Today we examine a 2008 southern Aussie blend that you can buy at Costco for $7.69.
This medium-to-full-bodied red smells like a nice cab with some black cherry shiraz notes, but on your tongue it’s jammy blueberry shiraz all the way, balanced by soft tannins and a touch of chocolate. It’s better on day 2: you get more cabernet, and less alcohol.
And it’s a screamer. In fact, let me be frank —
it’s the new value red wine top dog — the big cheese, the head honcho — Penfolds Koonunga Hill shiraz/cab blend is HIGHLY desirable even at $13, and it’s better than many $20 wines I have tried. It’s warm. Tilted toward the sweet side of the sweet/dry spectrum. Big, but won’t overpower most food. It was the only red served at the hip New Year’s party I attended in posh West Chester, PA, and it beat 14 other reds in my friends’ $15-or-less blind tasting.
Our past favorites in the red wine value race are narrowly eclipsed by this reliable Godzilla. Highly recommended, and a blatant “Best Value” red. Bravo!
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