Regardless of vintage, Grange delivers fresh fruit in a delicious, clear and explosive style without any overpowering woodiness or unnecessary complexities. "Penfolds, miraculously, have pulled a rabbit out of a hat with this wine. In what was a pretty ordinary year, this is a spicy, peppery, deliciously aromatic wine that, combined with a tangy, gamey palate, makes it seem entirely Rhonish. At its core is a cruise of plum and a sheen of vanilla, and it all comes ushered on smooth, velvet-padded rails!' -Winefront.com.au 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 A big, typical Grange and a very good wine from this vintage. Smooth, sumptuous and firmly structured, its deep, long palate of dark red and black berry flavours is wound around firm, but powder-fine tannins" -JeremyOliver.com, "The 1997 Grange looks to be a classic, 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" -Robert Parker Oct 2002 By the early sixties, Penfolds Grange had secured its future. The experimental work carried out by Max Schubert left lasting impressions. Penfolds work in research and development, working hand in hand with new ideas within the constraints of the knowledge of the time, resulted in an emerging Penfolds house style. This is the first Grange to use grapes from the cool-climate Coonawarra district. The wine won two Gold and three Silver medals in Australian wine shows between 1963 and 1968. Bottles labelled Bin numbers 95 and 395 A very great Grange, the mild and relatively dry growing season lead to a very successful vintage. This was the final release crafted by Max Schubert's successor Don Ditter. "A current as well as future legend, this has long been considered by Penfolds winemaking team as the greatest Grange of the 1980s. The wine is fleshy, massively concentrated, multi-dimensional with extraordinary power, beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, that seems to only occur in the greatest vintages. This is a Grange to kill for" -eRobertParker.com Feb 2002 A Heritage-listed wine, the story of Grange is steeped in the Australian ethos. Penfolds 1954 Grange is extremely rare, a curio and valuable collector’s item. All but extremely fine bottles are well past their peak. Internal criticism of Grange led Max Schubert to lighten the style slightly and the 1954 had only about nine months in oak. The criticism fired at Max Schubert's early Granges reflected the conservatism prevalent throughout winemaking circles. "Schubert, I congratulate you. A very good dry port, which no-one in their right mind will buy - let alone drink!" |
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