Deep rich, fruit forward with an undertow of tertiary earth and leather. Still mainly primary. This is in a relatively closed phase. Would have been better to wait another 5 or 10 years. The weight and intensity are impressive, though this is not massive, there is elegance here. The fruit is damsons and blackberry. Long and complex. Drinking now but believe me it would be a waste. Have patience.
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A lovely, medium-bodied Grange with just about fully-resolved tannins. Silky and fine with delicious wild berry fruit along with a beautiful eucalyptus note and a great red-spice intensity on the complex finish. Yum!
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Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): The first of the vintages where you actually really feel the mature tannins and silkiness of the wine. One of our companions remarked that it was very similar to Latour in the way you had these large-scaled wines with hefty tannins that matured into silky wines without losing that weight. This definitely feels like a different regime than the wines a decade later -- there's more of a rusticity here. This reminds me a bit of mature Clape with both the relative lack of fruit and rustic yet silky tannins.
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Apart from a very crumbling cork, this wine was pristine. Soft and velvety, subtle chocolate and leathery flavours, no heat or dominant fruit. Decanted for 3 hours. Shared between 4 of us which wasn’t anywhere near enough but sharing something so good is what wine is about.
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Pre-Paulee Warm-up Dinner (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Alongside 1989. Splash decanted 5 hours in advance. Ripe and brawny, lots here, but the powerful fruit still really dominates. Needs more time/ air to unfold its full greatness.
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Pre La Paulée Dinner with friends (Home): 89/91 side-by-side. My only complaint about these wines is that they are so youthful for forever and remarkably consistent. Really hard to tease apart any big differences between the two wines -- caveat that these were the final two reds in a long night.
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No notes and only fleeting impressions as it was an epic night with both old friends and new before the Chateau Angelus dinner at Anhelo in downtown Phoenix tonight (8/31). All wines were split between 6.25 of us and unless noted, minimal decant (max 30 minutes).
Have waited a long time to try this wine. First Grange and it was a beautiful wine that drank much younger than it’s age. While Inwont run out and buy more, I will treasure the remaining bottles of other vintages as it lives up to the hype. So glad I was able to taste this wine and share with friends.
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An Amazing Arizona Tasting: Double decanted one hour, then slow-O at the table for another hour. OK....so I tasted Grange once at the winery, but it was a 13 and three years ago....quite good, but quite young too....this was my first tasting of a Grange with some age, and I was looking forward to it! I will say, even my sky high expectations, this wine did not disappoint!
Nose was perfumed with lavender, cherry blossom and dark fruit, with hints of cedar, tar and tobacco. Palate was kaleidoscope of fruit, including black, red and blue fruit. Acidity kept the fruit fresh and lively, and like the Vega Sicilia that preceded it, the fruit took center stage. However, this showed off secondary flavors much better, with sweet tobacco, cigar box, eucalyptus, leather and earth all joining in chorus to make the sweetest music! This wine was drinking superbly, and in a perfect place for my palate! I just hope my Grange's show as well when I open them....although I will need to wait quite a few more years for them to get the proper age on them! A real treat, and a 97+...my #2 wine of the night!
Drank alongside Cornas 1991 from Clape. Clear difference in style. This Grange is remarkably fresh and vibrant, with lots of fruit, mint and eucalyptus and far less developed that some previous notes suggest. This bottle just entered its drinking window and will remain here for at least a decade.
Medium garnet in color with high intensity. Black plum, cocoa, merachino cherry, clove, red peppercorn, star anise, black raspberry preserve, homemade rhubarb compote, cedar, blueberry, and pencil shavings. High acid, medium plus tannin, full bodied, moderate plus alcohol, extremely well balanced and very smooth. 30 years in and hitting its strides! Could last longer or drink now. 98/100
NobleRottersSydney - reds at 10 20 30 (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 13.5%} [Gordon] Barossa and McLaren Vale this vintage, with 5% cabernet. Double-decanted two hours earlier. Still an opaque ruby colour. Deep blueberry fruit, chocolate coated. Liquorice, tar; warm and seductive. But still very youthful for thirty. Seems younger still on the consistent-with-the-aromas palate, with black essences too, medium/full weight, medium dusty tannins; powerful and rich texture but always polished. A class act that will happily age further; it’s far from fully mature. Super-even palate, long finish. A triumph in every respect.
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Very together and complete. No bricking but just a little transparency at the very edges. Balanced and harmonious. Not overpowering instead beautifully aged and presented as a lovely dry red. Some red berries and mocha upfront and drying herbs finish. Really excellent My good run with Grange continues.
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Pristine bottle, level into neck, cork disintegrated. Opened three hours in advance, during which it evolved quickly. Deep and rich nose, warm spices and beef stock, cedar and eucalyptus; full-bodied palate, powerful flavours, fresh and well balanced, rich fruit, mostly resolved tannins; the big and rich finish is slightly sweet. On the basis of this bottle, this is ready to go.
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'Best of Australia' Dinner (Wooloomooloo Prime, 100 Nathan Road Level 21 The ONE, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong): Decanted fairly briefly as I recall, but sufficiently. Still a deep, dense purple/black. Nose is reticent, coal, loads of dark Asian black spices... liquorice root, dried star anise, tamarind etc.. Palate is massively black/red confit fruits and a massive avalanche of endless resonance and reverberance . Is still so young but it has a complexity which means I can still get into reveries over this. Not necessarily a sublime vintage of Grange but that is damning it with faint praise.....it is always such an event to experience Grange as it begins to mature. 95 for now but will only go higher in coming years - I have updated the CT recommended window to 2030 accordingly. Thanks, Jeremy!
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Youthful puppy fat gone, revealing a wonderful elegant red and black fruit wine with perfect balance. Acidity medium+, plenty of ripe fine tannins. Reminds me of a Monte Bello ’95. So perfumed. Mid-palate reveals earthy forest floor, supporting the fruit. Long and complex. 13.5% ABC
A friend turns 50: In as much as Grange can be a bummer this bottle was just a hint of a bummer. Had dropped it off at the restaurant a few days before with the plan that they could do a multi-hour decant before dinner. As it was they opened it fairly quickly before pouring and even though it was decanted and rebottled the reality is the wine needed a lot more time. Not that it wasn't good (it was), but next to a bunch of '89 LaLa's it wasn't totally amazing and these days I expect my Grange to be amazing. Think of all of the standard flavors, but with this thin veil over it so the wine wasn't quite as commanding as it can be. Will hold the rest of ours. This was a young vintage to be fair as far as Granges go.
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Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: Less power than the '90 but nevertheless extremely attractive. It possess an elegance that the '90 doesn't have right now. Plenty of acid and structure still evident that will allow the '91 to keep pace with the '90 for many years to come.
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Superb shiraz. Amazing for 28 years old ...and I suspect a few more years in it yet. Think I preferred the 1990 but a very enjoyable special occasion wine. Oodels of dark fruit, tannins well and truly integrated, nice texture and long flavoured finish.
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White Burgs and Penfolds. Bellecour, Wayzata MN: Youthful and pure, and at 28 years old this is still literally a baby. Eucalyptus and mint. Stunning now; easy to imagine how fantastic well stored bottles will taste at age 50.
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Small Rhone Tasting w/Aussie Ringer (R&D's): Single blind, courtesy of our hosts. Dark color. Aromas of dark fruit, plum, licorice and candied black cherry. On the full side of medium-bodied, with flavors of dark plum, spice, roasted game and herbs. As it sits in the glass the bouquet shows strawberry, dark fruit, stone, spice and road tar. Abundant dark fruit on the palate, with mineral and spice nuances. Finishes well. 93 pts. I thought this was the Chapoutier, somewhat by process of elimination, but also due to color and the candied notes.
