Tasted six times earlier, first in 2013, the last time a year ago. At home, with Miso Sea Bass, roasted fennel and wilted spinach salad. Still garnet and opaque, with minimal brown edges. Immediate pronounced nose of sweet American oak, vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are still full-bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but very round. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's probably nearing the end of its plateau after 25 years. Two more bottles, which I'll consume over the next year before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s. Ric
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PNP Near opaque appearance, youthful ruby/purple rim.
Cool nose. Perfumed blue/black fruit, sandy spices, coal, new leather, mint, old books... some vapour but it feels fresh and pure... and elegant.
Full-bodied, pretty silky and svelte with a red frame and notes of sweet liquorice. There is a creamy silkiness, a sweetness, some toast and starting to show some development to the fruit. Elegant.
On return: Nose carries a sweetness to the leather, a little raisin perhaps? delicacy and lift.
Palate shows surprising elegance, it feels a little front-loaded and finesses quickly. There is concentration without feeling heavy, some salinity and savoury notes, a prettiness too - sweet candied liquorice, sweet fruit.
Later: Darker, more leather and spice to the nose, dried notes (still sweet though), whiff of alcohol, good purity and freshness. Dark flavours, red too, elegance persists.
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Drank at Hawksmoor in NYC. Up against 2017 Bryant (very good, but too young), 1968 Latour (wonderful, but fading a bit) ... this was the winner of the night ... easily. Awesome nose of blueberry, cassia and smoke. Impeccable balance. Long, juicy finish.
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Oak, darker cherry, currants, blackberry with some warm spices and liquorice. Touch of cedar, roses even cinnamon on lengthy finish. Acidic vibrancy giving it a surprisingly youthful feel.
Incredibly this was bottle number 000071
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Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Very high relative dose of American oak here, and the relatively cool quality of this wine makes the coconut jut out even more. The fruit doesn't feel underripe, but it doesn't have the weight and presence of the better iterations. Maybe sour is a good descriptor of the acidity here. This feels a little green in the context of the other wines. One of the underperformers tonight.
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Magnifique, une main de fer dans un gant de velours. Texture de soie, enveloppant, big, tout en restant civilise, noble, longueur interminable. Grande Bouteille
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Vanilla, cedarwood, dark currants, spice and cinnamon. Palate was youthful, ripe and dense. It is still few years away from its optimal drinking window.
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Tasted five times earlier, first in 2013, the last two times in the past nine months. At home, with grilled filet mignon and sautéed mushrooms. Ruby, with minimal brown edges, some translucency. Medium intensity nose of sweet American oak, vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are moderate- bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but soft and round. I think the fruit is slightly less than before. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's nearing the end of its plateau. Three more bottles, which I'll consume over the next two years before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s. Ric
Started a little overripe prune for 15 or so mins when we decanted it at 5, but then that blew off and the deep red fruit and cassis came out. This needed a couple hours to open up and then we got a ton of glycerin in the palate, but a fair bit of obvious acid, too. At various points Margaret did pick up a fair bit of blue fruit, too. Lovely in pieces, but just not the typical seamless Grange. A strong wine and one that we’re glad to have drunk, but we wouldn’t go get more. Probably at or just past peak, but again, there was a lot of beautiful fruit in the middle part of the wine.
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Tasted four times earlier, first in 2013. At home, with chateaubriand and sautéed wild mushrooms. Brick-ruby, with minimal brown edges, evolved since 2020. Immediate pronounced nose of sweet American oak vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are moderate-full bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but I think the fruit is slightly less than before. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's nearing the end of its plateau. Four more bottles, which I'll consume over the next two years before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s. Ric
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Kleur: Diep donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Diep en donker bouquet , beperkte expressiviteit en complexiteit. Wel aangenaam. Een restant van gedroogd fruit, kruidnageltjes. Beetje gronderig. Smaak / Afdronk: Een krachtpatser in balans, van de eerder geconstateerde branderigheid is geen sprake meer. Mondvullend en dik-sappig, korrelige tannines, stoer en krachtig. Geen spoor van vermoeidheid (geschonken uit Magnum). Lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Geproefd naast 1999 Penfolds Grange. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
Colour: Deep dark red. Aroma / bouquet: Deep and dark bouquet, limited expressiveness and complexity. Pleasant. A remnant of dried fruit, cloves. Bit earthy. Taste / Aftertaste: A powerhouse in balance, the previously noted burning is no longer the case. Mouth-filling and thick-juicy, grainy tannins, tough and powerful. No trace of fatigue (given from Magnum). Long finish. Overall / potential: Tasted next to 1999 Penfolds Grange. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 11 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / Potential: 8 = 91/100
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Tasted three times earlier, first in 2013. At home, with flank steak and sautéed wild mushrooms. Brick-ruby, with minimal brown edges, evolved since 2020. Immediate pronounced nose of sweet American oak vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are moderate-full bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but I think the fruit is slightly less than before. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's nearing the end of its plateau. Five more bottles, which I'll consume over the next two years before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s. Ric
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This note is from a quick tasting, shortly after opening, before our dinner guests arrived. Hopefully I’ll be able to append this later tonight.
Again, shortly after opening this was displaying expressive aromas of dark cassis, saddle leather, perhaps some hints of pipe tobacco and some subtle, slightly greenish, stemmy notes, all of which carried through to the deep, rich, penetrating, unctuous palate. There’s excellent depth and concentration along with noteworthy complexity and some earthy undertones. Even though the tannins appear to be fully integrated, to my tastes, this seems to be just a baby, with perhaps a decade or two or three ahead of it. Quite impressive.
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Deep garnet red. Lots of black cherry black pepper and some blueberry muffin one would think not more then 10 years old! Very complex perfectly balanced tannins and long melting finish.
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Halloween in the Vice Versa Cave: Port-like and stewed, the 1999 Grange is a much-advanced specimen. Prune, three-day-old coffee, tar, tobacco, Grandma’s vest-sweater, vanilla suntan lotion, and balsamic notes show immediately how ripe and over-developed this bottle is. It’s chewy and viscous, so if you’re into the whole experience of it all because of the pedigree here, then you’ll likely have a decent time of it all. For me, this is well worn at this point. Adjust score accordingly, considering this seems to have kicked freshness to the curb back in 2016. Drink 5 years ago.
Deep. Almost tawny in colour. Pronounced. Oak, vanilla, coffee, violets, black pepper and prunes. Dry, high acid. Medium black velvet tannins. On the palate, hints of coffee and black chocolate. Fantastically well integrated. Very long finish. Enjoy!
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medium burgundy red, medium clarity, slight ruby Nose: plum, blueberries, cassis, dark chocolate, tar, tobacco, leather, earth, bay leaf, juniper berries, iron, black pepper, vanilla, toasted oak Pal: plum, blueberries, cassis, dark chocolate, tar, tobacco, leather, silver, iron, earth, bay leaf, juniper berries, black pepper, vanilla, bark, minerals, cola, stem, tannins, toasted oak Feel: medium, tart, round Finish: long TC9 (T says could be an 8, cloying feel coming through after a decant?)
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Garnet, still almost completely opaque, just the slightest hint of brown at the edges. Pronounced, complex, typical Grange nose of shiraz fruit, sweet American oak vanilla, touch of raspberries. Very viscous. Still has plenty of fruit, full-bodied but very round and smooth. Very long aftertaste. Showed no signs of decline after 21 years, but time to drink over the next few years. Ric
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I haven't had this vintage Grange for a years and decided to open one up with a couple of friends who also brought some great wines.
Decanted an hour before trying it. Youthful was the first impression I got on appearance and taste. I don't think the color has changed from the previous bottle - not mega purple, but a very deep crimson color with no bricking. Aromas of mostly crushed fruit - cherries, plums, blackberries - with forest floor, a bit of eucalyptus, and charcuterie. Palate was velvety, rich, still tannic, and plenty of acid to balance the fruit. This still has years ahead of it for my taste.
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After the hype and all the years of cellaring, I was hoping that this might be one of my all-time favorite bottles, so I was a little disappointed (but financially relieved for the future) that I thought that this was merely a very good wine. Medium body, modest sediment, flavors of oak, vanilla, raspberry. Smooth, but not particularly exciting. For the money I'd much rather have 2 or 3 bottles of Realm, Schrader, Saxum, or Two Hands Ares.
This was cloying and primary compared to the other five vintages, not entirely surprising as the youngest wine served. If I were to serve this anytime soon, would decant for a few hours. It's really big, and somewhat jammy at this stage.
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Garnet, still almost completely opaque, just the slightest hint of brown at the edges. Pronounced, complex, typical Grange nose of shiraz fruit, sweet American oak vanilla, touch of raspberries. Very viscous. Still has plenty of fruit, full-bodied but very round and smooth. Very long aftertaste. The tannins seemed more prominent after several hours, suggesting it may be near the end of its peak and should be consumed short term. I'll try another in a few months. Ric
Corked... But couldn't pour down drain until I tried the saran wrap in the decanter trick.. Left in for 30 minutes, checking nose every 5 minutes. At 30 couldn't detect musty nose. Turned out to be enjoyable albeit not up to normal grange standards...
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This stood out as the ugly duckling in this blind tasting. Unblinded, this would go great with a grilled ribeye. However, blinded and up against world class old world wines it got trashed by the group. Color was black as pitch, plenty of oak, coconut, vanilla, sweet blueberry jam and too sweet for my palate. Would go great on pancakes the next morning. Blind tastings can be harsh on reality.
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Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: A nice sweet perfume seduces you from the beginning with this bottle of '99. It's the '98 without the overt power. Very easy drinking right now.
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Definitely the greatest wine that I have ever tasted. And the 100 score also reflects that I opened this on my 50th birthday and paired it with an amazing tomahawk steak dinner, possibly the greatest meal that I have ever cooked. If that doesn’t equal a perfect score then I don’t know what does.
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See notes below. This is getting more Australian as it gets older. Real Shiraz ( slightly madeirised) with plenty of stuffing. Mouth drying tannic finish surprised me. Hope it doesn't fall apart now it is in its 3rd decade
Nice dark smooth rich red fruits with menthol quality. Dense and pure. Very good yet still comes across rather young, likely develops more spice and nuance with yet more time.
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I really don’t think wine can get much better for me. Drunk with a superb sirloin with friends and family in Hawksmoor Air Street. Incredible menthol, eucalyptus and cedar on the nose. Such finesse on the palate. The tannins were silky and the luscious plums, cherries and the slightest touch of light spice. I would put this in my top 3 wine experiences without doubt. Sublime wine making.
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Wow! Decanted for 2h at 1862. This delivered in every respect, just a fantastic aroma and heft. Still in its prime. At a large gathering, no detailed notes. With grilled veal chop.
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Surprised at how youthful this is. Or should I? Drinking well. Blackberry and pepper and a hint of bacon fat pretty much surrounds this rather voluptuous wine. Full bodied monster. Very classic Shiraz from the land down under. Super glad I did not choose to open up anything from voluptas, is this wine would have crushed it rather easily at almost 20 years of age. A very impressive wine with Incredible depth. Has another 20 years left in it without a doubt. Glad I got to try this!
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Excellent. Well worth the cellaring for all those years. Tannins all smoothed out. A wonderful wine shared with my Swiss resident family who were in Australia on holidays. Magnificent said my relatives.
Very sedamented, decanted 4 hours prior, no doubting the pedigree, mouth filling, long after taste. Very smooth. We consumed with bbq’d pigeon breast, then a selection of cheese. Unforgettable. Definitely drinking well.
