LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: Dec. 18

Penfolds Thomas Hyland Shiraz/Syrah (South Australia)

Sale $18.95, Regular $21.95
Discount (until Jan. 4): $3.00
LCBO # 611210 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Ripe blackberries, sweet plum, a little earthiness and pepper.
Pairs with: Red- or white-sauced pasta with bacon/pancetta, meat-lover’s pizza, veal sandwich with the works, chicken cacciatore.
Good for: Bulking up for winter.
Drink this: Now - 2017.
Alcohol: 14.5%

Why we're drinking this
This wine has a lot going for it. Penfolds is a big name in Australian wine and has been for a long time—since 1844. Their Grange wine is one of the world’s most coveted labels. Though Australian wines have lost favour lately due to fashion, this wine remains spot on. It’s changed a bit over the years, due to seasonal variations—that’s nature—but the current vintages are on point in style, concentrated yet reserved. That is, they don’t knock your teeth out with too much fruit or too much wood. They are big, no question. But not oversized. Certainly well dressed.

Tasting note
Big red and black berries on the nose, and more on the palate. You’ll get a whiff of black pepper, and that too is echoed in the mouth. This is a straightforward wine that way. No surprises—except that it’s so good. Stylish, you might say. Polished. Not elegant, for it’s still a bit wild. This is a wine that makes you take notice. Taste for yourself—there’s something there.

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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud  Dick Snyder