My #5, Domino's #2 Group #3, 17 pts
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I am honestly shocked this wine is 27 years old. It is very young tasting. We opened and decanted for maybe two hours before pouring, but I think it needed more time. The alcohol was there with first sip, but blew off with time. I honestly thought it might have been one of the young ones. Bits of red fruits. More intense spice notes. Drinking it with the cheese really brought the wine alive quite a bit more.
Syrah from Afar with a Champagne Flight to start (Long Island, NY): 4/12 syrahs tasted single blind. The nose on this is very floral and pretty. The color is bright ruby and would indicate a much younger wine by appearance. The palate is still bright red fruit, some earth and spices and a real silky mouthfeel. Very nice!
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Chocolate, blackcurrant, ink and leather on the nose. Palate was spicy wrapped by beautiful black fruit. Very refined with a long finish. A bit shy to the 93 that was more powerful.
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tasted blind alongside the 1991 707, similar character, but Grange richer, lush yet balanced, dark fruits, cedar, developing age character, but still years to go
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Christmas dinner wine. Paired with filet mignon and lobster mac and cheese. Decanted for just over an hour.
Husband = 50 + 19 + 18 + 6 = 93. I kept coming back to the nose. So much going on. BlackBerry, rosemary, earth. The palate was super silky. Gave it 6 points for pairing success and sentimental moment.
Wife = 50 + 18 + 19 + 6 = 93. The nose was not earth but what is growing just above it. Herbs. Blackberry too. Velvet, not silk. Wonderful. The intangible score holds.
Merry Christmas!
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Clouded bright ruby w faint browning; urgent nose of cherries, dark chocolate, and sweet chewing tobacco; aromas spread full-bodiedly on palate of regal and now polymerized silky soft tannins and nice tartness. Inner mouth perfume lasts from taste to taste. This bottle purchased in mid 90’s and cellared reliably performed nicely.
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Love this wine, but it’s getting to an age where bottle variation can be significant, especially for purchases at retail or auction. Quite smooth and appealing in texture this time, but simple and linear, with more dominant oak and tawny shades than I prefer.
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Cubs Playoff Wines (Lake Forest, IL): Good showing for this wine. Aromas of strawberry-rubarb with vanilla. Moderately weighty with good bright red fruitiness and tart finish. Showing some early signs of maturity.
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Spectacular bottle. Gorgeous complex aromas of red fruit and spice. A wonderful spin of acidity keeps this extremely fresh and alive. Not a huge wine but beautifully elegant and precise.
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Classic grange, big yet understated. Classic sweet blackberry, very pure fruit notes. backed by a peppery spiciness. Have drunk this wine on many occasions, which I feel Parker has underrated as it has consistently outperformed its score. This is the first time that I have felt that the wine is moving on to a more tertiary phase and some of that primary fruit is just starting to recede.
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Inky dark with little sign of bricking. Absolutely wondeful nose with waves of aromas including ripe dark fruit, anise, vanilla bean, violets and cigar box. Dense palate packed with fine tannin and rich dark fruit, yet balanced and silky. This lives up to its reputation. Drink or hold for as long as you like. (96 Superb wine)
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Deep red colour with little fade at the rim - unbelievable for a 25 year old wine. Spectacular nose of blackberry and cassis with secondary notes of dried flowers and earth. Full bodied and still quite structured, it is hard to believe, but I would say this wine is still on the rise and could possibly improve over the next 5 years. Certainly there are no signs of fading. Tastes of dark fruits dominate but are joined by a huge array of subtle nuances that include baking spices, vanilla, pepper, earth and many more. Tremendous complexity. The finish is long and satisfying with a juicy acidity. www.advinetures.ca
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only decanted for 1 hour which was clearly not enough as wine tasted much better after few hours. bit tannic at first but smooth afterwards. no signs of age, colour was good.
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Opaque purple/crimson. Heady, liqueur-ish nose of licorice, menthol, juniper, and blueberry. Quite dense and concentrated in the mouth, mostly primary, perceptible alcohol gives it a gin-like or turpentine character. Stronger on the attack than the finish. Blind, I would have guessed this was Portuguese, and much younger than it is. Maybe it just needs a lot more time, but at this stage of its evolution it's not for me.
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Quite a ripe Grange with a fabulous nose of blackberries and eucalyptus. Quite silky with still good intensity and deep flavors of licorice, eucalyptus and ripe blackberries and strawberries. Finishes with rounded and softened tannins along with minerals, spices and intense red berries. Perhaps not the most complex vintage of Grange but I've always liked it because of how delicious it is and how pronounced the eucalyptus is. Ready now but still has a ways to go. Brought to CharlieBird.
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Penfolds Grange Wine Dinner at Botrini's (Botrini's Restaurant Athens): First wine of the second flight. I was looking forward to tasting this as it was the oldest of the night and was curious to see how it stands at almost 25 years of age. Actually it was the least interesting wine of the night. It was neither fully mature nor particularly complex on the contrary it seemed closed without yealding much. But in any case no rush to drink anytime soon...
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This had been open for 15 hours, but it was still quite brooding and backward. This has all the elements to evolve into a great wine, but I found it to be slightly awkward and lacking in charm, especially next to the 1992. Drink 2020-2070.
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Absolutely terrific-- decanted for roughly an hour and poured after an 08 Insignia. This 22 yo wine was almost as deep purple as the Insignia. Still incredibly fresh with a classic Grange nose. This will drink well for many years-- dark berries and moderate oak with great finesse and balance w/ a long finish.
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NobleRottersSydney - Grange night (Verde, East Sydney): {cork, 13.5%} (Bruce) Showing all the signs of real development, but with its peak still some way off. Developing aromas of American oak, big red fruit, malt, tar; the usual, in other words. The palate is all about balance. It’s full-bodied, but oh-so-sophisticated. Chocolate, meat and caramel flavours are offered, with fine powdery tannins at just the right level; as is acid, as is alcohol. Wound together as perfectly as a Bach fugue. Absolutely fills the mouth; there don’t seem to be enough nerve endings on the tongue to take it all in. An endless finish to a wine that will drink perfectly for another 20 years, if the 1975 can be believed. Barossa & McLaren Vale. 5% cabernet.
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I am not very experienced with Penfolds Grange. So my scale is not really gauged to this. It was a tight mixture of impressions in the mouth. But in the end a mixture of boring stuff. At the back of the mouth some strange taste that builds the spine of the wine. But as I said, I don't really know what this should taste like.
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Generally consistent with previous bottles. Sweet and thick, with minty Syrah fruit and an almost tawny character from the classic Grange oak treatment. Drinking well right now.
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The nose is absolutely fantastic with superb complexity. The foundation is mature fruits and berries, but here is cinnamon, sausages, black pepper, cardamom, chocolate, coffee and Thai food with lots of soy. Only great Burgundy reds could outperform this bouquet.
Pure perfection on the palate. A really high but completely balanced acidity, great fruit in a medium body, with smooth tannins and such a nice integration of oak. The finish goes on and on and has lots of chocolate. Great intensity and silky texture.
This is so elegant, has great finesse and everything sits on the perfect place.
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A very expressive Grange at this point showing deeply concentrated flavors of boysenberry, cassis and strawberry with a strong eucalyptus note on the complex finish. Beginning to reach maturity but still a few years from peak, this very ripe, intense Grange is a real crowd pleaser.
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on a flower day; opened one day before and allowed bottle breath at shoulder for 1 hour before re-stoppered; intensive signature black currant with vanilla and eucalyptus with subtle coca and coffee; dense and structural palate; smooth and silky; no chewing but integrated tannin; strong delicious acidity; I reckon it would perform better if decanted before the dinner; although not yet fully developed but Grange is syrah at its' best
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The second of two bottles from Belmont Wine Exchange, both with saturated corks and dried seepage under the capsule. The previous bottle still showed quite well, this one was just pleasant drinking, a bit flat and prunish.
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Despite some dried seepage under the capsule and a saturated cork, and a slightly tawny first whiff that made me fear oxidation, this was another very fine bottle. Even more complexity than usual, with an herbal, sagey edge to the oak that was very appealing. Otherwise consistent with previous notes.
