce, with each slice topped with a dollop of my offshoot of Russian dressing: Mayonnaise blended with Spanish smoked paprika until the desired pink hue is achieved. Texas red potato chunks sauteed until golden and petite peas rounded out the entree plate.
My choice was a Penfold's Koonunga Hill 72% Shiraz/ 28% Cabernet Sauvignon blend from 2005. I have experienced this same label from an earlier vintage and was quite pleased. The winemaker alters the percentages of the blend drastically from year to year. If one can wade through the myriad assortment of Penfold's labels without a map for a guide, you should consider yourself an Aussie authority.
This example had an intense berry and pepper nose that literally sprang from the bottle as soon as the (synthetic) cork was drawn. The color was deep, but that did not stem from an excess of Tannin, as is so often the case. There was some restrained oak, pepper and a hint of Cassis to be found. The high glycerides crawled slowly down the sides of my glass, creating a chewy sense of body. The sprightly nose persists from the empty bottle even the following morning.
A solid 16 on the Davis 20 scale in my humble judgment. I only hope that our Texas rain and thunderstorms will abate soon enough for me to journey back to the big city to purchase more before the stock has been completely depleted.
Godzilla