Great depth of crimson. Lustre, brilliance. Blueberry RWT markers thrust ahead of goji berry and loganberry fruits. An aromatic swirl of choc/hazelnut/liquorice propels all that is RWT style and class. Thereon, lifted scents of just glazed crème brûlée and wafts of icing sugar. Barrel-ferment and ferric overtones gently bring all back down to ground level – Barossa iron/earths no less. Viscous and lush. An immediate supple fleshiness, liveliness. At release, during this primary fruit stage – berried ice-cream and black forest cake fruits unfold – redcurrant and blackberry. Powdery tannins – silky and glossy – offer textbook velvet/cashmere texture. So smooth! Dense, verging on unctuous, without any reliance or concession to alcohol or oak. Wonderful length, depth, balance.

99 Points - Andrew Caillard MW

Deep crimson. Ethereal pure blackberry pastille roasted chestnut mocha aromas with hint ginger notes. Voluminous and animated wine with dense saturated blackberry dark chocolate fruits, plentiful fine velvety tannins and superb integrated roasted chestnut, mocha vanilla oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty firm. Elemental, powerful and seductive with years ahead of it. Should develop into a classic.

98 Points - Huon Hooke - The Real Review

Very deep, glass-staining purple/red colour. The bouquet is also very intense and concentrated, essency and profound, loaded with toasty-charry oak and mocha, espresso coffee, dark chocolate aromas, the palate formidably powerful, concentrated and intense. The flavour tracks the bouquet precisely and the tannins and extract give the palate a massive density and breathtakingly mouth-coating texture, the whole entity combining in a mighty crescendo that roars through the finish to a very long aftertaste. The density of the wine is rare indeed: you almost feel you could stand a spoon up in it.

98 Points - Joe Czerwinsku - Robert Parkers Wine Advocate

Sourced only from the Barossa Valley, RWT is aged exclusively in French oak, giving it two major points of difference from the rest of the Penfolds range. Always a sexy, voluptuous wine (and admittedly a personal favorite), the 2018 RWT Shiraz ratchets that up to new heights in a great Barossa vintage, boasting layers of berry-like fruit, refined vanilla shadings and baking-spice notes, plus more exotic elements like star anise and cocoa powder. It's full-bodied and plush without being unstructured in any way, with a lingering, complex finish and the concentration to age two decades or more.

98 Points - Ray Jordan The West Australia

A wine that was launched in 2000 with the 1997. There have been some outstanding wines under this label but I'm not sure I tasted better. Essential difference from other Penfolds shiraz being that it gets all French oak of which 64% was new. The difference is striking. This has such energy and brilliance. The scented aromas are exquisite with floral berry notes and a trace of cedar. The palate is seamlessly structured yet powerful and elegance. This is style with a capital S. The palate pulls you in then gradually releases layer upon layer of deep and compelling flavours. A classic.

98 Point Rated - The Wine Advocate

Sourced only from the Barossa Valley, RWT is aged exclusively in French oak, giving it two major points of difference from the rest of the Penfolds range. Always a sexy, voluptuous wine (and admittedly a personal favorite), the 2018 RWT Shiraz ratchets that up to new heights in a great Barossa vintage, boasting layers of berry-like fruit, refined vanilla shadings and baking-spice notes, plus more exotic elements like star anise and cocoa powder. It's full-bodied and plush without being unstructured in any way, with a lingering, complex finish and the concentration to age two decades or more.

96 Points - Ned Goodwin MW

"All Barossa fruit, cited and sourced for its opulence as an over-riding extension of the Penfolds style. Florals meld with the sort of dark, creamy and concentrated fruit that stains every nook and cranny of the palate. Blueberry, mulberry and vanilla pie. Unashamedly full-bodied. A power house!"

96 Points - Nick Stock - jamessuckling.com

This has a very attractively fresh, showy feel to the nose with aromas of ripe red cherries, blackberries, goji berries and redcurrants, as well as red plums and some wild-herb and licorice notes on offer, too. Very expressive and fragrant. The palate has a super intense and powerful delivery of ripe red-cherry and plum flavors and immaculately fresh French oak (64% new) that really clasps and holds the finish long. The tannins are so ripe and well positioned.