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35th Anniversary Party Cellar Tasting; 6/16/2012-6/17/2012 (Rich & Dana's): Aromas of mint/eucalyptus dominate the bouquet, leaving only brief glimpses of red fruit and floral notes underneath. Dusty tannins; flavors of red fruit, currants and mint with a long finish. There is an elegance about this wine, but it is also powerful. Seems like it wants to be great, but a bit too one dimensional for me. I would hold it I think, and hope that the mint integrates a bit more and becomes less of a distraction.
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(Christmas brunner w Ads, Geoff, Just, Mandy and Grace; this 1991/1992 Vertical Tasting report is communal) A suprisingly quiet nose, with understated cocoa, red fruits and butter, along with a hint of loamy mushrooms, but nothing much else - the quiet cousin compared to the brawling 92.
With decanting, opens up somewhat, showing itself upon tasting to be a medium bodied wine, albeit with focus and intensity. Much lighter than the 75 and 76 previousy tasted, it was much brighter, with a significant acid lift, fresh red berries (hawthorne, hint of raspberry), dried fruit (figs, date, plums) melded together with a lovely velvety tannin which unctiously wraps your mouth, leaving a long, savoury finish showing some eucalypt undergrowth and mushroom, reminiscent of consomme chockful of umami. The initial zingyness upon opening seems to have become agreeably tempered with time in the half-opened bottle, as did the slight hint of copper and the lightest whiff of cardboard - thankfully!
Enjoyably complex, but light enough to encourage further sips. Was a bit tentative upon opening, but really takes shape after a day or two! Drink now!
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At dinner with CTer Petitblanc in Chicago at Coco Pazzo. Silky smooth, full bodied, rich color to the rim, medium legs, meat, blood, tobacco, chocolate on the nose and palate. Wonderful wine in its drinking window.
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Superb showing once again. Ripe fruit, velvet mouthfeel, perfect balance, fresh, precise, powerful. A touch more varietal complexity would make this a perfect bottle, but it is darn close as it is. A bit of reductive funk blew off completely with an hour of air.
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J and M 20years wedding (Kippling): Wonderful wine - that's how good Shiraz can get in perfection. Sweet, balanced, long; slight peppery nose; Shiraz notes but in an elegant fashion. Still youthful.
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Decanted for 3h and the wine came together after evolving with rich luscious jammy notes. Perfumed peppery nose. This wine has length that can still last 60sec+. Jammy, classic shiraz and wine of the night (Had 1996 Haut Brion earlier, and this was good and evolcing slowly in the glass)
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Showing just a bit of tawny color at the rim. The buttery oak on the nose also had an almost tawny Port quality, along with a core of deep dark fruits, black pepper, even some passing iron and floral notes. On the palate, incredibly silky, complex, and faintly tawny or raisiny but not predominantly so. Slightly clipped finish that once again faintly echoed a savory tawny Port reduction. Definitely different in profile from the previous bottle, but there was so much class and depth, this was still superb drinking.
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Quintessential Grange for me... if you like Grange, please stock up on this wine... if you don't, you'll have to explain why you don't like this wine. Self confident and in control, a very impressive wine. Accompanied South Indian food, and was pairing very well indeed. Impressive!
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I'll say this again - having drunk many older versions of this wine, it remains one of the most underrated of the world's great wines. It is a BIG style of wine in its youth but after 25-35 years, it performs just like great Bordeaux with all the complexity and nuance one could ask for. This '91 is in middle-age showing the most gorgeously ripe, bold, black cherry and red licorice-flavors with a very strong eucalyptus note, even beyond the norm here. Just about to enter it's secondary flavor maturation phase, this should be amazing in about another five years but outstanding tonight for it's purity of fruit. 95+
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Tremendous wine from beginning to end. Alluring oak-driven nose of creamy vanilla and coconut over floral syrah perfume (a bit of funky beef and soy blew off completely with 20 minutes of air). Superbly balanced palate with warm oak melting smoothly into perfectly ripe fruit that is so sweet but not at all heavy. Caressing tannins carry this through a long and classy finish that recalls a savory Port reduction. Incredible velvet mouthfeel, alcohol in balance, with enough structure to pair with great food. This should drink nicely for another 5-10 years, but I like it right here.
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Auction Bottle held 3 years. Taken to Bordeaux to be shared. Opened for 5+ hours, no decant. Nearly black, very little evidence of color change. Deep pepper, leather and coal tar nose, to enjoy for minutes without a first sip. Range of flavors change in the glass across the spectrum, and an incredible finish, nearly a minute. A great bottle to be sure, one that travelled from LA to FR and a few days through Bordeaux to show so well. Great with magret over sarments, too, but what wouldn't be. Need to get more of this!
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Bought upon release. Cork came out in three pieces. After a six hour decant, the 91 is black in color, and looks like a 10 year old instead of a 19 year old. Aromas of mocha and oak dominate. The palate follows with coconut and fruits, together with some chocolate and vanilla. The tannins are very fine. The balance is wonderful but the wine is restrained a little on the pallet. The finish is long and impressive. Much better showing than the last time I had this wine from Magnum four years ago which at that time had a strong eucalyptus flavor but none to be found tonight. Much better bottle. It’s not the 86 or 90 but close! Totally enjoyable!
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A bit disappointing, toasty and very coconutty oak dominating the obviously wonderful fruit underneath. Not sure if it's just this bottle based on below comments, but I'll leave my other one for 5-10 years before looking again.
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The cork just crumbled and wouldn't fully come out of the bottle. Poured through a strainer and the wine was still good with lovely. ripe eucalyptus-tinged dark berry fruit. Medium-bodied and a bit port-like in it's flavor profile but because of the cork, I will reserve judgment on this bottle. By the way, this cork situation has occurred about 10 times in my history of tasting Grange (out of probably 60-70 bottles) which is pretty disappointing.
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NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds & Henschke - Top Shelf Shiraz (Alio's, Surry Hills): [13.5%, cork] {Andrew} Decanted an hour prior to consumption. Deep garnet. The essence of Grange; it radiates deep-chested, barely-developing aromas of bitumen, liquorice, blackberries, dark meats and a dash of vanilla. The palate has moved away from primary fruits, but not far; with chocolate & vanilla tints, and ripe black shiraz fruit adding to the flavours foreshadowed by the nose. Polished texture, with medium-high level fine powdery tannins. Intense, medium-full bodied and with a long, even finish that caresses the tongue for its whole length. It’s a seriously classy wine whose overall balance between all the components – fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol – is well-nigh perfect. Absolutely drinkable now, but for the full glory better to wait another ten years and reassess; you wouldn’t listen to just the first movement of a Mahler symphony, would you?
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Dark red with minimal fading at the rim. Looked like a 6 - 10 yr old. Pretty nose of blackberries and floral scents. Medium to full bodied with a tangy acidity. Flavours of blackberry and road tar (is there any other kind of tar?). Very well balanced but not terribly complex. Will last at least another decade and hopefully take on more nuances and complexity. An excellent drink but frankly not up to its lofty reputation.
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Dark ruby. Deep ripe spiced blackberry pie. Mild acid and soft fluffy tannins. Open-hearted and lush, lacking somewhat in structure but comforting seductive in its pure dark berry fruit and butter cookie generosity. Drink now to 2020 without expectations for further development.
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Still quite youthful with a fresh and exuberant nose of tar, cedar, raspberries, plums, baking spices and scorched earth. It is dense and chewy in the mouth with muscular berry fruits that are tinged with a little earth. There’s a light thread of vanilla and the whole package is nicely proportioned, finishing with bold yet sugar coated tannins. Needs another 10 years at least.
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WFA 2009 Grange Vertical Tasting: More intense with some fruits left. Some chocolate. Layered palate with lively acid and thick tannins. Complex and fresh with beautiful mouth feel. Very immense with beautiful soft fine tannins. More elegant as compared to 1990. Very balance and elegant my favorite of all.