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Very good, but not that impressed with this vintage; medium fruit, paired with A5 Wagyu. "cola, root beer and coconut, firm acidity". Providence with M-Pole crowd.
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My, my. Have had the honor of enjoying Penfolds, but, seldom the Grange. This wine is stellar and ready to rumble. Moderate rim variation. Dark, dark ruby garnet color in the glass. No flaws. Mild to moderate sediment. Stunning nose. At a loss for words. Very earthy and dirty for sure. Very old world. Dark florals and fruits on the nose and in the mouth. Low tannin. Low acid. Long finish. Medium alcohol. This wine in my humble opinion is at peak, and, so, so ready to drink. Paired perfectly with grilled filet mignon.
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Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): I have been lucky enough to have this at least half a dozen times over the years and this was easily the best yet. In fact, this is still drinking young and continued to improve in the glass with the last sip being the best. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is deep showing a bit of maturity and a lot of fruit. Black raspberries, slight black pepper, floral notes and a slight gamey meat note. On the palate, this is clean with great black raspberry fruit, some pepper notes. Great acidity and balance. Light tannins. Long finish. Went great with some chocolate desserts. Always a treat.
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Still a puppy. Extracted cork was like new. Dark, impenetrable colour. Rich, plush, seamless, well-polished dark fruit with good lift and will integrated tannins. Big mouth feel but not tiring. Many years ahead of it
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My first bottle of this since the 1991 I had in law school. First notes were of mint and black currant. Finish went on for 45 seconds. Mint notes continued throughout. Excellent bottle, but I can see how this vintage isn't quite to the classic level. Can only imagine what those vintages would be like.
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A friends anniversary celebration (Bern's Steakhouse): I'm partial to Granges. We'd thought about the 1992 HOG, but since they were out of that ended up with this Aussie treasure instead. After a meal of old world it's not unclear that we've changed sides although sometimes I find that a wine can feel a bit too extracted or really suffer from the comparison and that's not the case with this wine. The stuffing and quality are very clearly there. Much more fruits, herbs, spices, violets... This wine is packed full. We decanted for maybe an hour or two before serving, but really it needed many more hours. This and the La Ladonne were wines where the best sip was the last. Continued to evolve in the glass. At one point there was a bit more alcohol coming through, but that blew off with some time as well. Great wine. Much too young.
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Ending a weekend Anniversary celebration with some Cellar Tracker buddies: It is what it is. This was way too young, but still a terrific drink. There is rich glycerin, black & blue fruit, and an impression of sweet, oaky vanilla. On the palate there is the promise of better things ahead, with lots of menthol and licorice, with tannin already integrating. I hope to try one in 20 years.
Masters of Syrah (Sixteen Restaurant, Chicago): My least favorite in the Grange flight. Good on an absolute basis, but relative to 90/96 came across as more simple and less intense. Full nose has rich black fruit and American oak. The palate follows suit with rich black fruit, loads of American oak and spice. Fruit tends towards creamy, but it's still well-balanced. I'd guess this has upside as it matures and sheds some baby fat.
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Masters of Syrah (Chicago, IL): The obvious runt of the litter. To be sure, this was very young, but I thought it showed too much greenness for the ripeness levels here. Especially compared to the 1990 and 1996, this is a very racy Grange, but it also doesn't seem to be as well integrated, and is definitely missing that explosive perfume. The oak here isn't as prominent either -- all in all, this clearly felt like a lesser, thinner wine and was very much outmatched by its older peers.
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Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose was extremely deep and rich with a largeness that filled the glass with black cherries, black raspberries, spice tones, menthol, vanilla, herbs, and some eucalyptus.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins have a chewiness to them with the feel showing loads of depth and complexity along with black cherries, raspberries, vanilla, menthol notes, herbs, and eucalyptus.
Overall: This was fantastic and quite young at the same time. This was one of the stars on the night and easily the best of the Granges that were within the last twenty years. That said, as gorgeous as it is now, it feels like it can kick it up another notch or two with some time.
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Great wine. Enjoyed at Dos Brisas with Alejandra. Improved nicely over about 1.5 hours in decanter and glass. Very typical Grange; perhaps not as expressive as some vintages, but very enjoyable overall. Nose of dark fruit, cola, candied fruit and spice. Full mouth feel and reasonable finish.
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Drank along side a Hill of Grace 2001. This clearly needs more time. Even after 6 hours in the decanter it never really changed or opened up from a rather dull lifeless wine. Whilst not off, and at the risk of offending the generosity of the friend that opened it, the question of whether I am being a dick and 'Brett' band-aid/antispectic came about. Let this one sleep for another 3-5 years and try again then, I am optimistic I would be then forced to rate much higher. Structure is there to develop. Nevertheless there is something quite special about sitting back drinking a 17 year old Grange.
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A Few Wines with BBQ (Bannockburn, IL): Lots of black fruit and spice, but also lots of pronounced new oak. Much better with food than on its own, I like the potential here, but don't think it a particularly great vintage for Grange.
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Had it the same night as Ricky below and found the v same experience. Half way through the case so will continue drinking one bottle a year. Saying good bye to my biggest wine friend we were v lucky to tryalongside a Latour 90 and I thought the Latour would blow this away...it didn't
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Decanted 2 hours. Nose was very strong, blackberry, vanilla, very fruit forward. Mouthfeel is quite creamy and silky. Flavors vanilla, black fruit, raspberry and oak. Weight medium plus, acid low. A Little cigar ash nose comes out after a while. Great wine, but very forward.
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Dinner at home with the Correas, Stocks & Ann (At home): Beautiful wine. Stunning nose, like suddenly stepping into an old oak paneled room, with fireplace burning. On the palate, a rich interplay of gorgeous fruit and mature wood. Delicious
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Wine showing very well. Fruit imparts a sweet sensation on the palate, with perfectly integrated tannins. Long finish. Acid is strong and balanced. PDQ94+
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A lot of wines (Raj's Birthday); 9/25/2015-9/26/2015 (Cleveland Heights): Great showing as this wine starts to show hints at maturity. Not there yet, but getting closer. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is great with black raspberries, slight roasted meats, slight floral notes, black pepper and slight herbal note. On the palate, great texture. Starting to show layers of black raspberries, roasted meats and charred earth. Great balance. Best showing yet for this vintage. Good bottle or coming around?
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Fantastic! We realized this was a bit too early for this but could not resist for a special weekend. Tasted 4 separate times over 24 hours and it just got better and better. With plenty of air, this is close to perfect. Everything in its place and the oak is the real treat for us. Wish the price would not continue to rise as this is a real beauty. There are other wines that are very good ( maybe not this good) for a fraction of the price!
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Tasted blind; double-decanted over the course of a day. Dark red in the center, light glowing red at the edges. Distant coffee and rubber with an unusual fresh beignet note dominating on the nose. Hyper-concentrated notes of cherry, spices, and clove.
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2 hour decant. Rich. Exotic. Remarkable concentration. Fruit driven - blue and blackberries - although secondary leathery elements too. Prominent oak but the wine is not dry at all and the wine manages and suits it. Blind I might have guessed very high end Spanish. No way this tastes like a 16 year old bottle that has been stored in a natural cellar. So young and alive.
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Dark garnet Mushroom, soy sauce, boysenberry,dusty cherry, a light toasted oak, hint of raspberry all nose. Finish is so good. 20 plus second finish. Big silky mouth feel. Nose is massive. Delicious. Extremely well balanced wine. Still very young. Mix of blue berry, and raspberry flavors. If you are 2 people drinking this I highly recommend a short decant and then taste the amazing transitions. Weight is medium plus. Tannins are still strong in this one, but timing might be just right. 1.5 hours in. Flavors are black currant, toasted almonds, wood flavors. Creamy cheese or fresh dairy nose. 3 transition, great flavors and nose. Excellent wine. One of the best I have had this year!
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Dusty and dirty on the nose with a heavy dose of dill and vanilla. Has that meaty syrah note. On the palate this wine seems to be a little tight. Perhaps needs more time, even though it's 16 years old. Dark fruits and a metric f*&# ton of American oak.
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A ringer thrown into a high end blind Rhone tasting. Immediately called Australia with the nose. Big, sweet, fruity. Nice complexity though and it evolved nicely. Palate was smooth, silky, interesting, with good complexity. Oak was nicely integrated with the big fruit but still obvious. Longggg finish. Very nice.
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DRC Tasting Group: Rhone Night (Wild Ginger, Seattle, WA): Tasted blind. Dark, dense and intense nose. Fleshy, jammy, rich and unctuous body. Definite wood influence. Big fruit, filled with sweet, dark black berries and wild plum. Earthy, spicy tannins and nice length to finish.
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Decanted 2+ hours. It needed it. Better with every minute in the glass. Dark deep colour, port like nose. Very good wine. Drink now (with air) or drink during the next 10 years. 95 pts
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whats going on with penfolds grange? whats going on with Robert Parker? His Rating is a shame for this wine
Such a dreaming nose--floral sense--so much fruit inside-- Tannins are soften, but still in the right place----but today very silky--a cashmere Feeling-- a wine cannot be better than this Beauty
if you are single--buy a bottle of this beauty--and you are married in 1 year --unbelievable--
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I don't have much experience with drinking Grange, but this was a nice wine. Decanted and let sit for about 45 minutes in decanter. The most striking feature was this wine did not taste like Shiraz, but had a more merlot quality to it. Tannins have softened quite a bit, but the fruit was still quite present. This has many years left in the bottle to lay down. The only drawback was a bit medicinal in aftertaste. Otherwise, this was good wine complimenting the good food. Great experience.
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Dark red-purple color. Highly aromatic, port-y, with sun-scorched fresh prune skin nose, grape jam, vanilla, eucalyptus, celery root. On arrival, a huge structure, very firm tannin and low acidity. Tiring to taste. Too much American oak, too much overrripe pulp and burned skins pressed far too hard. A very high intensity sip, following which I'm not interested in having another. Stylistically it's something I've ever enjoyed, as with most Amarone and Late Harvest Zinfandels have held so little charm for me. Not a flawed wine but a wine of excess.
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Barolos ( and few more) (Chris's): This got about an hour of breathing. Inky purple in color. The nose has graphite, black raspberries and a diesel-type quality. Very nice. Nice acidity and lots of fruit; black raspberries. Light tannins with a slight minty note. Long finish.
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Double decanted 6 hours before. Deep; initially baked fruit on nose, this unfurls majestically; first up a burly feel it unwinds to show polish & tremendous depth. Much too young, this has tremendous potential.
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Not decanted. Ash, blackberry, cola fizz, mint, gravel, burnt rubber and petrol notes. Constantly changing. Super long finish. Concentrated and silky smooth. An elegant Shiraz. Olive paste with graphite and salty like finish that lingers. Polished and complex. A regal wine. Me 96pts/Costa 97Pts/Ed 98pts.
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Although I gave high scores to the few other vintages of Grange I've had before I was never totally convinced. Here, in comparison to other great Syrahs of similar age it shone. Deep ruby colored, almost purple. Youthful but expressive with a nose that offers ripe polished fruit together with notes of eukalyptus, iodine and chocolate. On the palate it has weight but it's not massive. It has perfect poise with high acidity and tasty tannins. Velvety and long. It is an aussie wine and aromatically it shows. Can be drunk now with pleasure but it will develop further and keep for decades.
