This is one of those rare inexpensive wines that’s actually made a reasonable amount of critical attention for being more than decent. At circa 8 dollars a bottle, it seemed like it was worth a shot, and on a recent trip to the store I decided to grab a bottle.

First, it’s worth noting that Penfolds is not like Yellow Tail. While the much larger, much more industrial winery doesn’t produce a bottle that can be had at Specs for over 10 dollars (750ml), Penfolds offers a wide range of wines up into the $80 price point. Thus while this particular Penfolds bottle may cost less than 10 dollars, Penfolds does know something about making a decent bottle of wine they can charge people real money for.

So how does it hold up? While the Koonunga Hill lacks the refinement of a more expensive bottle, it does manage to avoid what so often is the fate of wine in this price range – tasting watered down or overly sweet.  While it is sweeter than I’d like to see out of a Cabernet Shiraz blend, the sweetness isn’t distracting. Perhaps my biggest complaint about this wine would be that it ends up not showing me the character of either of its constituent grapes – not as bold as a good Shiraz, not as complex as a good Cabernet, and in the end I find myself feeling that the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the Koonunga Hill, but somehow the particular blend lets me down in a way I can’t quite explain.

If you’re looking for a perfectly drinkable wine that has some of the character of a Shiraz and Cabernet, this is a great pick.  It’s cheap, it’s good, and it’s worth the purchase.  What it isn’t, however, is something I personally plan on buying a lot of.  As my first experience from Penfolds, it has certainly been good enough that I will purchase another bottle from the vineyard. But it probably won’t be this one.

Score: 86