Penfold's Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (78%) - Merlot (22%) 2009 South Australia

Appearance: Deep ruby core moving to a narrow dark pink rim. The wine seems dull (little in the way of shimmering light off the surface).

Nose: Clean and fresh with pronounced black-currant and black-cherry with a hint of bitter-seet chocolate.

Palate: The wine is dry, light bodied (which surprises me because the alcohol is 13.5%ABV) with medium(++) acidity and low(++) tannins. The fruit characteristics seem to be empty/non-existent although a second taste about 30 minutes later gave an elusive hint of black-cherry (might be because I wanted to find some flavor in an "empty" wine). There is no indication of an alcohol burn on the back palate.

Finish/Length: The finish is clean and the length is short with nothing lingering. The retail price is about US$14.00. I put this wine in a the category of a simple "quaffing" wine.