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Drank with Stefanos and John over the former's birthday lunch. Tasted blind alongside the Chateau de la Negly La Porte du Ciel from the same vintage, this was remarkably fresher, more youthful and (dare I say) more elegant and light on its feet. Stereotypes about old vs. new world styles collapse sometimes, especially when the wines are tasted blind. Dark ruby, impressively youthful color. Amazimg nose of blueberry, eucalyptus, camphor, chocolate, coffee and spices with noticeable but perfectly integrated American oak character. I guessed Barossa shiraz and John noticed the presence of American oak, so combining these 2 observations we concluded Grange. What was hard to identify was the vintage, since this seemed much more youthful. On the palate it is still lighter than the Negly with firmer tannins, more vibrant fruit and higher acidity. Alcohol level is nominally equal to that of the Chateau de la Negly (14.5%) but by far less noticeable here. Very long aftertaste. More food friendly than the Negly. Drinking nicely now but will continue improving for many years. This is considered an average vintage for Grange, but it was the second time I came across it and found it fantastic on both occasions.
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Straight from the bottle, very tannic. Double decanted and left to air for 2 hours. Very dark core with just the slightest tinge of brown on the edge. The decanting softened the tannins sufficiently to make it approachable. Sweet, ripe, plummy fruit. Prune, date and fig follow but it still tastes very fresh. Later, blackberry and blackcurrant also show when the acidity kicks in. Coffee and sweet spices also make an appearance. Great length with a spice/fig flavor that won't quit. Powerful wine with plenty of life left in it. Maybe a young adult. Beautifully balanced and very complex with many nuances of flavor. A truly great wine and a privilege to drink. Outstanding.
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Decanted for 3 hours. The bottle threw a lot of sediment. The nose was a bit port like, with vibrant dark fruit, mostly blackberries. Medium bodied, quite youthful and port like, delivering vibrant black berries with smooth tannins and some hints of medicinal notes. Firm acidity and nice long finish. Not very complex or interesting though. A solid and good wine by all means, but given the reputation and price I had expected more.
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On the nose a somewhat disturbing whiff of plastic/Bakelite indicating heat… Secondary aromas of damp cellar and perhaps a slight touch of cork (?), and mature dark fruit profile, vanilla & wet oak. Soft and long with mature fruit, primarily cherries, and mature and soft fine grained tannins. A touch of US oak vanilla present on the finish. Really good Aussie Syrah, but with my somewhat limited experience of Grange I must say that I prefer the 1997 Grange over this, as I believe that the 97 was finer, and that this vintage might have peaked? Still, nice, so 94 points for tonight.
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Took to a 60th birthday party of one of our wine group members, so had some stiff competition, including a 01 William Cole, 06 Dunn HM, 97 Montelena and an 04 Bachus. The only one, IMHO, that gave it a run was the Bachus. The Grange has amazing black cherry and cinnamon on the nose, with a long, vanilla-tinged expression on the palate. This was my first bottle of Grange. Although some (including Parker) indicated this was an off year, we found it imminently enjoyable.
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Dark garnet-purple, still completely opaque. Pronounced aroma of blackberry with some anise and sweet American oak. Medium-full body, very well balanced. Concentrated flavors, also black fruit with some licorice and oak. Tannins and alcohol noticeable but not obtrusive. Very long aftertaste with American oak and black fruits. This wine will last more years but is very drinkable now. It may soften more and gain more complexity, but no need to wait. Ric
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94-95: just starting to show some maturity; full-bodied, dense, fruit driven with the classic woody nuances that make this wine so special. It followed the Sine Qua Non Poker Face and held up nicely. Beautiful bottle, might be a touch short on the finish compared to other vintages. Excellent.
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had for birthday - unfortunately did not take notes - very nice bottle of wine. 93+ needed a longer decant. [edit] I pulled my rating given lack of notes. My wife loved this and so did I but I can't effectively rate. It was easily a 93 but I'm not giving the wine justice - it was very tight (even after dobule decanting and serving 3 hours later) and young.
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An absolutely gorgeous Penfold's Grange. Paired this at my son's birthday dinner at inovasi. Chef John de Rosiers paired some amazing duck with this vintage. This wine is still very youthful - probably could still cellar for 10-15 more years. I did detect some oak on the initial palate, yet overall good balance of spice, pepper, oak, vanilla, and hints of berries. This is an epic wine.
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CT Wisconsin Offline 2; 10/5/2012-10/6/2012 (Madison, WI): Beautiful deep crimson color. An exceptionally ripe style, smoothed and softened by the nice Grange wood treatment. Silky palate, smooth tannins, medium depth of fruit fading beneath searing heat through the finish. Still showing Grange class and a treat to drink.
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OUTSTANDING. While this was not a style I would pick, the winemaking here is exquisite. The wine is well balance, structured and simply well made. Deserves consideration as an outstanding vintage and wine.
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Grabbed the wrong vintage of this from the cellar as I intended to leave this for a few years. Never mind. Dark, youthful appearance. High-toned nose which reminded me of a top rioja. Glossy oak, furniture polish, dark fruit. On the palate, a beautify smooth rich texture and quite austere but very fine fruit beneath. This was young but approachable. I enjoyed it despite the infanticide.
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Wow this was a disappointment. I think it was quite unbalanced on the palate and really didn't offer the intriguing nose that I usually find in the Grange. My las bottle and hopefully for the rest of you it was a bad one.
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Dinner with Tim Kirk: I last tasted this 6 years ago and thought it needed 15 years from then, well I might need to push that back again considering how youthfully this is showing. Vanilla, blueberry, spice and plenty of cedar oak. Oak is also showing through on the palate at the moment, but there is excellent fruit sitting just behind it. Plenty of potential given enough time.
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CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): Very minty on the nose almost peppermint like. Flavors of minty dark fruit, cedar and a tobacco component. DISCLAIMER: Others said this was possibly corked, but I didn't sense anything wrong. Let the debate begin... 93 pts.
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Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose is off, just not right or as expected. Corked maybe? Maybe some berries on the palate? This bottle is off therefore no rating.
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Deep ruby beginning to turn brick at the edges, medium, uneven legs. Lots of mint and eucalyptus on the nose, which carry through to the palate, full-bodied, big, Australian Shiraz characteristics, followed by sweet black fruit, some tannic dustineess, and a smooth, long finish. Real class, even if not (apparently) one of the great Grange vintages. In a different class from the 2000 Hermitage La Chapelle we drank beforehand.
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A private lunch (at home): Very aromatic, immense structure, tremendous power and concentration, very impressive, needs a lot of time still. Drink 2014 - 2029.
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Minneapolis Wine Club: High End Aussie Wines & Bordeaux: A really nice wine and decanted 2 hours prior to sampling. Fine sediment filtered out. Dark purple. Not an in your face Aussie Shiraz with blueberries, pepper, Asian spices and blackberries on the nose. The palate is showing medium tannins and this is an elegant wine in general. Sampled right next to the Greenock Creek Apricot Block which was much more intense. The Grange had a long and multi-layered finish. I don't see this wine being a 20 plus year cellar selection and enjoyed it right now. Well done. 94+
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Minneapolis Wine Club Does Highly Rated Aussies and some Bordeaux to boot ("Jan's Pseudo-place"): Purple color. Incredibly expressive and complex nose that evolved over the night. Nose shows floral, herbs with some eucalyptus, blackberry liquer, blueberry, evolving to to lose the eucalyptus, while still showing lighter herbal elements, earth emerges, sweet black fruits. The palate is deep and layered, but shows an elegance found in great wines. This is incredibly well balanced with layers of fruit balanced by velvety tannins and an fantastic 60++ second finish. My WOTN for its overall complexity and elegance. 95-96pts.
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Incredibly youthful with loads of fruit and oak. There’s vanilla and coconut from the wood and blackberries and sweet plum notes from the fruit. It has a little muskiness and floral complexity. It is very dense and concentrated and at least 15 years away from peak drinking.
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This was remarkable. I was reluctant to open it based on observations several months ago that the wine may have closed down. It has not. It is big and impressive from nose to palate to the 60-second-plus finish. This was quite an experience.
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Decanted about 3 hours. Rich nose of smoky pomegranate. Get a fair amount of oak on the nose. Seems very closed down right now. Tight tannins. Smoky, prunish blackberry flavors. A long finish of herby fruit. This just didn't deliver what I thought it would. Seems shut down.
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Wine Salon - November 2009 (Australia) (Chez Jahnke): Another disappointment. Dark, tannic, plum and blackberry fruit. Pretty oaky, and it may have great potential, but tonight, this wasn't even close to my top wines.
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WFA 2009 Grange Vertical Tasting: Seemingly shut some fruits with dark red fruits but elegance. Slightly alcoholic but tannin was mouth coating thick. More mauscline as compared to earlier. Lots of fruits on the palate with hard velvet tannins. Probably need another 5 years before becoming approachable.
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Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): Like the 1998, this shows youthful vigor and stength. Bittersweet chocolate, cassis and blueberry. For all its size, this does not seem out of balance, just young. The rich texture and lively structure hints at a good future.
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Was SO excited about this. I have a vertical and have never had it so it was perfect for OTBN. The nose was one of the greatest ever. Sensational. I just kept smelling it. We all agreed. Unreal. Floral and fruity and structured and pure. Could have mistaken it for a First Growth Bordeaux. Wheels kind of fell off the bus on the palate. Don't get me wrong - it was great. But it was kind of big and reminded me of typical Aussie Shiraz. Now, to be fair, we were all a little lit and there was a lot going on and I will try it again and it was really good.
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There is nothing like a Grange! That unique blueberry/blackberry nose, with the same berries on the palate, along with gobs of tar and sweetness. Great wine! This one was heavier on the tarry flavors than some other vintages, such as the 1990. I have had well-stored bottles of the '66 that I thought were of recent vintage; I suspect the '99 will live nearly forever.
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Drank at Charlie Palmer Steak in DC. This is simply a wonderful wine that went perfectly with really good steak. Amazing nose. Dark, rich and concentrated with flavors of berries, earth, spices. Very long finish. I am going to try and hold my other bottle for a couple of years more, but the temptation is to open it right now.
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Freakishly good. This wine was full bodied, soft smooth silky in tannins with big powerful finish. It was integrated velvety smooth. Just a wonderful wine with a gorgeous nose of spice. It is a great Shiraz.
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Penfolds is a great wine. The history goes back longer than one thinks and it started with a vine in 1845. Penfolds takes its name from an English gentleman, Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold, who emigrated to Australia in the 19th Century. Like many of his time, Penfold held a belief in the medicinal qualities of wine, and his baggage included a collection of vine cuttings sourced from the south of France. In 1845 he and his wife, Mary, built a small stone cottage at Magill, near Adelaide, around which he planted his cuttings. This cottage was called...The Grange. This is where the legend began. Tonight i got back to Boston from HK and I hit a nice hotel and rdered two bottles of wine prior to bed and getting up to go back home in the AM. The 1999 Grange was my first bottle. The history of Penfolds was from 1845 to 1950 a wine that was fortified for close to 100 yrs. Then the family decided to hire a stud named Max Schubert and his life goal was to get out of fortified low end to the high end table wine. He felt the vines could hack the change. In 1951 he made a table wine based upon Shiraz and the family hated the wine. Thank God Max knew he had something. The 1951 is based upon what has become Grange in concept. I have been fortunate to taste that very table wine several times and own some bought in the 1970's. Max went on to make Grange for many yrs with out the owner family even knowing it. After about 5 Vintages they knew Max was up to something otherworldly. Grange officially hit the world stage commercially with the 1957 vintage released in 1960. As the initial vintages aged, however, their true value came to be appreciated, and in 1960 the management instructed Schubert to re-start production, oblivious to the fact that Schubert had not missed a vintage. The great 1955 vintage was submitted to competitions beginning in 1962 and over the years has won more than 50 gold medals. The vintage of 1971 won first prize in Shiraz at the Wine Olympics in Paris. The 1990 vintage was named 'Red Wine of the Year' by the Wine Spectator magazine in 1995, which later rated the 1998 vintage 99 points out of a possible 100.
