Penny’s Hill Edwards Road McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The medium to full-bodied 2015 Penny’s Hill Edwards Road McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon combines heady aromatics, beautifully ripe fruit, and a sleek, racy body to form one beautiful, eminently drinkable Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackberry and bramble fruit imbued with cinnamon, eucalyptus and vanilla first grace the nose and set the tone for this gracious Cabernet. Even better, the tantalizing bouquet of the 2015 Penny’s Hill Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon carries through to the palate, where pure fruit flavors and well-integrated fine grained tannins fill the mouth and linger happily after the wine is swallowed. Bold but not brazen and in possession of great length, the 2015 Penny’s Hill Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon is a joy to drink now, but make no mistake: this wine is no wilting flower. It has miles to go and with proper storage will drink well through 2025. Enjoy!

If one were in McLaren Vale or just about anywhere else in Australia, braised lamb shanks, grilled lamb chops, or roast leg of lamb rubbed with garlic, olive oil and wild herbs would likely be the number one choice to accompany the 2015 Penny’s Hill Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon. For those not as enamored of lamb as our Australian brethren, fine cuts of beef, especially beef tenderloin and filet mignon, offer equally tasty companions to the 2015 Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon. Consider serving a perfectly grilled Wagyu filet with sautéed shitake mushrooms, grilled zucchini, and sweet potato mash. Ostrich, rabbit, venison and rich stews provide equally compelling choices to accompany this Penny’s Hill offering. A mid-week meatloaf or mushroom gorgonzola turkey burger also make splendid companions to the delicious 2015 Penny’s Hill Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon.

Australia continues to up its game, fashioning ever more exciting world class Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. This is especially true in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, the source of many of the finest wineries in the world and increasingly the place to find bold, stylish red wines capable of ageing to perfection. Penny’s Hill is one such McLaren Vale gem and the estate’s highly touted Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon and Footprint Shiraz rank as the winery’s penultimate features.

Tony and Susie Parkinson acquired the 80-acre Penny’s Hill property in the rolling hills east of McLaren Vale in 1988. Penny’s Hill Vineyard is named for the hill on which it is sited. It is a prized location with a commanding view of the nearby Gulf of Saint Vincent and ideal terroir for the production of red wines. In addition, Penny’s Hill also belongs to Sustainable Australia Winegrowing and Entwine Australia, sustainability programs which minimize environmental impacts and encourage best viticultural practices – all evident in the quality of the wine.

Penny’s Hill fashions several world class Shiraz wines as well as the estate’s prized Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon (this month’s feature) in addition to limited amounts of white wines from nearby vineyards.

McLaren Vale is one of South Australia’s most important wine growing appellations. It is also a region rich in history and rightfully covets its reputation as the birthplace of the Australian wine industry. Enhanced by its proximity to Adelaide as well as its superb climate, Mediterranean beauty, food, wine, and art culture, McLaren Vale thrives as a viticultural area as well as an important tourist destination. Most importantly, McLaren Vale is renowned for the quality, power and grace of its wines, many of which emanate from some of the world’s oldest vines.

Nestled between rolling hills and a picturesque coastline, McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean climate has created ideal conditions for the cultivation of red varietals, especially Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. Moreover, McLaren Vale has become a leader in environmentally sustainable viticulture and the go-to Australian wine region for polished, powerful Shiraz based wines.