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Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): Faboulous wine and, for most people, the wine of the night. Interesting combination of fresh and dried fruit, along with complicating mineral and earth tones. Constantly evolving palate. Refined, with excellent energy and lift, for such a big wine.
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"Grand Crew" Trailwalkers Charity Dinner (Insititute of Directors): Big and rich - big enough to overshadow the Rhones. Seemingly still quite youthful. Power, quality and purity of tight, berry fruit. Long, tannic finish. I was impressed with my first Grange. sup-
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Deep red. The first thing I noticed in the nose about 2 hours before pouring this wine was the huge bourbon nose. When poured the whiskey nose dissapeared and left lot's of currant, forest floor and toasty oak. Thie nose kept evolving while in the glass. Great flavours. What a treat, my first Grange. Thank you Jenise!
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Deep, dark and intense with that classic black licorice and eucalyptus nose. A very ripe Grange that is drinking beautifully now. Thickly-textured but glides over the tongue with exotic dark berry fruit with notes of minerals and licorice. Very big but ultr-smooth at the same time and while this Grange is on the verge of being over-the-top, it stays on the right side of the line and delivers a great drinking experience. Finishes fresh and complex with lots of minerals and eucalyptus. Hard to find anyone who won't love this juice. Will perhaps improve for 5 more years but great right now.
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Amazing nose. Lots of tobacco, spice, anise, pluy with mineral and vanila to finish it off. Great long finish that seemed to stay on the palate forever.
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Tasted at Vintage 64 Club 2007 AGM. Classic Grange once again. Ample spice, tobacco, oak and berry aromas. Intense, complex palate of spicy fruit and oak, long, great lingering finish.
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Grange Offline (1990-1975) (Alba Restuarant London): Dark inky ruby, impenetrable. Very tight, nose screams sweet caramel and burnt nut toffee. Very big with lots of acidity, surprisingly low tannins, verly long toasty finish.
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Penfolds Grange Vertical Tasting (1990-1975) (Alba Restaurant, Whitecross Street, London): 95% shiraz, 5% cabernet from Kalimna, Barossa and McLaren Vale. Leathery nose with very concentrated plummy fruit. Sweet fruit on the palate with a bite of concentration. Fairly big tannic structure. 92/100 Re-tasted around 10 p.m. It now has a more open nose with sweet blackberry fruit. The palate is pretty much the same, but the tannins are much reduced.
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NobleRottersSydney - 1990 night (Lucio's, Paddington): Not quite 1990, and although we had one with us, after the 91 we really thought it would be wasted this early in its life. The 91 remains black in colour, and quite monolithic in its aromas – fine mocha oak dominates. The palate follows with coconut & tarry fruits, together with some chocolate/vanilla qualities. It’s very powerful – the tannins are fine-grained but build cumulatively. All parts of the palate are coated with flavour, and the finish is long and impressive – there are no balance problems here. Yet the wine is obstinately restrained – rather like a locomotive traveling at walking pace. At 13 years old, showing about a quarter of its potential I would say. Put it away with the 95 Latour and leave it for another 30 years.
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Dark red. Meaty notes. Quite closed. This wine seems a touch sexier than the other reds (with the exception of wine# 9). But is the concentration there? Hmm. A nice finish though
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12/12/2023 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at 67
Incredible depth and showing a beautiful maturity
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12/12/2023 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep rich, fruit forward with an undertow of tertiary earth and leather. Still mainly primary. This is in a relatively closed phase. Would have been better to wait another 5 or 10 years. The weight and intensity are impressive, though this is not massive, there is elegance here. The fruit is damsons and blackberry.
Long and complex. Drinking now but believe me it would be a waste. Have patience.
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12/2/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
A lovely, medium-bodied Grange with just about fully-resolved tannins. Silky and fine with delicious wild berry fruit along with a beautiful
eucalyptus note and a great red-spice intensity on the complex finish. Yum!
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9/28/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): The first of the vintages where you actually really feel the mature tannins and silkiness of the wine. One of our companions remarked that it was very similar to Latour in the way you had these large-scaled wines with hefty tannins that matured into silky wines without losing that weight. This definitely feels like a different regime than the wines a decade later -- there's more of a rusticity here. This reminds me a bit of mature Clape with both the relative lack of fruit and rustic yet silky tannins.
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9/24/2023 - gb1406 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Apart from a very crumbling cork, this wine was pristine. Soft and velvety, subtle chocolate and leathery flavours, no heat or dominant fruit. Decanted for 3 hours. Shared between 4 of us which wasn’t anywhere near enough but sharing something so good is what wine is about.
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3/1/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Pre-Paulee Warm-up Dinner (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Alongside 1989. Splash decanted 5 hours in advance. Ripe and brawny, lots here, but the powerful fruit still really dominates. Needs more time/ air to unfold its full greatness.
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3/1/2023 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Pre La Paulée Dinner with friends (Home): 89/91 side-by-side. My only complaint about these wines is that they are so youthful for forever and remarkably consistent. Really hard to tease apart any big differences between the two wines -- caveat that these were the final two reds in a long night.
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8/30/2022 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 93 Points
No notes and only fleeting impressions as it was an epic night with both old friends and new before the Chateau Angelus dinner at Anhelo in downtown Phoenix tonight (8/31). All wines were split between 6.25 of us and unless noted, minimal decant (max 30 minutes).
Have waited a long time to try this wine. First Grange and it was a beautiful wine that drank much younger than it’s age. While Inwont run out and buy more, I will treasure the remaining bottles of other vintages as it lives up to the hype. So glad I was able to taste this wine and share with friends.
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8/30/2022 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
An Amazing Arizona Tasting: Double decanted one hour, then slow-O at the table for another hour. OK....so I tasted Grange once at the winery, but it was a 13 and three years ago....quite good, but quite young too....this was my first tasting of a Grange with some age, and I was looking forward to it! I will say, even my sky high expectations, this wine did not disappoint!
Nose was perfumed with lavender, cherry blossom and dark fruit, with hints of cedar, tar and tobacco. Palate was kaleidoscope of fruit, including black, red and blue fruit. Acidity kept the fruit fresh and lively, and like the Vega Sicilia that preceded it, the fruit took center stage. However, this showed off secondary flavors much better, with sweet tobacco, cigar box, eucalyptus, leather and earth all joining in chorus to make the sweetest music! This wine was drinking superbly, and in a perfect place for my palate! I just hope my Grange's show as well when I open them....although I will need to wait quite a few more years for them to get the proper age on them! A real treat, and a 97+...my #2 wine of the night!
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8/7/2022 - svdheijden wrote: 96 Points
Drank alongside Cornas 1991 from Clape. Clear difference in style. This Grange is remarkably fresh and vibrant, with lots of fruit, mint and eucalyptus and far less developed that some previous notes suggest. This bottle just entered its drinking window and will remain here for at least a decade.
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4/20/2022 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice mature Grange, classic minty dark ripe roasted cherry fruit with nicely balanced acid/tannin structure. Slightly faded, but still quite yummy.