Prior to 1997 the wine was made form many terroirs and called Grange Hermitage or Bin 95 for the old timers. In 1999, the wine was 100% Shiraz from the Barossa valley district for the first time. This is a historic Penfolds Grange. Moreover, it is the first Grange since 1963 to be 100% Shiraz (not all Barossa district however). Most vintages contain a small percentage of Cabernet. This wine is sublime and must be experienced to be believed.
The color was deepest purple and the nose is infreakingcredible. It is one of the greatest shiraz ever in my view. It is so complex that in blind tasting since its US release I have never nailed it in blind tasting with first growth Bdx. The aroma you get right off the bat is massive berry fruit of blue and raspberry with cherry anise and wet clay with tar. The wine's mid palate can compete with any great French wine. It is here where the Penfolds complexity comes in full force. I get herbs cedar and beautifully integrated oak with cherry cassis berry and licorice. It does not end there. The coda is massive. This is a wine you can never get enough of. the ending begins with fine leathers spice box cigar cedar vanilla and plummy candied fruit. The wine is massive and magnificient in construction.
This wine is one you must own. It is a wine to love and experience. My only regret is when it is all gone. I saved a glass to savor for tommorrow. This wine has decades to go and gain further complexity. It is one of the great shiraz's ever. Rating 99 and it will go higher. I like the 99 Vintage the best over the 98 which got a 99 rating. Try it...............my bet is you'll you die for this wine.
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Penfolds Tasting - St Regis: Grange Vertical tasting (82, 86, 90, 94, 95, 99, 00, 01 & 02). Worked my way from the 82 to the 02 with sniffing and drinking. Then when back through all the wines.
Powerful and perfumed on the nose with copious dark fruits. A mixture of rich black raspberry, chocolate and black licorice on the nose. Nose is very intoxicating, I keep going back to sniff this wine. Such a big wine. Very powerful, dense and balanced on the palette. This Grange lacks the extra oomph. So far this and 95 are at the bottom of my list. This wine is reminiscent of a simpler version of the 1990 Grange. 92.
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Nose of blueberry, violet, and port like liquor. This wine is WAY over the top, and the disparate elements are a long way from coming together, if they ever will. Not a lot of acidity or freshness here. Some leather coming on after a couple of hours decant. In the end it has some powerful components, but is too cartoonish at this point to be considered a great wine. Could well be a bad bottle, since others have clearly felt differently. Will try again in a few years.
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Opened with Hill of Grace 1998. Both are really amazing. Good concentration, great definition, powerful. Again very complex. Quite chalky and dry. But there is great depth and structure.
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Restrained with some Cabernet character. Really tight with more red fruits and a nice mineral undercurrent. Medium-bodied and structured to last. A more patrician, refined example of Aussie Shiraz.
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Dark maroon color. mammoth nose, that was absolutely amazing. Full of pepper, spice and dark red fruits. The palate, at this time, does not match that nose, butis still quite amazing. A long finish reminds you that you're drinking a special wine. Very nice, and I'd like to try again in a few years... 93-94
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initially when I opened this it overwhelmed the lamb we had. But after a little time in the glass it started to work its magic. Inky, purple color with notes of cassis and a little spice.
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This bottle was young but still well worth it! It really needs a few more years to peak. The most complex smooth wine I have ever had. This was a gift and had to drink it now. Wish I had a couple more bottles!
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Wine was decanted for 1 hour priour and consumed over an hour.
Inky Dark purple red and very inviting, Nose of field fruits: Blackberries, raspberries, also some cassis and spices. This was mouth coating with a nice glycerin feel. The tannins had a nice texture, well balance acidity and nice retro of fruit with a nice long long long finish.
This wine is still very young, but it was opened for a good reason and shared with the family. I would sill give it 3-4 more years,
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Australian Icons Shiraz tasting & dinner (Marche Bacchus): This wine was, unfortunately, closed on the nose, faintly floral and a little brown sugar from the oak. It had very fine but shy fruit and oak flavors. Despite the long decanting in advance of the tasting, this wine is just not ready. I'll love to give it another chance in five to ten years. Little doubt this wine will be much greater, but tonight it was, for me, scored at 91, my #6 of six (but the group voted it #3).
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1999 Barossa Shirazathon (Sydney, Australia): Closed, closed, closed initially. Was allowed to sit in the glass for a few hours and started to open a little and show a bit more of that typical Grange nose. Elegant, smooth, balanced and structurally complete palate with lovely mouth-feel. Really shows that elusive spark of something special over the other wines so far. In my notes I underlined twice "Come back in 15 years" when I think it'll be spectacular.
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Wine Education Service - Penfolds: Deep red, youthful looking. Such a complex fruity nose. Blackberries in the attack, perfect balance, will be perfect drinking through to the 2030s.
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Wine Icons tasting with Sarah Ahmed/Oddbins Fine Wine (Alba Restaurant, London): [Fermented in stainless steel vats then aged for 17 mths in new American oak] Deep black/purple core, tiny purple rim. Intense, complex nose with notes of leather, farmyard, cassis, griotte cherries, violets, smoky vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus. On the palate, a powerful fruit flavour with ripe, rich and mouthcoating tannins. High acidity and alcohol, but well balanced. Further notes of mint, concentrated plum and blackcurrant. Very focussed, Excellent. Clear wine of the tasting.
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Dense ruby colour. Intense aromas of mint, blackberry liqueur, espresso, bitter chocolate and cookie dough. Full, ripe, and dry palate; very well-balanced with structured tannins and a long fruit and oak driven finish. 14.5% alc/vol 5/5
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3/27/2024 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 97 Points
Tasted six times earlier, first in 2013, the last time a year ago. At home, with Miso Sea Bass, roasted fennel and wilted spinach salad. Still garnet and opaque, with minimal brown edges. Immediate pronounced nose of sweet American oak, vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are still full-bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but very round. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's probably nearing the end of its plateau after 25 years. Two more bottles, which I'll consume over the next year before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s.
Ric
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3/6/2024 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 92 Points
PNP
Near opaque appearance, youthful ruby/purple rim.
Cool nose. Perfumed blue/black fruit, sandy spices, coal, new leather, mint, old books... some vapour but it feels fresh and pure... and elegant.
Full-bodied, pretty silky and svelte with a red frame and notes of sweet liquorice. There is a creamy silkiness, a sweetness, some toast and starting to show some development to the fruit. Elegant.
On return:
Nose carries a sweetness to the leather, a little raisin perhaps? delicacy and lift.
Palate shows surprising elegance, it feels a little front-loaded and finesses quickly. There is concentration without feeling heavy, some salinity and savoury notes, a prettiness too - sweet candied liquorice, sweet fruit.
Later:
Darker, more leather and spice to the nose, dried notes (still sweet though), whiff of alcohol, good purity and freshness. Dark flavours, red too, elegance persists.
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1/22/2024 - ipp Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Hawksmoor in NYC. Up against 2017 Bryant (very good, but too young), 1968 Latour (wonderful, but fading a bit) ... this was the winner of the night ... easily.
Awesome nose of blueberry, cassia and smoke. Impeccable balance. Long, juicy finish.
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12/2/2023 - Tangeray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still vibrant and lively.
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10/5/2023 - remyworldpeace Likes this wine: 94 Points
Oak, darker cherry, currants, blackberry with some warm spices and liquorice. Touch of cedar, roses even cinnamon on lengthy finish. Acidic vibrancy giving it a surprisingly youthful feel.
Incredibly this was bottle number 000071
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9/28/2023 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Very high relative dose of American oak here, and the relatively cool quality of this wine makes the coconut jut out even more. The fruit doesn't feel underripe, but it doesn't have the weight and presence of the better iterations. Maybe sour is a good descriptor of the acidity here. This feels a little green in the context of the other wines. One of the underperformers tonight.
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8/18/2023 - LeSow wrote: 98 Points
WA
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7/29/2023 - benjamin96 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Magnifique, une main de fer dans un gant de velours. Texture de soie, enveloppant, big, tout en restant civilise, noble, longueur interminable. Grande Bouteille
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6/2/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Vanilla, cedarwood, dark currants, spice and cinnamon. Palate was youthful, ripe and dense. It is still few years away from its optimal drinking window.
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3/24/2023 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted five times earlier, first in 2013, the last two times in the past nine months. At home, with grilled filet mignon and sautéed mushrooms. Ruby, with minimal brown edges, some translucency. Medium intensity nose of sweet American oak, vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are moderate- bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but soft and round. I think the fruit is slightly less than before. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's nearing the end of its plateau. Three more bottles, which I'll consume over the next two years before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s.
Ric
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1/8/2023 - The Andrews wrote: 94 Points
Started a little overripe prune for 15 or so mins when we decanted it at 5, but then that blew off and the deep red fruit and cassis came out. This needed a couple hours to open up and then we got a ton of glycerin in the palate, but a fair bit of obvious acid, too. At various points Margaret did pick up a fair bit of blue fruit, too. Lovely in pieces, but just not the typical seamless Grange. A strong wine and one that we’re glad to have drunk, but we wouldn’t go get more. Probably at or just past peak, but again, there was a lot of beautiful fruit in the middle part of the wine.
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12/28/2022 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted four times earlier, first in 2013. At home, with chateaubriand and sautéed wild mushrooms. Brick-ruby, with minimal brown edges, evolved since 2020. Immediate pronounced nose of sweet American oak vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are moderate-full bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but I think the fruit is slightly less than before. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's nearing the end of its plateau. Four more bottles, which I'll consume over the next two years before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s.
Ric
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12/10/2022 - Eric wrote:
ESTG Year-End Tasting (Newcastle, WA): The most approachable of the quartet of 89, 98, 99 and 01, this was tarry and pleasurable.
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9/17/2022 - guy12 Likes this wine:
.
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9/16/2022 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 91 Points
Kleur: Diep donkerrood. Aroma / bouquet: Diep en donker bouquet , beperkte expressiviteit en complexiteit. Wel aangenaam. Een restant van gedroogd fruit, kruidnageltjes. Beetje gronderig. Smaak / Afdronk: Een krachtpatser in balans, van de eerder geconstateerde branderigheid is geen sprake meer. Mondvullend en dik-sappig, korrelige tannines, stoer en krachtig. Geen spoor van vermoeidheid (geschonken uit Magnum). Lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Geproefd naast 1999 Penfolds Grange. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
Colour: Deep dark red. Aroma / bouquet: Deep and dark bouquet, limited expressiveness and complexity. Pleasant. A remnant of dried fruit, cloves. Bit earthy. Taste / Aftertaste: A powerhouse in balance, the previously noted burning is no longer the case. Mouth-filling and thick-juicy, grainy tannins, tough and powerful. No trace of fatigue (given from Magnum). Long finish. Overall / potential: Tasted next to 1999 Penfolds Grange. 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 11 + Taste / Aftertaste: 17 + General / Potential: 8 = 91/100
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7/23/2022 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted three times earlier, first in 2013. At home, with flank steak and sautéed wild mushrooms. Brick-ruby, with minimal brown edges, evolved since 2020. Immediate pronounced nose of sweet American oak vanilla, with a touch of raspberries, some plums and black cherry. The flavors are moderate-full bodied, still good fruit, excellent balance, but I think the fruit is slightly less than before. I don't agree with Parker notes that it's too old, but it's nearing the end of its plateau. Five more bottles, which I'll consume over the next two years before drinking more of my 1998s and 2001s.
