December 23, 2023 - Excellent! Blackberry, black cherry, plum, aronia jam, oak, and vanilla. Lovely tannins. Still young and lively, and only a hint of reaching maturity. Will keep the other bottles in the cellar for at least another 5 years.
August 18, 2023 - WA
February 18, 2023 - Wine Bros Australia Deep Dive (Orsay): My first time with this wine. It’s a beautiful one and one that was released when we were buying but my impression is the 100 point rating probably meant this isn’t a wine that will hit peak drinking window in my lifetime. It’s going to be one of those grange that is excellent 50+ years in. Fun to get to try though.
January 2, 2022 - Pleased we waited a few years.
Great wine!
Wine of the the past two nights of Henschke and Penfolds ….just pipped the 2010 Hill of Grace ….but only just!
Huge dark fruit, lovely texture, tannins nicely integrated and very very long finish with a touch of dryness.
November 28, 2021 - For me, this is getting into the "too young to drink" category. Chocloately nose mingled w the buttery scents from MLF/oak still v evident. Primary but no heat. Young shiraz notes, reductive and some burnt notes. Too much, needs time to see whether it resolves.
November 27, 2021 - Grange Vertical with Peter Gago (Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore): Impressive, but a little backward and less giving than some of the other bottle tonight. There was a lovely nose here though, with hints of damp earth patted down over a core of blueberries and plums, then fragrant baking spices and a little shade of violets. So attractive. The palate was very young, but very impressive - lots of purity and a quite bit of elegance, in spite of there being a clear sense of power and authority to its primary flavours of cassis, plums and blueberries seasoned with a peppery spice. A muscular, sinewy showing - more so than the vintages others in the flight. The finish was still a bit coiled and tightly wound, with a burst of bright acidity and a chew of fine but rather raspy tannins running through notes of earth and spice right at the end. Impressive, but this needs a lot to time yet.
November 27, 2021 - Masterclass with Peter Gago. 2% Cab Sauv. Very juicy, first vintage that is showing some medium + tannins that need a bit more times to integrate. Was even more impressed with the 2008 when drinking in its youth, would hence hold. 94+
November 26, 2021 - Penfolds Grange vertical with Peter Gago (Singapore): Consistent with my previous note. Creme de cassis, grippy tannins still, impeccable balance. It is a 100 pointer with many critics and one can see why. Though I preferred the 2004 today
October 22, 2021 - Decanted for one hour. Rich, decadent, super concentrated but not overdone. This is a blockbuster with layers of flavor sporting black currant, tobacco, mocha, vanilla and spice and finishing long and satisfying. Very youthful, the oak needs a bit more time to integrate into the wine but this will be a great long lasting Grange
September 3, 2021 - 94-95 pts. I am not a huge Australian shiraz fan but this wine lives up to the hype. Beautifully balanced, rich and velvety, and very young still. I think this needs 10 more years to reach full potential.