1975 was the year Max Schubert retired from his post as Chief Winemaker, although he remained a consultant to Penfolds and kept an office at Magill Estate. He was succeeded by Don Ditter, who had worked with Penfolds as a winemaker since 1946. Penfolds 1975 Grange won two Gold and five other medals at Australian wine shows between 1976 and 1981. "A very powerful, rich, deep, muscular wine with enormous concentration, plenty of glycerin and sweetness, and remarkable freshness and vigor!" -Robert Parker Feb 2002

Penfolds Grange, blossoms with fifteen to twenty years of bottle age, when most other reds have past their best, and better vintages can live and continue developing for decades longer. A self-taught, practical winemaker with a natural inquisitiveness for winemaking theory, creator Max Schubert embraced a romantic view of winemaking. Though he retired as Chief Winemaker at Penfolds in 1973, Max remained involved as a mentor and Winemaker Emeritus for another 20 vintages. 1993 is an earlier maturing vintage under Magnum, kept optimumly cellared

260 cases of this wine were produced. This is the first Grange to incorporate wine from the Kalimna region in the Barossa. This was a revelation. An astonishing, great wine with remarkable vigor and freshness, this wine has a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge. A sweet nose of mushrooms, roasted herbs, tar, red and black fruits, and underbrush is followed by a wine with considerable opulence, flesh, and vivacity. The wine has terrific harmony and a long finish. It is an amazing effort that should continue to drink well" -Robert Parker Feb 2002

Bottles labelled Bin numbers 59, 95, 456, 59A. "A sensational Grange, this dark garnet-colored wine shows knock-out aromatics of brown sugar, blackberry and currant fruit, with a hint of eucalyptus in the background. Some pepper, coffee, and prune add to the complex concoction. The wine is not a blockbuster, but one of purity, harmony, and actually, restraint, an extraordinarily elegant style of Grange that has aged sensationally well because of its equilibrium. This wine could continue to drink well for at least another 6-7 years" -Robert Parker Feb 2002

Grange 1994 represents an excellent offering from an above average vintage. Layers of massive Shiraz fruit and expertly crafted oak manifest themselves. Forceful, ripe tannins are balanced by sheer weight of fruit. "The wine, a blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, shows some toasty oak mixed with notes of root vegetables, damp earth, blackberry liqueur, prune, and licorice, layered and rich. I would not be surprised to see the rating on this wine improve as this youthful Grange continues to evolve!" -eRobertparker.com Feb 2002

Grange is both Penfolds and Australia’s most famous wine and is officially listed as a heritage icon of South Australia. An exceptional vintage, 1998 remains a superbly balanced and sumptuous wine, with all the hallmarks of a great, long-living Grange. "The temptation must have been to create a monster, it’s curvaceous but considered. At this early stage complexity, an array of fruit flavours already showing: bright, crushed cranberry, dense blackberry, licorice, raisins, woodspice and a hiss of blueberry, with a spit-and-polish of sweet smoky milk chocolate flavour!" -Campbell Mattinson

Grange is a unique Australian style, officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. When the late, great Max Schubert embarked on his odyssey to define the nation's ultimate red wine, his efforts were met by adversity and derision from peers. Today Grange is recognised as one of the world's great wines, each vintage is eagerly awaited round the globe. The small 2005 vintage release makes no quality compromise. A Grange that is balanced, firm and polished. The first sip welcomes, the second sip asserts, the third entreats submission