Ric
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5/24/2022 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 95 Points
This note is from a quick tasting, shortly after opening, before our dinner guests arrived. Hopefully I’ll be able to append this later tonight.
Again, shortly after opening this was displaying expressive aromas of dark cassis, saddle leather, perhaps some hints of pipe tobacco and some subtle, slightly greenish, stemmy notes, all of which carried through to the deep, rich, penetrating, unctuous palate. There’s excellent depth and concentration along with noteworthy complexity and some earthy undertones. Even though the tannins appear to be fully integrated, to my tastes, this seems to be just a baby, with perhaps a decade or two or three ahead of it. Quite impressive.
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3/27/2022 - The_Cat wrote: 96 Points
Deep garnet red. Lots of black cherry black pepper and some blueberry muffin one would think not more then 10 years old! Very complex perfectly balanced tannins and long melting finish.
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12/26/2021 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pnp should have decanted but hey had friends over for Xmas. A rich wine with a not on gun powder. Probably higher score if I had patience
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11/9/2021 - csimm wrote: 88 Points
Halloween in the Vice Versa Cave: Port-like and stewed, the 1999 Grange is a much-advanced specimen. Prune, three-day-old coffee, tar, tobacco, Grandma’s vest-sweater, vanilla suntan lotion, and balsamic notes show immediately how ripe and over-developed this bottle is. It’s chewy and viscous, so if you’re into the whole experience of it all because of the pedigree here, then you’ll likely have a decent time of it all. For me, this is well worn at this point. Adjust score accordingly, considering this seems to have kicked freshness to the curb back in 2016. Drink 5 years ago.
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9/19/2021 - Holadi Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep. Almost tawny in colour. Pronounced. Oak, vanilla, coffee, violets, black pepper and prunes.
Dry, high acid. Medium black velvet tannins. On the palate, hints of coffee and black chocolate. Fantastically well integrated. Very long finish. Enjoy!
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2/5/2021 - Frijole wrote:
medium burgundy red, medium clarity, slight ruby
Nose: plum, blueberries, cassis, dark chocolate, tar, tobacco, leather, earth, bay leaf, juniper berries, iron, black pepper, vanilla, toasted oak
Pal: plum, blueberries, cassis, dark chocolate, tar, tobacco, leather, silver, iron, earth, bay leaf, juniper berries, black pepper, vanilla, bark, minerals, cola, stem, tannins, toasted oak
Feel: medium, tart, round
Finish: long
TC9
(T says could be an 8, cloying feel coming through after a decant?)
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11/26/2020 - ragtop Likes this wine: 97 Points
Beautiful. Dark purple balanced no tannin. Moderate oak and leather. Still has 10+yrs left.
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10/15/2020 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 97 Points
Garnet, still almost completely opaque, just the slightest hint of brown at the edges. Pronounced, complex, typical Grange nose of shiraz fruit, sweet American oak vanilla, touch of raspberries. Very viscous. Still has plenty of fruit, full-bodied but very round and smooth. Very long aftertaste. Showed no signs of decline after 21 years, but time to drink over the next few years.
Ric
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9/16/2020 - DoubleD1969 Likes this wine:
I haven't had this vintage Grange for a years and decided to open one up with a couple of friends who also brought some great wines.
Decanted an hour before trying it. Youthful was the first impression I got on appearance and taste. I don't think the color has changed from the previous bottle - not mega purple, but a very deep crimson color with no bricking. Aromas of mostly crushed fruit - cherries, plums, blackberries - with forest floor, a bit of eucalyptus, and charcuterie. Palate was velvety, rich, still tannic, and plenty of acid to balance the fruit. This still has years ahead of it for my taste.
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7/8/2020 - sonodoc Likes this wine: 94 Points
After the hype and all the years of cellaring, I was hoping that this might be one of my all-time favorite bottles, so I was a little disappointed (but financially relieved for the future) that I thought that this was merely a very good wine. Medium body, modest sediment, flavors of oak, vanilla, raspberry. Smooth, but not particularly exciting. For the money I'd much rather have 2 or 3 bottles of Realm, Schrader, Saxum, or Two Hands Ares.
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4/26/2020 - Marc S wrote: 84 Points
Wine was corked.
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2/5/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent.
Tasted at Maude
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12/28/2019 - Alex G. wrote:
This was cloying and primary compared to the other five vintages, not entirely surprising as the youngest wine served. If I were to serve this anytime soon, would decant for a few hours. It's really big, and somewhat jammy at this stage.
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12/4/2019 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 96 Points
Garnet, still almost completely opaque, just the slightest hint of brown at the edges. Pronounced, complex, typical Grange nose of shiraz fruit, sweet American oak vanilla, touch of raspberries. Very viscous. Still has plenty of fruit, full-bodied but very round and smooth. Very long aftertaste. The tannins seemed more prominent after several hours, suggesting it may be near the end of its peak and should be consumed short term. I'll try another in a few months.
Ric
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11/25/2019 - 89grange wrote: flawed
Corked... But couldn't pour down drain until I tried the saran wrap in the decanter trick.. Left in for 30 minutes, checking nose every 5 minutes. At 30 couldn't detect musty nose. Turned out to be enjoyable albeit not up to normal grange standards...
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10/27/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
This stood out as the ugly duckling in this blind tasting. Unblinded, this would go great with a grilled ribeye. However, blinded and up against world class old world wines it got trashed by the group. Color was black as pitch, plenty of oak, coconut, vanilla, sweet blueberry jam and too sweet for my palate. Would go great on pancakes the next morning. Blind tastings can be harsh on reality.
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10/12/2019 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 94 Points
PNP into Rona Burgundy glass (“Leaf” day): Medium ruby to the eyes.
Ripe red and black fruits. Freshly grounded spices. Sandalwood. Luxury and quite deep indeed. Classic but very cool and superbly elegant.
Youthful but already enjoyable, very very fine tannins indeed. Distinctive spices on the finish.
I would almost mistaken this as the finest of Bordeaux and Rhone. 94-95 points.
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8/22/2019 - KoalaHK wrote:
Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: A nice sweet perfume seduces you from the beginning with this bottle of '99. It's the '98 without the overt power. Very easy drinking right now.
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7/30/2019 - Waynewill wrote:
Drinking range 2010 till 2035
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7/22/2019 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Nose: A- Palate: A-
My #6, Group's #3 (48 pts). Tasted blind.
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6/4/2019 - WhitbyWino Likes this wine: 100 Points
Definitely the greatest wine that I have ever tasted. And the 100 score also reflects that I opened this on my 50th birthday and paired it with an amazing tomahawk steak dinner, possibly the greatest meal that I have ever cooked. If that doesn’t equal a perfect score then I don’t know what does.
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1/7/2019 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 94 Points
See notes below. This is getting more Australian as it gets older. Real Shiraz ( slightly madeirised) with plenty of stuffing. Mouth drying tannic finish surprised me. Hope it doesn't fall apart now it is in its 3rd decade
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1/2/2019 - KenK Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice dark smooth rich red fruits with menthol quality. Dense and pure. Very good yet still comes across rather young, likely develops more spice and nuance with yet more time.
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12/31/2018 - Ianthemac Likes this wine: 98 Points
I really don’t think wine can get much better for me. Drunk with a superb sirloin with friends and family in Hawksmoor Air Street. Incredible menthol, eucalyptus and cedar on the nose. Such finesse on the palate. The tannins were silky and the luscious plums, cherries and the slightest touch of light spice. I would put this in my top 3 wine experiences without doubt. Sublime wine making.
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12/18/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow! Decanted for 2h at 1862. This delivered in every respect, just a fantastic aroma and heft. Still in its prime. At a large gathering, no detailed notes. With grilled veal chop.
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10/26/2018 - mflesh wrote: 96 Points
Surprised at how youthful this is. Or should I? Drinking well. Blackberry and pepper and a hint of bacon fat pretty much surrounds this rather voluptuous wine. Full bodied monster. Very classic Shiraz from the land down under. Super glad I did not choose to open up anything from voluptas, is this wine would have crushed it rather easily at almost 20 years of age. A very impressive wine with Incredible depth. Has another 20 years left in it without a doubt. Glad I got to try this!
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7/14/2018 - MacropusRufus wrote:
With Maggie, Mark, Miriam and Stacey n Stuart. Rather nice. All smoothed out.
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7/14/2018 - MacropusRufus Likes this wine: 82 Points
Excellent. Well worth the cellaring for all those years. Tannins all smoothed out. A wonderful wine shared with my Swiss resident family who were in Australia on holidays. Magnificent said my relatives.
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7/8/2018 - Burty Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very sedamented, decanted 4 hours prior, no doubting the pedigree, mouth filling, long after taste. Very smooth. We consumed with bbq’d pigeon breast, then a selection of cheese. Unforgettable. Definitely drinking well.
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6/18/2018 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Very good, but not that impressed with this vintage; medium fruit, paired with A5 Wagyu. "cola, root beer and coconut, firm acidity". Providence with M-Pole crowd.
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5/28/2018 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 97 Points
My, my. Have had the honor of enjoying Penfolds, but, seldom the Grange. This wine is stellar and ready to rumble. Moderate rim variation. Dark, dark ruby garnet color in the glass. No flaws. Mild to moderate sediment. Stunning nose. At a loss for words. Very earthy and dirty for sure. Very old world. Dark florals and fruits on the nose and in the mouth. Low tannin. Low acid. Long finish. Medium alcohol. This wine in my humble opinion is at peak, and, so, so ready to drink. Paired perfectly with grilled filet mignon.
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3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): I have been lucky enough to have this at least half a dozen times over the years and this was easily the best yet. In fact, this is still drinking young and continued to improve in the glass with the last sip being the best. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is deep showing a bit of maturity and a lot of fruit. Black raspberries, slight black pepper, floral notes and a slight gamey meat note. On the palate, this is clean with great black raspberry fruit, some pepper notes. Great acidity and balance. Light tannins. Long finish. Went great with some chocolate desserts. Always a treat.
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3/24/2018 - SadEdjo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still a puppy. Extracted cork was like new. Dark, impenetrable colour. Rich, plush, seamless, well-polished dark fruit with good lift and will integrated tannins. Big mouth feel but not tiring. Many years ahead of it
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3/6/2018 - the shrub wrote: 92 Points
Drunk Christmas 2017. Just me and Charlotte. Almost too much- an experience more than A pleasure.
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12/25/2017 - kgh wrote: 96 Points
Ultra rich, dark, and velvety smooth. Notes of dark chocolate, mint, pepper, and eucalyptus. Long finish went on and on. A tremendous wine to savor.
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7/9/2017 - kenthargis wrote: 95 Points
My first bottle of this since the 1991 I had in law school. First notes were of mint and black currant. Finish went on for 45 seconds. Mint notes continued throughout. Excellent bottle, but I can see how this vintage isn't quite to the classic level. Can only imagine what those vintages would be like.
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7/1/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
A friends anniversary celebration (Bern's Steakhouse): I'm partial to Granges. We'd thought about the 1992 HOG, but since they were out of that ended up with this Aussie treasure instead. After a meal of old world it's not unclear that we've changed sides although sometimes I find that a wine can feel a bit too extracted or really suffer from the comparison and that's not the case with this wine. The stuffing and quality are very clearly there. Much more fruits, herbs, spices, violets... This wine is packed full. We decanted for maybe an hour or two before serving, but really it needed many more hours. This and the La Ladonne were wines where the best sip was the last. Continued to evolve in the glass. At one point there was a bit more alcohol coming through, but that blew off with some time as well. Great wine. Much too young.