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11/29/2021 - levicn wrote: 89 Points
醒酒一个小时，闻香有一些甜香料味，老酒的酱味，奶油气息，黑李子一类的果香，入口酸度中等，单宁几乎感觉不到，黑色水果，奶油味，坚果气息，余味有点微苦，后段香气有些不受控制的散开，我感觉到这酒有些老了，结构稍微有点塌，但口感丝滑柔顺，余味也很漂亮，红苹果，巧克力和桶香。一支过了巅峰期的酒，在老去的路上保留着一些优雅。
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10/27/2021 - hprphf wrote: 90 Points
Sharp, herbal, too hot. Somewhat extreme and one-sided. 90
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6/9/2021 - Msheets38 wrote: 98 Points
Medium garnet in color with high intensity. Black plum, cocoa, merachino cherry, clove, red peppercorn, star anise, black raspberry preserve, homemade rhubarb compote, cedar, blueberry, and pencil shavings. High acid, medium plus tannin, full bodied, moderate plus alcohol, extremely well balanced and very smooth. 30 years in and hitting its strides! Could last longer or drink now. 98/100
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5/5/2021 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - reds at 10 20 30 (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 13.5%} [Gordon] Barossa and McLaren Vale this vintage, with 5% cabernet. Double-decanted two hours earlier. Still an opaque ruby colour. Deep blueberry fruit, chocolate coated. Liquorice, tar; warm and seductive. But still very youthful for thirty. Seems younger still on the consistent-with-the-aromas palate, with black essences too, medium/full weight, medium dusty tannins; powerful and rich texture but always polished. A class act that will happily age further; it’s far from fully mature. Super-even palate, long finish. A triumph in every respect.
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4/2/2021 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very together and complete. No bricking but just a little transparency at the very edges. Balanced and harmonious. Not overpowering instead beautifully aged and presented as a lovely dry red. Some red berries and mocha upfront and drying herbs finish. Really excellent My good run with Grange continues.
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3/29/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
Pristine bottle, level into neck, cork disintegrated. Opened three hours in advance, during which it evolved quickly. Deep and rich nose, warm spices and beef stock, cedar and eucalyptus; full-bodied palate, powerful flavours, fresh and well balanced, rich fruit, mostly resolved tannins; the big and rich finish is slightly sweet. On the basis of this bottle, this is ready to go.
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9/30/2020 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 98 Points
Degustateurs Penfolds Grange (My home with social distancing): Near perfection, big bold, dark color, earthy.
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9/16/2020 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 95 Points
'Best of Australia' Dinner (Wooloomooloo Prime, 100 Nathan Road Level 21 The ONE, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong): Decanted fairly briefly as I recall, but sufficiently. Still a deep, dense purple/black. Nose is reticent, coal, loads of dark Asian black spices... liquorice root, dried star anise, tamarind etc.. Palate is massively black/red confit fruits and a massive avalanche of endless resonance and reverberance . Is still so young but it has a complexity which means I can still get into reveries over this. Not necessarily a sublime vintage of Grange but that is damning it with faint praise.....it is always such an event to experience Grange as it begins to mature. 95 for now but will only go higher in coming years - I have updated the CT recommended window to 2030 accordingly. Thanks, Jeremy!
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5/31/2020 - Turnem wrote:
Great.
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4/5/2020 - jhngo Likes this wine: 96 Points
Less fruit forward more restrained. Very good wine.
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2/17/2020 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Youthful puppy fat gone, revealing a wonderful elegant red and black fruit wine with perfect balance. Acidity medium+, plenty of ripe fine tannins. Reminds me of a Monte Bello ’95. So perfumed. Mid-palate reveals earthy forest floor, supporting the fruit. Long and complex. 13.5% ABC
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11/21/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
A friend turns 50: In as much as Grange can be a bummer this bottle was just a hint of a bummer. Had dropped it off at the restaurant a few days before with the plan that they could do a multi-hour decant before dinner. As it was they opened it fairly quickly before pouring and even though it was decanted and rebottled the reality is the wine needed a lot more time. Not that it wasn't good (it was), but next to a bunch of '89 LaLa's it wasn't totally amazing and these days I expect my Grange to be amazing. Think of all of the standard flavors, but with this thin veil over it so the wine wasn't quite as commanding as it can be. Will hold the rest of ours. This was a young vintage to be fair as far as Granges go.
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8/22/2019 - KoalaHK wrote:
Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: Less power than the '90 but nevertheless extremely attractive. It possess an elegance that the '90 doesn't have right now. Plenty of acid and structure still evident that will allow the '91 to keep pace with the '90 for many years to come.
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6/13/2019 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 96 Points
Superb shiraz. Amazing for 28 years old ...and I suspect a few more years in it yet.
Think I preferred the 1990 but a very enjoyable special occasion wine.
Oodels of dark fruit, tannins well and truly integrated, nice texture and long flavoured finish.
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4/2/2019 - BradE wrote:
White Burgs and Penfolds. Bellecour, Wayzata MN: Youthful and pure, and at 28 years old this is still literally a baby. Eucalyptus and mint. Stunning now; easy to imagine how fantastic well stored bottles will taste at age 50.
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3/23/2019 - SimonPh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding Grange, on a par to 1990, at the height of its power and development.
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12/18/2018 - nywine68 wrote: 97 Points
WOTN among some tough competition. Wonderfully complex and elegant
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11/26/2018 - smenzies wrote: 97 Points
Drinking perfectly now. Could not flaw this in anyway. A classic superb Barossa Shiraz..only the price would raise an eyebrow.
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11/2/2018 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Small Rhone Tasting w/Aussie Ringer (R&D's): Single blind, courtesy of our hosts. Dark color. Aromas of dark fruit, plum, licorice and candied black cherry. On the full side of medium-bodied, with flavors of dark plum, spice, roasted game and herbs. As it sits in the glass the bouquet shows strawberry, dark fruit, stone, spice and road tar. Abundant dark fruit on the palate, with mineral and spice nuances. Finishes well. 93 pts. I thought this was the Chapoutier, somewhat by process of elimination, but also due to color and the candied notes.
My #5, Domino's #2
Group #3, 17 pts
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8/12/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
I am honestly shocked this wine is 27 years old. It is very young tasting. We opened and decanted for maybe two hours before pouring, but I think it needed more time. The alcohol was there with first sip, but blew off with time. I honestly thought it might have been one of the young ones. Bits of red fruits. More intense spice notes. Drinking it with the cheese really brought the wine alive quite a bit more.
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8/11/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine: 94 Points
Syrah from Afar with a Champagne Flight to start (Long Island, NY): 4/12 syrahs tasted single blind. The nose on this is very floral and pretty. The color is bright ruby and would indicate a much younger wine by appearance. The palate is still bright red fruit, some earth and spices and a real silky mouthfeel. Very nice!
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5/28/2018 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Chocolate, blackcurrant, ink and leather on the nose. Palate was spicy wrapped by beautiful black fruit. Very refined with a long finish. A bit shy to the 93 that was more powerful.
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4/23/2018 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 95 Points
tasted blind alongside the 1991 707, similar character, but Grange richer, lush yet balanced, dark fruits, cedar, developing age character, but still years to go
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12/24/2017 - jim_crane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Christmas dinner wine. Paired with filet mignon and lobster mac and cheese. Decanted for just over an hour.
Husband = 50 + 19 + 18 + 6 = 93. I kept coming back to the nose. So much going on. BlackBerry, rosemary, earth. The palate was super silky. Gave it 6 points for pairing success and sentimental moment.
Wife = 50 + 18 + 19 + 6 = 93. The nose was not earth but what is growing just above it. Herbs. Blackberry too. Velvet, not silk. Wonderful. The intangible score holds.
Merry Christmas!
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11/30/2017 - Tgood wrote: 95 Points
Clouded bright ruby w faint browning; urgent nose of cherries, dark chocolate, and sweet chewing tobacco; aromas spread full-bodiedly on palate of regal and now polymerized silky soft tannins and nice tartness. Inner mouth perfume lasts from taste to taste. This bottle purchased in mid 90’s and cellared reliably performed nicely.
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11/12/2017 - petitblanc wrote: 91 Points
Love this wine, but it’s getting to an age where bottle variation can be significant, especially for purchases at retail or auction. Quite smooth and appealing in texture this time, but simple and linear, with more dominant oak and tawny shades than I prefer.
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10/9/2017 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cubs Playoff Wines (Lake Forest, IL): Good showing for this wine. Aromas of strawberry-rubarb with vanilla. Moderately weighty with good bright red fruitiness and tart finish. Showing some early signs of maturity.
