100 Points - The Wine Advocate"This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black coloured, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and liquorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice was of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavours, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavours emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes." Lisa Perrotti-Brown"Deep purple-black in color, the 2008 Grange puts forward a very complex nose packed with aromas of mulberries, layers of baking spices, cloves and cinnamon with nuances of minced meat, anise, potpourri and whiffs of dried mint and chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, taut and very spicy in the mouth, it shows touches of sandalwood and Chinese five spice complementing the layers of dark fruit flavors. It is framed by firm, grainy tannins and a refreshing acid line before finishing very long with aniseed and lingering blackberry preserves notes. This is clearly a wonderfully opulent and a magic vintage for this label." Drink it from 2018 to 2035+. Robert Parker
Penfolds - Grange
Penfolds Grange is a world-renowned wine that has been produced in Australia since 1951. It is a blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and is aged in new American oak barrels for around 20 months before being bottled.
The taste profile of Penfolds Grange is complex and rich, with notes of blackberry, plum, chocolate, and spice. The tannins are firm and well-structured, giving the wine a long and satisfying finish. This wine is best enjoyed with red meat dishes, such as steak or lamb, and is perfect for special occasions or as a gift for wine lovers.
The history of Penfolds Grange is steeped in tradition and innovation. The wine was first created by Max Schubert, who was inspired by the great wines of Europe and wanted to create a wine that could rival them. Despite initial criticism, Schubert persisted with his vision and eventually created a wine that was recognised as one of the best in the world.
Today, Penfolds Grange is produced by a team of talented winemakers who continue to push the boundaries of winemaking. The wine is made using only the finest grapes from the best vineyards in Australia, and is aged in carefully selected oak barrels to ensure that it reaches its full potential.
If you're looking for a wine that is both rich in history and flavour, then Penfolds Grange is the perfect choice. Whether you're enjoying it with a meal or sipping it on its own, this wine is sure to impress.
The 1997 Grange (a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon) looks to be a classic Grange, although slightly softer and more forward than the backward 1996. The saturated purple-colored 1997 offers a gorgeously sweet nose of blackberry liqueur, cherries, camphor, chocolate, plums, and mocha. The wine is opulently-textured, extremely soft, layered, and seductive, with Grange's tell-tale personality well-displayed, but in a seamless, seductive style. This is a superb Grange that can hold its own against the more heralded 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2022.
Gago opened two bottles of this wine, both of which showed signs of past seepage, hence my question mark after the rating. I suspect pristine bottles will show better than these did. A bit mossy and sullen, the 2004 Grange is going through a cranky adolescence. Mocha, cedar and dark fruit on the nose are echoed on the palate of this full-bodied, concentrated wine. It's dark and rich, just needs another 5-6 years to emerge on the other side.
Strongly marked—as always—by its 100% American oak elevage, the 2017 Grange backs up the cedar and vanilla notes with ample blackberry and cassis fruit. Full-bodied, ripe and almost decadently creamy in the mouth, it's loaded with substance, concentrated and rich, yet—in the context of Grange—relatively light and elegant-seeming on the finish. Only the seventh-ever Grange to be exclusively Shiraz, it originates from Barossa Valley (86%) and McLaren Vale (14%); Shiraz from other growing regions in South Australia failed to make the grade this year.
ery deep purple-black in color, this is classic Grange - amongst the finest produced - replete with fresh, vibrant and youthful black fruit notes showing some blueberry aromas and accents of camphor, anise and the slightest floral hint plus a whiff of oak in the background to lend a cedar-laced lift to this textbook Shiraz nose. Medium to full-bodied in the mouth, it is very taut and finely constructed showing typically firm, grainy, uniform tannins, great concentration and wonderful persistence on the finish.
Very deep garnet-purple in color the 2008 Grange reveals a truly decadent nose with tons of spices, fruit cake and black & blue fruit compote notes along with nuances of chocolate and potpourri. The full and rich, multi-layered palate has a little oak still showing, it is going through a little bit of a structural stand-out stage, but it doesn't detract on the long and complex finish. It still needs a good few years to develop, though this very opulent, expressive Grange shows the very best of this vintage and the vineyards it hails from.
The 2016 Grange includes 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and was sourced from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley, with a little bit from Magill Estate, in the suburbs of Adelaide. Aged in 100% new American oak (as always), it offers up trademark lifted aromas plus scents of vanilla, toasted coconut, cedar, raspberries and blackberries. Impressively concentrated and full-bodied, with an extraordinarily long, velvety finish, it's nevertheless reasonably fresh and tight, with decades of cellaring potential if properly stored. Certainly at least on a par with such vintages as 2010 and 2012, the big question is whether it will ultimately reach triple digits.