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7/1/2017 - S1 Likes this wine:
Ending a weekend Anniversary celebration with some Cellar Tracker buddies: It is what it is.
This was way too young, but still a terrific drink. There is rich glycerin, black & blue fruit, and an impression of sweet, oaky vanilla. On the palate there is the promise of better things ahead, with lots of menthol and licorice, with tannin already integrating. I hope to try one in 20 years.
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5/13/2017 - carmanyd Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great length, great subtle notes of oak.
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4/28/2017 - Nanda wrote: 92 Points
Masters of Syrah (Sixteen Restaurant, Chicago): My least favorite in the Grange flight. Good on an absolute basis, but relative to 90/96 came across as more simple and less intense. Full nose has rich black fruit and American oak. The palate follows suit with rich black fruit, loads of American oak and spice. Fruit tends towards creamy, but it's still well-balanced. I'd guess this has upside as it matures and sheds some baby fat.
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4/28/2017 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Masters of Syrah (Chicago, IL): The obvious runt of the litter. To be sure, this was very young, but I thought it showed too much greenness for the ripeness levels here. Especially compared to the 1990 and 1996, this is a very racy Grange, but it also doesn't seem to be as well integrated, and is definitely missing that explosive perfume. The oak here isn't as prominent either -- all in all, this clearly felt like a lesser, thinner wine and was very much outmatched by its older peers.
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3/8/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose was extremely deep and rich with a largeness that filled the glass with black cherries, black raspberries, spice tones, menthol, vanilla, herbs, and some eucalyptus.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins have a chewiness to them with the feel showing loads of depth and complexity along with black cherries, raspberries, vanilla, menthol notes, herbs, and eucalyptus.
Overall: This was fantastic and quite young at the same time. This was one of the stars on the night and easily the best of the Granges that were within the last twenty years. That said, as gorgeous as it is now, it feels like it can kick it up another notch or two with some time.
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2/12/2017 - shebbar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Smooth, spicy, long aftertaste that coats the tongue. Well balanced. Has aged well.
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1/13/2017 - dlcass Likes this wine: 96 Points
Great wine. Enjoyed at Dos Brisas with Alejandra. Improved nicely over about 1.5 hours in decanter and glass. Very typical Grange; perhaps not as expressive as some vintages, but very enjoyable overall. Nose of dark fruit, cola, candied fruit and spice. Full mouth feel and reasonable finish.
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1/8/2017 - UPL Likes this wine: 99 Points
fantastic - silky tannnis - a shiraz does not get better -- many decades ahead
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12/28/2016 - red.red.vino wrote: 90 Points
Drank along side a Hill of Grace 2001. This clearly needs more time. Even after 6 hours in the decanter it never really changed or opened up from a rather dull lifeless wine. Whilst not off, and at the risk of offending the generosity of the friend that opened it, the question of whether I am being a dick and 'Brett' band-aid/antispectic came about. Let this one sleep for another 3-5 years and try again then, I am optimistic I would be then forced to rate much higher. Structure is there to develop. Nevertheless there is something quite special about sitting back drinking a 17 year old Grange.
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8/5/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:
A Few Wines with BBQ (Bannockburn, IL): Lots of black fruit and spice, but also lots of pronounced new oak. Much better with food than on its own, I like the potential here, but don't think it a particularly great vintage for Grange.
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7/31/2016 - Sonoffalstaff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had it the same night as Ricky below and found the v same experience. Half way through the case so will continue drinking one bottle a year. Saying good bye to my biggest wine friend we were v lucky to tryalongside a Latour 90 and I thought the Latour would blow this away...it didn't
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7/29/2016 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 2 hours.
Nose was very strong, blackberry, vanilla, very fruit forward. Mouthfeel is quite creamy and silky. Flavors vanilla, black fruit, raspberry and oak. Weight medium plus, acid low. A Little cigar ash nose comes out after a while. Great wine, but very forward.
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5/28/2016 - ilee Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dinner at home with the Correas, Stocks & Ann (At home): Beautiful wine. Stunning nose, like suddenly stepping into an old oak paneled room, with fireplace burning. On the palate, a rich interplay of gorgeous fruit and mature wood. Delicious
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3/10/2016 - LFCHALA wrote: 92 Points
Powerful. On the way to its peak. Should gain complexity with aging. Wait at least another 10 years.
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12/10/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
I think its corked. A wine is underneath there.
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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. Moderate intensity on nose and palate. interesting dried herb notes to start. Good, not outstanding in the vertical.
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10/24/2015 - AHVinoFile Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep dark color, purple rim. Blackberry mulberry bouquet with lots of cassis, blackcurrant pastille, espresso, mocha, licorice, spice, smoke & savory oak notes. Fullish, intense, deep, concentrated & quite dense, spicy, fleshy black fruit flavours enriched with bitter chocolate, mocha & coffee undertones & well-balanced with fine acidity & fair amount of cashmere-like tannins & ripe supple extracts; not exactly a blockbuster but possesses innate charm & elegance. Long, smooth & peppery finish. (94.5)
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10/2/2015 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Wine showing very well. Fruit imparts a sweet sensation on the palate, with perfectly integrated tannins. Long finish. Acid is strong and balanced.
PDQ94+
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9/26/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
A lot of wines (Raj's Birthday); 9/25/2015-9/26/2015 (Cleveland Heights): Great showing as this wine starts to show hints at maturity. Not there yet, but getting closer. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is great with black raspberries, slight roasted meats, slight floral notes, black pepper and slight herbal note. On the palate, great texture. Starting to show layers of black raspberries, roasted meats and charred earth. Great balance. Best showing yet for this vintage. Good bottle or coming around?
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9/13/2015 - pc2006mg wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic! We realized this was a bit too early for this but could not resist for a special weekend. Tasted 4 separate times over 24 hours and it just got better and better. With plenty of air, this is close to perfect. Everything in its place and the oak is the real treat for us. Wish the price would not continue to rise as this is a real beauty. There are other wines that are very good ( maybe not this good) for a fraction of the price!
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8/23/2015 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted blind; double-decanted over the course of a day. Dark red in the center, light glowing red at the edges. Distant coffee and rubber with an unusual fresh beignet note dominating on the nose. Hyper-concentrated notes of cherry, spices, and clove.
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5/3/2015 - alion wrote: 96 Points
2 hour decant. Rich. Exotic. Remarkable concentration. Fruit driven - blue and blackberries - although secondary leathery elements too. Prominent oak but the wine is not dry at all and the wine manages and suits it. Blind I might have guessed very high end Spanish. No way this tastes like a 16 year old bottle that has been stored in a natural cellar. So young and alive.
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4/5/2015 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Dark garnet
Mushroom, soy sauce, boysenberry,dusty cherry, a light toasted oak, hint of raspberry all nose. Finish is so good. 20 plus second finish. Big silky mouth feel. Nose is massive.
Delicious. Extremely well balanced wine. Still very young. Mix of blue berry, and raspberry flavors. If you are 2 people drinking this I highly recommend a short decant and then taste the amazing transitions. Weight is medium plus. Tannins are still strong in this one, but timing might be just right. 1.5 hours in.
Flavors are black currant, toasted almonds, wood flavors.
Creamy cheese or fresh dairy nose.
3 transition, great flavors and nose. Excellent wine. One of the best I have had this year!
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3/6/2015 - tastark Likes this wine:
Dusty and dirty on the nose with a heavy dose of dill and vanilla. Has that meaty syrah note. On the palate this wine seems to be a little tight. Perhaps needs more time, even though it's 16 years old. Dark fruits and a metric f*&# ton of American oak.
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3/3/2015 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
A ringer thrown into a high end blind Rhone tasting.
Immediately called Australia with the nose. Big, sweet, fruity. Nice complexity though and it evolved nicely.
Palate was smooth, silky, interesting, with good complexity. Oak was nicely integrated with the big fruit but still obvious. Longggg finish.
Very nice.
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3/2/2015 - dpolivy wrote: 94 Points
DRC Tasting Group: Rhone Night (Wild Ginger, Seattle, WA): Tasted blind. Dark, dense and intense nose. Fleshy, jammy, rich and unctuous body. Definite wood influence. Big fruit, filled with sweet, dark black berries and wild plum. Earthy, spicy tannins and nice length to finish.
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1/11/2015 - Romol Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2+ hours. It needed it. Better with every minute in the glass. Dark deep colour, port like nose. Very good wine. Drink now (with air) or drink during the next 10 years. 95 pts
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4/29/2014 - UPL Likes this wine: 100 Points
whats going on with penfolds grange?
whats going on with Robert Parker?
His Rating is a shame for this wine
Such a dreaming nose--floral sense--so much fruit inside--
Tannins are soften, but still in the right place----but today very silky--a cashmere Feeling--
a wine cannot be better than this Beauty
if you are single--buy a bottle of this beauty--and you are married in 1 year
--unbelievable--
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3/28/2014 - Uncle John wrote: 95 Points
Big rich and beautiful. this was very smooth and long with great textural depth. Great showing tonight with many years ahead for this Aussie beauty.
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3/24/2014 - Bcw1989 wrote: 92 Points
I don't have much experience with drinking Grange, but this was a nice wine. Decanted and let sit for about 45 minutes in decanter. The most striking feature was this wine did not taste like Shiraz, but had a more merlot quality to it. Tannins have softened quite a bit, but the fruit was still quite present. This has many years left in the bottle to lay down. The only drawback was a bit medicinal in aftertaste. Otherwise, this was good wine complimenting the good food. Great experience.
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2/6/2014 - UPL Likes this wine: 99 Points
best ever!!--fullbodied--wooonderful--in 10 years 100 Points--will last for many decades--WOTN
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1/29/2014 - Hodby wrote: 65 Points
Dark red-purple color. Highly aromatic, port-y, with sun-scorched fresh prune skin nose, grape jam, vanilla, eucalyptus, celery root. On arrival, a huge structure, very firm tannin and low acidity. Tiring to taste. Too much American oak, too much overrripe pulp and burned skins pressed far too hard. A very high intensity sip, following which I'm not interested in having another. Stylistically it's something I've ever enjoyed, as with most Amarone and Late Harvest Zinfandels have held so little charm for me. Not a flawed wine but a wine of excess.
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1/29/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Barolos ( and few more) (Chris's): This got about an hour of breathing. Inky purple in color. The nose has graphite, black raspberries and a diesel-type quality. Very nice. Nice acidity and lots of fruit; black raspberries. Light tannins with a slight minty note. Long finish.
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1/23/2014 - chbeaumont wrote: 93 Points
Double decanted 6 hours before. Deep; initially baked fruit on nose, this unfurls majestically; first up a burly feel it unwinds to show polish & tremendous depth. Much too young, this has tremendous potential.
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12/21/2013 - BBinSC wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful wine, rich, spicy, chewy with a long finish. Still showing the menthol and oaky notes, but all in balance. Great capper for the Solstice.
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12/19/2013 - Poisey Likes this wine: 97 Points
Not decanted. Ash, blackberry, cola fizz, mint, gravel, burnt rubber and petrol notes. Constantly changing. Super long finish. Concentrated and silky smooth. An elegant Shiraz. Olive paste with graphite and salty like finish that lingers. Polished and complex. A regal wine. Me 96pts/Costa 97Pts/Ed 98pts.
