Winemaker John Duval called the 1981 a big, tannic Grange. It is just that, a very powerful, inky, purple-colored wine that is still almost primary and unevolved in its surprising youthfulness. This formidably endowed, broodingly backward, thick, full-bodied, muscular wine has a boatload of chocolate-infused plum, caramel, and cassis flavors. With high tannin, huge grip, and some propensity toward austerity, this is a monster Grange that may not totally assimilate the high levels of tannin, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about its future" -Robert Parker Feb 2002

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

No other red wine in Australia can rival the reputation, consistent quality or proven development pattern of Penfolds Grange. The pinnacle of Australian reds, Grange is a rich, opulent, full-bodied Shiraz, destined for a long cellar life. The winemaking process involves great attention to detail, from selecting the best possible grapes sourced from low-yielding, old Shiraz vines, through to fermentation and fastidious oak maturation. The 1992 Grange has great complexity and balance, a powerful and rich vintage with mouth-coating tannins

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

The 1989 Grange Hermitage is beginning to show some seriously attractive older maturation characters, developing sooner by comparison to its more robust 1988 and 1990 counterparts. 91% Shiraz 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, as well as the McLaren Vale, it has the typical solid structure and strength of character to produce another classic Grange. "Full-bodied, richly flavoured and supremely complex, harmoniously whole, this wine combines power, structure and concentration!" -Winemaker John Duval

The 1983 Grange is one of the grandest ever, an exceptional wine and a standout edition from what was otherwise a disastrous vintage across most of Australia's winegrowing regions. Fires, hail, drought and heat, it all happened in 1983. Somehow Penfolds seemed to rise above the adversities of the vintage and produced monumental flagship wines. This Grange stands muscular, powerfully constructed and robust, one of the finest Granges of all time, a great Australian Shiraz with a claim to being one of the finest ever

No other Australian wine can rival the quality and development pattern of Grange. Always exciting and opulent, the pinnacle of Australian reds, 1987 Grange is an elegant edition, beginning juicy and plummy, culminating in a very firm, dry finish. The growing season and vintage were marked by cool weather, crops in most South Australian regions were reduced by hailstorms in October. "Full, firm, rich palate with excellent concentration of sweet plum and cherrylike fruit, vanillin oak flavours and soft, mouthfilling tannins!" -Winemaker John Duval