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9/3/2017 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Spectacular bottle. Gorgeous complex aromas of red fruit and spice. A wonderful spin of acidity keeps this extremely fresh and alive. Not a huge wine but beautifully elegant and precise.
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5/25/2017 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points
WCC Australian Shiraz Blind (Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY): [Double-decanted around 11am.] Smoky red fruit nose. Long, complex, and soft. Ripe and delicious.
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3/16/2017 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic grange, big yet understated. Classic sweet blackberry, very pure fruit notes. backed by a peppery spiciness. Have drunk this wine on many occasions, which I feel Parker has underrated as it has consistently outperformed its score. This is the first time that I have felt that the wine is moving on to a more tertiary phase and some of that primary fruit is just starting to recede.
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9/2/2016 - DrZett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great vertical Grange tasting (Rare-Bordeaux-Weine, Wachtberg (Germany)): Second of 10 Grange in vertical tasting.
Still very aggressive and present. Nice mixture between fresh tobacco, ripe blackberries and leather. Drink up until 2022.
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7/9/2016 - G.M. wrote: 96 Points
Inky dark with little sign of bricking. Absolutely wondeful nose with waves of aromas including ripe dark fruit, anise, vanilla bean, violets and cigar box. Dense palate packed with fine tannin and rich dark fruit, yet balanced and silky. This lives up to its reputation. Drink or hold for as long as you like. (96 Superb wine)
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6/23/2016 - Stirling Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep red colour with little fade at the rim - unbelievable for a 25 year old wine. Spectacular nose of blackberry and cassis with secondary notes of dried flowers and earth. Full bodied and still quite structured, it is hard to believe, but I would say this wine is still on the rise and could possibly improve over the next 5 years. Certainly there are no signs of fading. Tastes of dark fruits dominate but are joined by a huge array of subtle nuances that include baking spices, vanilla, pepper, earth and many more. Tremendous complexity. The finish is long and satisfying with a juicy acidity. www.advinetures.ca
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6/21/2016 - jjwala Likes this wine: 93 Points
only decanted for 1 hour which was clearly not enough as wine tasted much better after few hours. bit tannic at first but smooth afterwards. no signs of age, colour was good.
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6/17/2016 - H_Singh wrote:
Take to clinic Lvc 18/6
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4/8/2016 - cooberp wrote: 87 Points
Opaque purple/crimson. Heady, liqueur-ish nose of licorice, menthol, juniper, and blueberry. Quite dense and concentrated in the mouth, mostly primary, perceptible alcohol gives it a gin-like or turpentine character. Stronger on the attack than the finish. Blind, I would have guessed this was Portuguese, and much younger than it is. Maybe it just needs a lot more time, but at this stage of its evolution it's not for me.
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3/22/2016 - Daroof wrote: 100 Points
Holy Frejole. I never wish to soil my mouth with anything else aver again.
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11/27/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT) - Part 2 - Penfolds Grange Vertical (Palm Beach Gardens FL): Tasting in 30 vintage Grange vertical, late night, brief note. Modest start seemed somewhat restrained/muted between showing mature and fresh fruit, but the concentration and spice really emerge from middle to its excellent finish.
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11/16/2015 - mwanasheria Likes this wine: 96 Points
Spices, liquorice, blackcurrant, mint. So fresh, so lively. This will live forever.
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4/18/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite a ripe Grange with a fabulous nose of blackberries and eucalyptus. Quite silky with still good intensity and deep flavors of licorice, eucalyptus and ripe blackberries and strawberries. Finishes with rounded and softened tannins along with minerals, spices and intense red berries. Perhaps not the most complex vintage of Grange but I've always liked it because of how delicious it is and how pronounced the eucalyptus is. Ready now but still has a ways to go. Brought to CharlieBird.
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4/16/2015 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Penfolds Grange Wine Dinner at Botrini's (Botrini's Restaurant Athens): First wine of the second flight.
I was looking forward to tasting this as it was the oldest of
the night and was curious to see how it stands at almost 25 years of age.
Actually it was the least interesting wine of the night.
It was neither fully mature nor particularly complex on the contrary
it seemed closed without yealding much.
But in any case no rush to drink anytime soon...
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4/16/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Penfolds Grange Wine Dinner at Botrini's (Botrini Restaurant, Athens, Greece): Almost fully mature and very enjoyable but lacked the complexity and depth of vintages such as 2004, 2000 or even 1996. Some tertiary aromas of undergrowth and leather are evident. Long aftertaste.
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10/10/2014 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Black currant
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9/5/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 96 Points
Superb as previously.
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7/19/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 95 Points
Consistent with previous bottles. Youthful color, lovely oak and ripe fruit, just the beginnings of mature complexity. 13.5% abv
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6/2/2014 - vespasian Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely mellow fruit at this stage in its life but by no means fully mature; great texture, lovely integration if the oak. Very long. Excellent.
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1/25/2014 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 93 Points
This had been open for 15 hours, but it was still quite brooding and backward. This has all the elements to evolve into a great wine, but I found it to be slightly awkward and lacking in charm, especially next to the 1992. Drink 2020-2070.
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11/24/2013 - SPierson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absolutely terrific-- decanted for roughly an hour and poured after an 08 Insignia. This 22 yo wine was almost as deep purple as the Insignia. Still incredibly fresh with a classic Grange nose. This will drink well for many years-- dark berries and moderate oak with great finesse and balance w/ a long finish.
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11/4/2013 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Grange night (Verde, East Sydney): {cork, 13.5%} (Bruce) Showing all the signs of real development, but with its peak still some way off. Developing aromas of American oak, big red fruit, malt, tar; the usual, in other words. The palate is all about balance. It’s full-bodied, but oh-so-sophisticated. Chocolate, meat and caramel flavours are offered, with fine powdery tannins at just the right level; as is acid, as is alcohol. Wound together as perfectly as a Bach fugue. Absolutely fills the mouth; there don’t seem to be enough nerve endings on the tongue to take it all in. An endless finish to a wine that will drink perfectly for another 20 years, if the 1975 can be believed. Barossa & McLaren Vale. 5% cabernet.
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7/22/2013 - LIE-user wrote: 88 Points
I am not very experienced with Penfolds Grange. So my scale is not really gauged to this.
It was a tight mixture of impressions in the mouth. But in the end a mixture of boring stuff. At the back of the mouth some strange taste that builds the spine of the wine.
But as I said, I don't really know what this should taste like.
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4/5/2013 - psmith wrote: 91 Points
Dark ripe. Purple Syrah but some more mature notes.
Balanced. Not a huge Grange. A bit top heavy, but still youthful.
Nice.
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3/23/2013 - petitblanc wrote: 94 Points
Generally consistent with previous bottles. Sweet and thick, with minty Syrah fruit and an almost tawny character from the classic Grange oak treatment. Drinking well right now.
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12/21/2012 - Lilja Likes this wine: 98 Points
Deep red with hints of orange.
The nose is absolutely fantastic with superb complexity. The foundation is mature fruits and berries, but here is cinnamon, sausages, black pepper, cardamom, chocolate, coffee and Thai food with lots of soy. Only great Burgundy reds could outperform this bouquet.
Pure perfection on the palate. A really high but completely balanced acidity, great fruit in a medium body, with smooth tannins and such a nice integration of oak. The finish goes on and on and has lots of chocolate. Great intensity and silky texture.
This is so elegant, has great finesse and everything sits on the perfect place.
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12/5/2012 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very expressive Grange at this point showing deeply concentrated flavors of boysenberry, cassis and strawberry with a strong eucalyptus note on the complex finish. Beginning to reach maturity but still a few years from peak, this very ripe, intense Grange is a real crowd pleaser.
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11/23/2012 - swasbrook wrote:
outstanding bottle of wine - needed
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11/3/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 94 Points
Another fine showing, generally consistent with previous bottles, with slightly dryer tannins.