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12/9/2013 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 98 Points
Although I gave high scores to the few other vintages of Grange I've had before I was never totally convinced. Here, in comparison to other great Syrahs of similar age it shone.
Deep ruby colored, almost purple. Youthful but expressive with a nose that offers ripe polished fruit together with notes of eukalyptus, iodine and chocolate. On the palate it has weight but it's not massive. It has perfect poise with high acidity and tasty tannins. Velvety and long. It is an aussie wine and aromatically it shows. Can be drunk now with pleasure but it will develop further and keep for decades.
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12/7/2013 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank with Stefanos and John over the former's birthday lunch. Tasted blind alongside the Chateau de la Negly La Porte du Ciel from the same vintage, this was remarkably fresher, more youthful and (dare I say) more elegant and light on its feet. Stereotypes about old vs. new world styles collapse sometimes, especially when the wines are tasted blind. Dark ruby, impressively youthful color. Amazimg nose of blueberry, eucalyptus, camphor, chocolate, coffee and spices with noticeable but perfectly integrated American oak character. I guessed Barossa shiraz and John noticed the presence of American oak, so combining these 2 observations we concluded Grange. What was hard to identify was the vintage, since this seemed much more youthful. On the palate it is still lighter than the Negly with firmer tannins, more vibrant fruit and higher acidity. Alcohol level is nominally equal to that of the Chateau de la Negly (14.5%) but by far less noticeable here. Very long aftertaste. More food friendly than the Negly. Drinking nicely now but will continue improving for many years. This is considered an average vintage for Grange, but it was the second time I came across it and found it fantastic on both occasions.
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11/30/2013 - winesteward Likes this wine: 97 Points
Straight from the bottle, very tannic. Double decanted and left to air for 2 hours. Very dark core with just the slightest tinge of brown on the edge. The decanting softened the tannins sufficiently to make it approachable. Sweet, ripe, plummy fruit. Prune, date and fig follow but it still tastes very fresh. Later, blackberry and blackcurrant also show when the acidity kicks in. Coffee and sweet spices also make an appearance. Great length with a spice/fig flavor that won't quit. Powerful wine with plenty of life left in it. Maybe a young adult. Beautifully balanced and very complex with many nuances of flavor. A truly great wine and a privilege to drink. Outstanding.
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11/20/2013 - UPL Likes this wine: 99 Points
again: woooooooooooooooooooow!!!
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10/12/2013 - Henman Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. The bottle threw a lot of sediment. The nose was a bit port like, with vibrant dark fruit, mostly blackberries. Medium bodied, quite youthful and port like, delivering vibrant black berries with smooth tannins and some hints of medicinal notes. Firm acidity and nice long finish. Not very complex or interesting though. A solid and good wine by all means, but given the reputation and price I had expected more.
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10/9/2013 - KVM wrote: 91 Points
Grange tasting at Divino, Calgary; 10/8/2013-10/9/2013 (Divino Bistro, Calgary): Very dark red. Black berry fruit, mint, sea shore, caramel. Medium body, black fruit palate. Simpler than the other vintages. Still good concentration. Bordelais.
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9/6/2013 - MWiking wrote: 99 Points
First time I tried Grange. I had high expectations and it delivered them all. Magic wine. one of the best ever. 99+
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9/5/2013 - Ramberg wrote: 94 Points
On the nose a somewhat disturbing whiff of plastic/Bakelite indicating heat…
Secondary aromas of damp cellar and perhaps a slight touch of cork (?), and mature dark fruit profile, vanilla & wet oak.
Soft and long with mature fruit, primarily cherries, and mature and soft fine grained tannins.
A touch of US oak vanilla present on the finish.
Really good Aussie Syrah, but with my somewhat limited experience of Grange I must say that I prefer the 1997 Grange over this, as I believe that the 97 was finer, and that this vintage might have peaked?
Still, nice, so 94 points for tonight.
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8/10/2013 - TheWineDon wrote: 95 Points
Took to a 60th birthday party of one of our wine group members, so had some stiff competition, including a 01 William Cole, 06 Dunn HM, 97 Montelena and an 04 Bachus. The only one, IMHO, that gave it a run was the Bachus. The Grange has amazing black cherry and cinnamon on the nose, with a long, vanilla-tinged expression on the palate. This was my first bottle of Grange. Although some (including Parker) indicated this was an off year, we found it imminently enjoyable.
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7/2/2013 - Yagil wrote: 88 Points
Red brown color
Ripe cherries spicy aroma
Full bodied, ripe cherries, warm, alcoholic, spicy, a bit over the peak, long alcoholic aftertaste.
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4/27/2013 - UPL Likes this wine: 99 Points
woooow, what a wine, well balanced, stunning, tremendous concentration, vanilla, black berries, eucalyptus, so sweet, more than 1 minute finish-WOTN
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4/25/2013 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark garnet-purple, still completely opaque. Pronounced aroma of blackberry with some anise and sweet American oak. Medium-full body, very well balanced. Concentrated flavors, also black fruit with some licorice and oak. Tannins and alcohol noticeable but not obtrusive. Very long aftertaste with American oak and black fruits. This wine will last more years but is very drinkable now. It may soften more and gain more complexity, but no need to wait.
Ric
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4/17/2013 - BBinSC wrote: 95 Points
94-95: just starting to show some maturity; full-bodied, dense, fruit driven with the classic woody nuances that make this wine so special. It followed the Sine Qua Non Poker Face and held up nicely. Beautiful bottle, might be a touch short on the finish compared to other vintages. Excellent.
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12/8/2012 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Huge, delicious blackberry fruit with sweet flavors, hot wine
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11/4/2012 - CWilliam wrote:
had for birthday - unfortunately did not take notes - very nice bottle of wine. 93+ needed a longer decant. [edit] I pulled my rating given lack of notes. My wife loved this and so did I but I can't effectively rate. It was easily a 93 but I'm not giving the wine justice - it was very tight (even after dobule decanting and serving 3 hours later) and young.
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10/21/2012 - charleshetzel wrote: 99 Points
An absolutely gorgeous Penfold's Grange. Paired this at my son's birthday dinner at inovasi. Chef John de Rosiers paired some amazing duck with this vintage. This wine is still very youthful - probably could still cellar for 10-15 more years. I did detect some oak on the initial palate, yet overall good balance of spice, pepper, oak, vanilla, and hints of berries. This is an epic wine.
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10/6/2012 - IWineAlot wrote: 91 Points
CT Offline WI Take 2: Judgement of Madison(Paris) Tasting & BYOB Dinner (Madison, WI): Big nose of vanilla, cedar, spice and plums.
Bold fruit, smooth but big tannins. Nice lenght. Still has many years of life ahead.
SS 91+pts.
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10/6/2012 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline 2; 10/5/2012-10/6/2012 (Madison, WI): Beautiful deep crimson color. An exceptionally ripe style, smoothed and softened by the nice Grange wood treatment. Silky palate, smooth tannins, medium depth of fruit fading beneath searing heat through the finish. Still showing Grange class and a treat to drink.
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6/8/2012 - BillyT wrote: 93 Points
OUTSTANDING. While this was not a style I would pick, the winemaking here is exquisite. The wine is well balance, structured and simply well made. Deserves consideration as an outstanding vintage and wine.
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5/2/2012 - Captain Haddock Likes this wine: 92 Points
Grabbed the wrong vintage of this from the cellar as I intended to leave this for a few years. Never mind. Dark, youthful appearance. High-toned nose which reminded me of a top rioja. Glossy oak, furniture polish, dark fruit. On the palate, a beautify smooth rich texture and quite austere but very fine fruit beneath. This was young but approachable. I enjoyed it despite the infanticide.
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1/15/2012 - robertek wrote: 88 Points
Wow this was a disappointment. I think it was quite unbalanced on the palate and really didn't offer the intriguing nose that I usually find in the Grange. My las bottle and hopefully for the rest of you it was a bad one.
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11/7/2011 - psmith wrote:
Still very dark. A medium-scaled Grange showing black raspberry and earthy notes. Young, with medium-grain tannins. Masculine styling. Very nice.
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10/15/2011 - CainFiveO wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 2 hours before drinking.
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8/14/2011 - JDW36pu wrote: 91 Points
Had 8/5/11 at Botero, Encore, Las Vegas. Still young, lots of banana on the nose and palate. Still needs at least another 10-5 yrs.
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8/9/2011 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Dinner with Tim Kirk: I last tasted this 6 years ago and thought it needed 15 years from then, well I might need to push that back again considering how youthfully this is showing. Vanilla, blueberry, spice and plenty of cedar oak. Oak is also showing through on the palate at the moment, but there is excellent fruit sitting just behind it. Plenty of potential given enough time.
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6/25/2011 - floydtp wrote: flawed
CellarTracker Wisconsin June 2011; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI- various venues): Tasted non blind at a large wine dinner. The nose was definitely Grange in the beginning but very weak but with some wet cardboard in the background. Did not taste. This is my 3rd flawed or off Grange in a row!!!
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6/25/2011 - IWineAlot wrote: 93 Points
CT Wisconsin Offline (Madison, WI): Very minty on the nose almost peppermint like. Flavors of minty dark fruit, cedar and a tobacco component.
DISCLAIMER: Others said this was possibly corked, but I didn't sense anything wrong. Let the debate begin...
93 pts.
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6/25/2011 - wineismylife wrote:
CellarTracker Wisconsin Offline I - Part Three - Grand Finale (Madison, WI): WIMLNR
Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.
Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose is off, just not right or as expected. Corked maybe? Maybe some berries on the palate? This bottle is off therefore no rating.
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6/25/2011 - petitblanc wrote:
CT Wisconsin Offline; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI): Muted and un-Grangelike. Sadly, this may be a bit corky. Not scored.
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6/13/2011 - popasq wrote: 96 Points
Virtually no decanting, could benefit for more! Velvet, blackberries, great syrah!
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3/5/2011 - RISM wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby beginning to turn brick at the edges, medium, uneven legs. Lots of mint and eucalyptus on the nose, which carry through to the palate, full-bodied, big, Australian Shiraz characteristics, followed by sweet black fruit, some tannic dustineess, and a smooth, long finish. Real class, even if not (apparently) one of the great Grange vintages. In a different class from the 2000 Hermitage La Chapelle we drank beforehand.
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2/25/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
A private lunch (at home): Very aromatic, immense structure, tremendous power and concentration, very impressive, needs a lot of time still. Drink 2014 - 2029.
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2/6/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club: High End Aussie Wines & Bordeaux: A really nice wine and decanted 2 hours prior to sampling. Fine sediment filtered out. Dark purple. Not an in your face Aussie Shiraz with blueberries, pepper, Asian spices and blackberries on the nose. The palate is showing medium tannins and this is an elegant wine in general. Sampled right next to the Greenock Creek Apricot Block which was much more intense. The Grange had a long and multi-layered finish. I don't see this wine being a 20 plus year cellar selection and enjoyed it right now. Well done. 94+
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2/5/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Does Highly Rated Aussies and some Bordeaux to boot ("Jan's Pseudo-place"): Purple color. Incredibly expressive and complex nose that evolved over the night. Nose shows floral, herbs with some eucalyptus, blackberry liquer, blueberry, evolving to to lose the eucalyptus, while still showing lighter herbal elements, earth emerges, sweet black fruits. The palate is deep and layered, but shows an elegance found in great wines. This is incredibly well balanced with layers of fruit balanced by velvety tannins and an fantastic 60++ second finish. My WOTN for its overall complexity and elegance. 95-96pts.
