This vintage was seriously affected by drought, and the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires. Summer rainfall was half the average, following by record rains and flooding in March. "Deep brick red with brown edges, this smoky, meaty, cigarboxy and slightly varnishy Grange reveals a powerful bouquet of developed leathery complexity. Tannic, thickly structured and muscular, its deep, briary flavours of licorice, plums and cassis culminates in a drying, lingering finish. A powerful, still rather closed wine with a very long future indeed" -JeremyOliver.com

One of the great strengths of Grange is that it does not rely on the performance of a single vineyard. Nowadays, only a few hundred Grange magnum arew bottled each year. 2003 produced Shiraz with dense colour, impressive varietal characters and soft tannins. "A beautifully seductive, richly concentrated wine which evokes the spirit of the Australian landscape, its natural affinity with Shiraz and Penfolds remarkable winemaking philosophy. Australians from all walks of life are extremely proud of this iconic wine and what it stands for!" -Andrew Caillard MW

Grange is both Penfolds and arguably Australia's most famous wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. Penfolds Grange displays fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and textured shiraz grapes in combination with new American oak. The first 100% Shiraz Grange since 1963, and an excellent follow on to the "98 vintage. Sourced primarily from the Penfolds Kalimna Vineyard and other Barossa Vineyards, with proportions from McLaren Vale and Padthaway. A fitting Grange release to end the 1900's, with decades of life ahead.

Sourced from Kalimna in the Barossa, McLaren Vale, the Magill Estate and Padthaway. An exceptional vintage in both quality and quantity. "Perfectly profound Grange. As bouncingly youthful as can be imagined – though remarkably approachable too. Gorgeous plum-fruit depth, choc-and-vanilla richness, sumptuous depth and length and a terrific pull of tight, ploughing, statuesque tannins. Impeccable South Australian shiraz!" -Winefront.com.au, "A mighty Grange, syrupy in texture, thick with good fruit and flawless oak, unblemished and refined!" -Vinicraft.com

A fabulous Grange, powerful, seamlessly constructed wine with perfect levels of glycerin and extract. The wine still seems very youthful, made in a very voluptuous, blockbuster Grange style. It is just now reaching its plateau of drinkability" -eRobertParker.com Feb 2002. Considered an outstanding vintage, Tim White said of it at a tasting in September 1999, "Very good. I like this, it’s just about perfect!" Anthony Rose at the same event observed, "Very big-boned and just starting to ease into a long final straight. I suspect this is - will be - a classic!"

Penfolds Grange has maintained its place as Australia's most prestigious red wine over four decades. An Australian icon, Grange represents a tradition in winemaking that is totally uncompromising. Grange has bypassed the fads and trends of modern winemaking in the sense that it has maintained an integrity of style and remained true to its origins in the mind of Max Schubert. An unusually wet (but hot) growing season, the 1979 was sourced from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, the Clare Valley, Magill Estate and the McLaren Vale