A five star rated winery from Australian wine guru, James Halliday, Penley Estate makes some serious red wines in their portfolio. In particular their Cabernet based wines. Located in the Coonawarra region of South Australia, this area is renowned for its exceptional red wine, in particular, its Cabernet Sauvignon. Coonawarra is regarded as one of  Australia’s premium wine growing regions for the varietal, many times making Cabernet on par with those coming out of the Margaret River, which in its own right is recognized as producing some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon in the world,  With its specific Terra Rossa soils Cabernet can really shine in Coonawarra and in certain vintages can give the Cabernets from Margaret River a run for their money.

What makes the just released 2021 Penley Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon so intriguing is its refinement, with its polished tannins, supple mouth feel and vibrant, fresh fruit. This has been getting great reviews in its past vintages, even earning a Wine Spectator Top 100 selection back in 2018 for the 2016 vintage, so this has a track record of really over delivering, and the just released 2021 vintage has produced another impressive offering with nice reviews from both James Suckling and the Wine Advocate.  Drinking beautifully as we speak, this has a number of years of great drinking in front of it. At $19.99 a bottle this really is a smart buy that over delivers. If you love well made, refined Cabernet then this is definitely something worth considering.