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7/26/2012 - burgburgburg wrote: 95 Points
on a flower day; opened one day before and allowed bottle breath at shoulder for 1 hour before re-stoppered; intensive signature black currant with vanilla and eucalyptus with subtle coca and coffee; dense and structural palate; smooth and silky; no chewing but integrated tannin; strong delicious acidity; I reckon it would perform better if decanted before the dinner; although not yet fully developed but Grange is syrah at its' best
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7/21/2012 - petitblanc wrote: flawed
The second of two bottles from Belmont Wine Exchange, both with saturated corks and dried seepage under the capsule. The previous bottle still showed quite well, this one was just pleasant drinking, a bit flat and prunish.
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7/12/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 95 Points
Despite some dried seepage under the capsule and a saturated cork, and a slightly tawny first whiff that made me fear oxidation, this was another very fine bottle. Even more complexity than usual, with an herbal, sagey edge to the oak that was very appealing. Otherwise consistent with previous notes.
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6/17/2012 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
35th Anniversary Party Cellar Tasting; 6/16/2012-6/17/2012 (Rich & Dana's): Notes of black fruit and plum, leather and eucalyptus, the latter not as dominant as it was last night. Balanced, with nice depth to the black and red fruit, plum and herb flavors. Long finish. 93+ pts.
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6/16/2012 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
35th Anniversary Party Cellar Tasting; 6/16/2012-6/17/2012 (Rich & Dana's): Aromas of mint/eucalyptus dominate the bouquet, leaving only brief glimpses of red fruit and floral notes underneath. Dusty tannins; flavors of red fruit, currants and mint with a long finish. There is an elegance about this wine, but it is also powerful. Seems like it wants to be great, but a bit too one dimensional for me. I would hold it I think, and hope that the mint integrates a bit more and becomes less of a distraction.
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4/27/2012 - Didman wrote: 96 Points
Wonderfully rich, ripe and ready to drink.
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4/24/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 95 Points
Another great bottle, quite consistent. Vibrantly youthful and elegant at the same time, still my favorite Grange.
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4/12/2012 - Jigs Likes this wine: 96 Points
Amazing colour, elegant flavours. Only downside was that there wasn't enough in the bottle.
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12/15/2011 - JerM wrote: 96 Points
(Christmas brunner w Ads, Geoff, Just, Mandy and Grace; this 1991/1992 Vertical Tasting report is communal) A suprisingly quiet nose, with understated cocoa, red fruits and butter, along with a hint of loamy mushrooms, but nothing much else - the quiet cousin compared to the brawling 92.
With decanting, opens up somewhat, showing itself upon tasting to be a medium bodied wine, albeit with focus and intensity. Much lighter than the 75 and 76 previousy tasted, it was much brighter, with a significant acid lift, fresh red berries (hawthorne, hint of raspberry), dried fruit (figs, date, plums) melded together with a lovely velvety tannin which unctiously wraps your mouth, leaving a long, savoury finish showing some eucalypt undergrowth and mushroom, reminiscent of consomme chockful of umami. The initial zingyness upon opening seems to have become agreeably tempered with time in the half-opened bottle, as did the slight hint of copper and the lightest whiff of cardboard - thankfully!
Enjoyably complex, but light enough to encourage further sips. Was a bit tentative upon opening, but really takes shape after a day or two! Drink now!
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12/3/2011 - BillyT wrote: 92 Points
At dinner with CTer Petitblanc in Chicago at Coco Pazzo. Silky smooth, full bodied, rich color to the rim, medium legs, meat, blood, tobacco, chocolate on the nose and palate. Wonderful wine in its drinking window.
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12/2/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 96 Points
Generally consistent with previous bottles, great wine.
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11/21/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 97 Points
Superb showing once again. Ripe fruit, velvet mouthfeel, perfect balance, fresh, precise, powerful. A touch more varietal complexity would make this a perfect bottle, but it is darn close as it is. A bit of reductive funk blew off completely with an hour of air.
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9/15/2011 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
J and M 20years wedding (Kippling): Wonderful wine - that's how good Shiraz can get in perfection. Sweet, balanced, long; slight peppery nose; Shiraz notes but in an elegant fashion. Still youthful.
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8/6/2011 - dannyg wrote: 98 Points
Decanted for 3h and the wine came together after evolving with rich luscious jammy notes. Perfumed peppery nose. This wine has length that can still last 60sec+. Jammy, classic shiraz and wine of the night (Had 1996 Haut Brion earlier, and this was good and evolcing slowly in the glass)
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7/9/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
Showing just a bit of tawny color at the rim. The buttery oak on the nose also had an almost tawny Port quality, along with a core of deep dark fruits, black pepper, even some passing iron and floral notes. On the palate, incredibly silky, complex, and faintly tawny or raisiny but not predominantly so. Slightly clipped finish that once again faintly echoed a savory tawny Port reduction. Definitely different in profile from the previous bottle, but there was so much class and depth, this was still superb drinking.
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7/4/2011 - Dubie wrote: 92 Points
Quintessential Grange for me... if you like Grange, please stock up on this wine... if you don't, you'll have to explain why you don't like this wine. Self confident and in control, a very impressive wine. Accompanied South Indian food, and was pairing very well indeed. Impressive!
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6/12/2011 - dream wrote: 95 Points
I'll say this again - having drunk many older versions of this wine, it remains one of the most underrated of the world's great wines. It is a BIG style of wine in its youth but after 25-35 years, it performs just like great Bordeaux with all the complexity and nuance one could ask for. This '91 is in middle-age showing the most gorgeously ripe, bold, black cherry and red licorice-flavors with a very strong eucalyptus note, even beyond the norm here. Just about to enter it's secondary flavor maturation phase, this should be amazing in about another five years but outstanding tonight for it's purity of fruit. 95+
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6/9/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 96 Points
Tremendous wine from beginning to end. Alluring oak-driven nose of creamy vanilla and coconut over floral syrah perfume (a bit of funky beef and soy blew off completely with 20 minutes of air). Superbly balanced palate with warm oak melting smoothly into perfectly ripe fruit that is so sweet but not at all heavy. Caressing tannins carry this through a long and classy finish that recalls a savory Port reduction. Incredible velvet mouthfeel, alcohol in balance, with enough structure to pair with great food. This should drink nicely for another 5-10 years, but I like it right here.
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4/10/2011 - City Wine Journal wrote: 95 Points
Auction Bottle held 3 years. Taken to Bordeaux to be shared. Opened for 5+ hours, no decant. Nearly black, very little evidence of color change. Deep pepper, leather and coal tar nose, to enjoy for minutes without a first sip. Range of flavors change in the glass across the spectrum, and an incredible finish, nearly a minute. A great bottle to be sure, one that travelled from LA to FR and a few days through Bordeaux to show so well. Great with magret over sarments, too, but what wouldn't be. Need to get more of this!
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4/8/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 91 Points
Lunch with KH, Gary, Yum Ron, Uncle Seven and Eric (The Press Room): Unmistakable. Everyone unanimously guessed Grange. Dark purple, jammy, ripe, syrupy. As always overly sweet for my taste but this is at a good drinking window right now.
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3/26/2011 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Coffee, blackberry, licorice and pepper aromas. Very primary on the palate, lots of oak still prominent. Give it time.
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11/30/2010 - Lakersguy wrote: 95 Points
Bought upon release. Cork came out in three pieces. After a six hour decant, the 91 is black in color, and looks like a 10 year old instead of a 19 year old. Aromas of mocha and oak dominate. The palate follows with coconut and fruits, together with some chocolate and vanilla. The tannins are very fine. The balance is wonderful but the wine is restrained a little on the pallet. The finish is long and impressive. Much better showing than the last time I had this wine from Magnum four years ago which at that time had a strong eucalyptus flavor but none to be found tonight. Much better bottle. It’s not the 86 or 90 but close! Totally enjoyable!
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9/9/2010 - TiggerK wrote: 91 Points
A bit disappointing, toasty and very coconutty oak dominating the obviously wonderful fruit underneath. Not sure if it's just this bottle based on below comments, but I'll leave my other one for 5-10 years before looking again.