97 Point Rated - James Halliday Wine Companion

This full-bodied shiraz spent 16 months in French hogsheads (64% new, 36% 1yo). The red winemaking team at Penfolds has the game by the throat here. It's flashy, it's opulent, its depth of black fruits and surrounds of oak and tannins sweep away any resistance. But beware of the pea and thimble trick – it needs at least 10 years to let you come up for air.

96 Points - David Sly- Decanter Magazine 

Plush and opulent, this bombshell in a striking oak corset makes an exuberant entry, striding down the red carpet with its ample fruit talking in a bright, effusive voice. After that brassy entry it settles in the glass, its blackberry and brulée flavours singing softly atop a bed of powdery tannins, and the nutty, cedar tones framing a long finish. Having changed so much since its inaugural 1997 vintage, RWT ('Red Winemaking Trial') has never presented its fruit so voluptuously and immediately, with oak now part of the supporting cast rather than playing the star role.

96 Point Rated - Wine Enthusiast 

This wine offers layers of appealing aromas straight off the bat, from black cherry and currant to cedar, mocha, graphite, herbs and black olive. Concentrated yet impeccably balanced, the palate is smudged by savory tannins while spice and dark berry flavors weave seamlessly together. This delivers power and polish. Drink now–2040.

95 Point Rated - Wine Spectator

Complex and intense, starting with a core of juicy crushed raspberry, cherry puree and huckleberry flavors, oozing with details of Earl Grey tea, vanilla bean, sandalwood and anise that swirl around on the long, expressive finish, backed by dense, muscular tannins. Powerful, but showing plenty of restraint and promise for the cellar. Drink now through 2045.

19+ Points - Matthew Jukes

This is a spectacular RWT and this vintage is so well suited to fully ripe, densely packed Barossa Shiraz it isinsane. This is a grand wine and I noted Cabernet balance and sheen here, by which I mean that this is not a forceful, muscle-bound wine but a very elegantly proportioned creation. There are ostentatious flourishes which come from the highly polished fruit in conjunction with the gloriously perfumed oak, and these exotic touches excite the senses greatly. It never steps over the line into flamboyance, managing to keep its eagerness and poise in place and for that reason, I think it is one of the standout wines of the collection.

93 Points - Campbell Mattinson The Wine Front

It’s warm, plush, ripped with aniseed and sweet, dry herbs, both toasty and resiny, and creamy-smooth to the touch. It’s powered essentially by rich ripe plum and saltbush flavours though soy, sweet spice and peppercorn notes find voice too. RWT always delivers a lot of fruit and oak flavour and it does again here (emphasis on the latter), but there’s something about the formation of tannin that just doesn’t make me want to stick a gold medal on it. The tannin here is well balanced and integrated but it’s not A-class framing; the best tannin reaches back and pulls the palate with it, whereas here it feels too finish-focussed. That said, the flavour on offer is pretty immense.

18 Points - Jancis Robinson MW - jancisrobinson.com

Lustrous dark purplish crimson. Smell of rather damp oak(!) to me. Very distinctive! And certainly no longer a trial. Camphor and very obvious ripeness on the nose. Round and very gently handled. I could almost drink this tonight! Transparent and lively. Tastes as though it has been moved along the spectrum a bit further from the Grange concentration model. Appetising and dry on the end. Almost as light as claret-like in build. A charmer. Great balance.

The initials RWT stand for ‘Red Winemaking Trial’, the name given to the project internally when developmental work began in 1995. Naturally, now no longer a ‘trial’, RWT Shiraz was launched in May 2000 with the 1997 vintage. The alphanumeric Bin designation 798 was bestowed upon the wine from the 2016 vintage. Its style is opulent and fleshy, contrasting with Grange, which is more muscular and assertive. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for its aromatic qualities and plush texture. The result is a wine that helps to redefine Barossa shiraz at the highest quality level. RWT wines area built for the long haul, with the precision, concentration and balance to age for many years.