The most powerful expression of Penfolds multi-vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy, Grange is arguably Australia’s most celebrated wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. Crafted utilising fully ripe, intensely flavoured and
structured Shiraz grapes, the result is a unique Australian style that is now recognised as one of the most consistent of the world’s great wines. With an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951, Grange clearly demonstrates the synergy between shiraz and the soils and climates of South Australia.

Colour: Radiant deep red, on rim, black core.

Nose: Maybe it’s freshness, brashness but it’s so ... well, it’s so definitively
Grange-y! Instantly, an assault of piercing V.A. (seemingly quite masterfully dialled-up!), a portal of pulsating formics ... tempered by relaxed barrel-ferment notes. Conveying what is then revealed via waves of lingering and layered aromatics:
• First the fruit - ripe blackberries/blackcurrant reduction, laced with spices – notably fennel and anise.
• Then a sprinkle of dark chocolate, cocoa powder... and cola.
• Without prying, unabashed scents akin to charcoaled lamb fat, and raw wagyu carpaccio (amid caper berries) arise to authenticate
shiraz DNA.
• A modicum of modesty, attempting to conceal all beneath a blackened veil of hydrocarbon shoe polish/sootiness/coal dust and slate.
• Conceded, the presence of an ever-so-subtle yet complexing higher-tone mahogany/piano-polish/ lacquer – no doubt derived from
the earth, not oak.
• A trepidant tension unfolds – youthful fruitiness wrestling an inky and dense powerhouse.

Palate: Balance and shape ... classy and poised, YET Grange. Familial flavours of a deconstructed Black Forest Cake/trifle – chocolate, custard, bright wild raspberry; redcurrant. So many other less-obvious flavour ‘distractions’ - mushroom pâté/duxelles, replete with a beefy accompaniment. Notes of sarsaparilla whirled into the mix. Also, an assortment of fresh red and black liquorice – ‘straight out of the bag’. A tactile overdose - omnipresent and even tannins. Mouthcoating - a confluence of tannin/acidity/oak/fruit – all joyously meshed together. A convex mid-palate (dare it be said, ‘a strong core’!) that generously supports upfront palate grip and a continuum of delight all the way to a lengthy, lingering finish. Truly ‘alive’, Upon sitting and with air, all transforms. A second revised tasting note, however, can definitely wait. There will be ample opportunity over the next half-century!

Wine Vintages