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9/6/2010 - dream wrote: flawed
The cork just crumbled and wouldn't fully come out of the bottle. Poured through a strainer and the wine was still good with lovely. ripe eucalyptus-tinged dark berry fruit. Medium-bodied and a bit port-like in it's flavor profile but because of the cork, I will reserve judgment on this bottle. By the way, this cork situation has occurred about 10 times in my history of tasting Grange (out of probably 60-70 bottles) which is pretty disappointing.
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7/5/2010 - graemeg Likes this wine:
NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds & Henschke - Top Shelf Shiraz (Alio's, Surry Hills): [13.5%, cork] {Andrew} Decanted an hour prior to consumption. Deep garnet. The essence of Grange; it radiates deep-chested, barely-developing aromas of bitumen, liquorice, blackberries, dark meats and a dash of vanilla. The palate has moved away from primary fruits, but not far; with chocolate & vanilla tints, and ripe black shiraz fruit adding to the flavours foreshadowed by the nose. Polished texture, with medium-high level fine powdery tannins. Intense, medium-full bodied and with a long, even finish that caresses the tongue for its whole length. It’s a seriously classy wine whose overall balance between all the components – fruit, acid, tannin, alcohol – is well-nigh perfect. Absolutely drinkable now, but for the full glory better to wait another ten years and reassess; you wouldn’t listen to just the first movement of a Mahler symphony, would you?
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6/19/2010 - petitblanc wrote: flawed
Corked.
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5/17/2010 - Stirling wrote: 91 Points
Dark red with minimal fading at the rim. Looked like a 6 - 10 yr old. Pretty nose of blackberries and floral scents. Medium to full bodied with a tangy acidity. Flavours of blackberry and road tar (is there any other kind of tar?). Very well balanced but not terribly complex. Will last at least another decade and hopefully take on more nuances and complexity. An excellent drink but frankly not up to its lofty reputation.
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4/10/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 92 Points
Penfolds Grange among Australias greatest (Heemstede - Rest. Southern Cross): 1991 Penfolds Grange (Australië, South Australië) Kleur: Diep donkerrood met oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Typische Syrah, gebrand donker fruit, kruidig, expressief houtgebruik, chocola / mokka - duidelijk meer 'gebrand'. Smaak / Afdronk: Krachtige aanzet, veel structuur, uitgesproken zuren, iets meer harde en daardoor iets minder 'vriendelijke' wijn. Typische eetwijn boordevol concentratie, maar wel erg veel van hetzelfde. Algemeen / potentieel: Wijn maakt een opvallend jeugdige indruk. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 92/100
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3/27/2010 - Julia7ich wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby. Deep ripe spiced blackberry pie. Mild acid and soft fluffy tannins. Open-hearted and lush, lacking somewhat in structure but comforting seductive in its pure dark berry fruit and butter cookie generosity. Drink now to 2020 without expectations for further development.
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3/21/2010 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Still quite youthful with a fresh and exuberant nose of tar, cedar, raspberries, plums, baking spices and scorched earth. It is dense and chewy in the mouth with muscular berry fruits that are tinged with a little earth. There’s a light thread of vanilla and the whole package is nicely proportioned, finishing with bold yet sugar coated tannins. Needs another 10 years at least.
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10/22/2009 - astroman wrote:
WFA 2009 Grange Vertical Tasting: More intense with some fruits left. Some chocolate. Layered palate with lively acid and thick tannins. Complex and fresh with beautiful mouth feel. Very immense with beautiful soft fine tannins. More elegant as compared to 1990. Very balance and elegant my favorite of all.
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7/19/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 96 Points
Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): Faboulous wine and, for most people, the wine of the night. Interesting combination of fresh and dried fruit, along with complicating mineral and earth tones. Constantly evolving palate. Refined, with excellent energy and lift, for such a big wine.
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2/27/2009 - paulevd wrote: 95 Points
57th birthday. Decanted one hour.
Huge mouth feel. Tobacco and licorice, to chocolate and blackberry. Long, long finish. My first Grange. Nicest Shiraz I've ever had.
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7/25/2008 - Giggs wrote: 94 Points
Very complex, eucalyptus, oaky background, lots of minerality, deep earthy/savory aromas, well-integrated, complete mouthfeel. 94+
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5/20/2008 - Jeff W wrote:
"Grand Crew" Trailwalkers Charity Dinner (Insititute of Directors): Big and rich - big enough to overshadow the Rhones. Seemingly still quite youthful. Power, quality and purity of tight, berry fruit. Long, tannic finish. I was impressed with my first Grange. sup-
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3/18/2008 - David J Cooper wrote:
Deep red. The first thing I noticed in the nose about 2 hours before pouring this wine was the huge bourbon nose. When poured the whiskey nose dissapeared and left lot's of currant, forest floor and toasty oak. Thie nose kept evolving while in the glass. Great flavours. What a treat, my first Grange. Thank you Jenise!
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3/3/2008 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Deep, dark and intense with that classic black licorice and eucalyptus nose. A very ripe Grange that is drinking beautifully now. Thickly-textured but glides over the tongue with exotic dark berry fruit with notes of minerals and licorice. Very big but ultr-smooth at the same time and while this Grange is on the verge of being over-the-top, it stays on the right side of the line and delivers a great drinking experience. Finishes fresh and complex with lots of minerals and eucalyptus. Hard to find anyone who won't love this juice. Will perhaps improve for 5 more years but great right now.
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2/11/2008 - medpres wrote: 93 Points
needed decanting+30 min to open up, very full and rich.
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4/14/2007 - mulder wrote: 95 Points
Amazing nose. Lots of tobacco, spice, anise, pluy with mineral and vanila to finish it off. Great long finish that seemed to stay on the palate forever.
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1/22/2007 - V64 wrote:
Tasted at Vintage 64 Club 2007 AGM. Classic Grange once again. Ample spice, tobacco, oak and berry aromas. Intense, complex palate of spicy fruit and oak, long, great lingering finish.
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7/8/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 93 Points
Grange Offline (1990-1975) (Alba Restuarant London): Dark inky ruby, impenetrable. Very tight, nose screams sweet caramel and burnt nut toffee. Very big with lots of acidity, surprisingly low tannins, verly long toasty finish.
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7/7/2006 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 92 Points
Penfolds Grange Vertical Tasting (1990-1975) (Alba Restaurant, Whitecross Street, London): 95% shiraz, 5% cabernet from Kalimna, Barossa and McLaren Vale.
Leathery nose with very concentrated plummy fruit. Sweet fruit on the palate with a bite of concentration. Fairly big tannic structure.
92/100
Re-tasted around 10 p.m. It now has a more open nose with sweet blackberry fruit. The palate is pretty much the same, but the tannins are much reduced.
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8/2/2004 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - 1990 night (Lucio's, Paddington): Not quite 1990, and although we had one with us, after the 91 we really thought it would be wasted this early in its life. The 91 remains black in colour, and quite monolithic in its aromas – fine mocha oak dominates. The palate follows with coconut & tarry fruits, together with some chocolate/vanilla qualities. It’s very powerful – the tannins are fine-grained but build cumulatively. All parts of the palate are coated with flavour, and the finish is long and impressive – there are no balance problems here. Yet the wine is obstinately restrained – rather like a locomotive traveling at walking pace. At 13 years old, showing about a quarter of its potential I would say. Put it away with the 95 Latour and leave it for another 30 years.
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4/5/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 90 Points
Dark red. Meaty notes. Quite closed. This wine seems a touch sexier than the other reds (with the exception of wine# 9). But is the concentration there? Hmm. A nice finish though
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12/2/2002 - dbg wrote:
outstanding
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12/14/2001 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 96 Points
Tasted as unknown at Vintage Wines (from personal cellar of Eric Miller). Very impressive. Similar impression as Parker's 4/25/97 tasting.
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