Penfolds Koonunga Hill "Seventy Six" Shiraz Cabernet, 2006, South Australia

The nose is full-on alcohol. I mean when I put my schnaz all up in its grill I could feel my nose hairs burning and a short coughing fit ensued! Underneath all that alcohol I did pick up a touch of vanilla, white pepper, and heaps of sweet cheap red candy. The Koonunga Hill is as dark as a purple night in the glass and has crazy ass legs when you swirl it around. The alcohol is kept in better check on the flavor profile. I picked up a lot of juicy brambly red fruit with a good dose of white pepper that carries on through the lengthy finish. The fruit is definitely a little more pure than I would have thought based on the candy-ness of the nose. There are a few underlying hints of tar and white chocolate. It has good entrenched tannins that are drying but not too bitter and that’s about it. Overall the Koonunga Hill Seventy Six is decent effort that lacks charisma but doesn’t kill you with oak or jam like some of its peers.