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2/2/2011 - xcblazer10 wrote: 94 Points
Opened up considerably after a few hours. Lots of sediment in the bottle, but great smoky nose.
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11/16/2010 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Incredibly youthful with loads of fruit and oak. There’s vanilla and coconut from the wood and blackberries and sweet plum notes from the fruit. It has a little muskiness and floral complexity. It is very dense and concentrated and at least 15 years away from peak drinking.
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10/10/2010 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
tasted on a separate occation but with similar results. Great wine. excellent balance and integration. holding up beautiful.
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8/20/2010 - James B wrote: 96 Points
This was remarkable. I was reluctant to open it based on observations several months ago that the wine may have closed down. It has not. It is big and impressive from nose to palate to the 60-second-plus finish. This was quite an experience.
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5/20/2010 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Amazing nose, one of the best ever. Palate was lacking.
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4/24/2010 - Beavis77 wrote:
Decanted about 3 hours.
Rich nose of smoky pomegranate. Get a fair amount of oak on the nose.
Seems very closed down right now. Tight tannins. Smoky, prunish blackberry flavors. A long finish of herby fruit.
This just didn't deliver what I thought it would. Seems shut down.
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4/18/2010 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
Delicious. What a wonderful bottle of wine. Terrific integration. long finish. One of the best wines I've tasted.
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4/10/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: flawed
Penfolds Grange among Australias greatest (Heemstede - Rest. Southern Cross): 1999 Penfolds Grange (Australië, South Australië) Kleur: KURK Aroma / bouquet: Smaak / Afdronk: Algemeen / potentieel: 50 + Kleur: + Aroma / bouquet: + Smaak / Afdronk: + Algemeen / potentieel: = 50/100
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11/15/2009 - steffenpelz wrote:
Wine Salon - November 2009 (Australia) (Chez Jahnke): Another disappointment. Dark, tannic, plum and blackberry fruit. Pretty oaky, and it may have great potential, but tonight, this wasn't even close to my top wines.
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10/22/2009 - astroman wrote:
WFA 2009 Grange Vertical Tasting: Seemingly shut some fruits with dark red fruits but elegance. Slightly alcoholic but tannin was mouth coating thick. More mauscline as compared to earlier. Lots of fruits on the palate with hard velvet tannins. Probably need another 5 years before becoming approachable.
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7/19/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): Like the 1998, this shows youthful vigor and stength. Bittersweet chocolate, cassis and blueberry. For all its size, this does not seem out of balance, just young. The rich texture and lively structure hints at a good future.
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2/28/2009 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Was SO excited about this. I have a vertical and have never had it so it was perfect for OTBN.
The nose was one of the greatest ever. Sensational. I just kept smelling it. We all agreed. Unreal.
Floral and fruity and structured and pure. Could have mistaken it for a First Growth Bordeaux.
Wheels kind of fell off the bus on the palate. Don't get me wrong - it was great. But it was kind of big and reminded me of typical Aussie Shiraz.
Now, to be fair, we were all a little lit and there was a lot going on and I will try it again and it was really good.
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2/11/2009 - pablopilot wrote: 97 Points
There is nothing like a Grange! That unique blueberry/blackberry nose, with the same berries on the palate, along with gobs of tar and sweetness. Great wine! This one was heavier on the tarry flavors than some other vintages, such as the 1990. I have had well-stored bottles of the '66 that I thought were of recent vintage; I suspect the '99 will live nearly forever.
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1/31/2009 - msu wrote: 97 Points
Drank at Charlie Palmer Steak in DC. This is simply a wonderful wine that went perfectly with really good steak. Amazing nose. Dark, rich and concentrated with flavors of berries, earth, spices. Very long finish. I am going to try and hold my other bottle for a couple of years more, but the temptation is to open it right now.
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1/5/2009 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Drank in Hunter Valley, Australia
Wonderful bottle of Grange. I know this was more of an "off" year, but this bottle, this night was shining.
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12/5/2008 - jhngo wrote: 98 Points
Freakishly good. This wine was full bodied, soft smooth silky in tannins with big powerful finish. It was integrated velvety smooth. Just a wonderful wine with a gorgeous nose of spice. It is a great Shiraz.
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6/1/2008 - Pavie Princess wrote: 99 Points
Penfolds is a great wine. The history goes back longer than one thinks and it started with a vine in 1845. Penfolds takes its name from an English gentleman, Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold, who emigrated to Australia in the 19th Century. Like many of his time, Penfold held a belief in the medicinal qualities of wine, and his baggage included a collection of vine cuttings sourced from the south of France. In 1845 he and his wife, Mary, built a small stone cottage at Magill, near Adelaide, around which he planted his cuttings. This cottage was called...The Grange. This is where the legend began. Tonight i got back to Boston from HK and I hit a nice hotel and rdered two bottles of wine prior to bed and getting up to go back home in the AM. The 1999 Grange was my first bottle. The history of Penfolds was from 1845 to 1950 a wine that was fortified for close to 100 yrs. Then the family decided to hire a stud named Max Schubert and his life goal was to get out of fortified low end to the high end table wine. He felt the vines could hack the change. In 1951 he made a table wine based upon Shiraz and the family hated the wine. Thank God Max knew he had something. The 1951 is based upon what has become Grange in concept. I have been fortunate to taste that very table wine several times and own some bought in the 1970's. Max went on to make Grange for many yrs with out the owner family even knowing it. After about 5 Vintages they knew Max was up to something otherworldly. Grange officially hit the world stage commercially with the 1957 vintage released in 1960. As the initial vintages aged, however, their true value came to be appreciated, and in 1960 the management instructed Schubert to re-start production, oblivious to the fact that Schubert had not missed a vintage. The great 1955 vintage was submitted to competitions beginning in 1962 and over the years has won more than 50 gold medals. The vintage of 1971 won first prize in Shiraz at the Wine Olympics in Paris. The 1990 vintage was named 'Red Wine of the Year' by the Wine Spectator magazine in 1995, which later rated the 1998 vintage 99 points out of a possible 100.
Prior to 1997 the wine was made form many terroirs and called Grange Hermitage or Bin 95 for the old timers. In 1999, the wine was 100% Shiraz from the Barossa valley district for the first time. This is a historic Penfolds Grange. Moreover, it is the first Grange since 1963 to be 100% Shiraz (not all Barossa district however). Most vintages contain a small percentage of Cabernet. This wine is sublime and must be experienced to be believed.
The color was deepest purple and the nose is infreakingcredible. It is one of the greatest shiraz ever in my view. It is so complex that in blind tasting since its US release I have never nailed it in blind tasting with first growth Bdx. The aroma you get right off the bat is massive berry fruit of blue and raspberry with cherry anise and wet clay with tar. The wine's mid palate can compete with any great French wine. It is here where the Penfolds complexity comes in full force. I get herbs cedar and beautifully integrated oak with cherry cassis berry and licorice. It does not end there. The coda is massive. This is a wine you can never get enough of. the ending begins with fine leathers spice box cigar cedar vanilla and plummy candied fruit. The wine is massive and magnificient in construction.
This wine is one you must own. It is a wine to love and experience. My only regret is when it is all gone. I saved a glass to savor for tommorrow. This wine has decades to go and gain further complexity. It is one of the great shiraz's ever. Rating 99 and it will go higher. I like the 99 Vintage the best over the 98 which got a 99 rating. Try it...............my bet is you'll you die for this wine.
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4/30/2008 - zimmy07 wrote: 92 Points
very good Grange. Classic styling and well balanced fruit profile. Needs many more years to really round out
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4/25/2008 - psmith wrote:
Dark fruits with a nice mineral edge. Classic Grange - well structured for aging and good restraint shown. Very good.
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11/2/2007 - loverboy wrote: 93 Points
Super delicious wine. Very dark and concentrated, caramelize nose with a little sweet.
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10/11/2007 - bubbachumps wrote: 92 Points
Penfolds Tasting - St Regis: Grange Vertical tasting (82, 86, 90, 94, 95, 99, 00, 01 & 02). Worked my way from the 82 to the 02 with sniffing and drinking. Then when back through all the wines.
Powerful and perfumed on the nose with copious dark fruits. A mixture of rich black raspberry, chocolate and black licorice on the nose. Nose is very intoxicating, I keep going back to sniff this wine. Such a big wine. Very powerful, dense and balanced on the palette. This Grange lacks the extra oomph. So far this and 95 are at the bottom of my list. This wine is reminiscent of a simpler version of the 1990 Grange. 92.
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9/6/2007 - johnphinney8 wrote: 90 Points
Nose of blueberry, violet, and port like liquor. This wine is WAY over the top, and the disparate elements are a long way from coming together, if they ever will. Not a lot of acidity or freshness here. Some leather coming on after a couple of hours decant. In the end it has some powerful components, but is too cartoonish at this point to be considered a great wine. Could well be a bad bottle, since others have clearly felt differently. Will try again in a few years.
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8/18/2007 - groper1234 wrote: 95 Points
Opened with Hill of Grace 1998. Both are really amazing. Good concentration, great definition, powerful. Again very complex. Quite chalky and dry. But there is great depth and structure.
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5/5/2007 - zimmy07 wrote: 93 Points
elegent! floral notes with pepper, dark fruit and a rich tannic structure. Another great Grange
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5/4/2007 - psmith wrote:
Restrained with some Cabernet character. Really tight with more red fruits and a nice mineral undercurrent. Medium-bodied and structured to last. A more patrician, refined example of Aussie Shiraz.
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2/2/2007 - hutch wrote: 93 Points
Dark maroon color. mammoth nose, that was absolutely amazing. Full of pepper, spice and dark red fruits. The palate, at this time, does not match that nose, butis still quite amazing. A long finish reminds you that you're drinking a special wine. Very nice, and I'd like to try again in a few years... 93-94
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10/31/2006 - yanik wrote: 93 Points
initially when I opened this it overwhelmed the lamb we had. But after a little time in the glass it started to work its magic. Inky, purple color with notes of cassis and a little spice.
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8/14/2006 - dlmullett wrote: 92 Points
This bottle was young but still well worth it! It really needs a few more years to peak. The most complex smooth wine I have ever had. This was a gift and had to drink it now. Wish I had a couple more bottles!
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5/13/2006 - vinaigre wrote: 95 Points
Wine was decanted for 1 hour priour and consumed over an hour.
Inky Dark purple red and very inviting,
Nose of field fruits: Blackberries, raspberries, also some cassis and spices. This was mouth coating with a nice glycerin feel. The tannins had a nice texture, well balance acidity and nice retro of fruit with a nice long long long finish.
This wine is still very young, but it was opened for a good reason and shared with the family.
I would sill give it 3-4 more years,
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2/23/2006 - pgm wrote: 91 Points
Australian Icons Shiraz tasting & dinner (Marche Bacchus): This wine was, unfortunately, closed on the nose, faintly floral and a little brown sugar from the oak. It had very fine but shy fruit and oak flavors. Despite the long decanting in advance of the tasting, this wine is just not ready. I'll love to give it another chance in five to ten years. Little doubt this wine will be much greater, but tonight it was, for me, scored at 91, my #6 of six (but the group voted it #3).
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10/30/2005 - CamWheeler wrote: 95 Points
1999 Barossa Shirazathon (Sydney, Australia): Closed, closed, closed initially. Was allowed to sit in the glass for a few hours and started to open a little and show a bit more of that typical Grange nose. Elegant, smooth, balanced and structurally complete palate with lovely mouth-feel. Really shows that elusive spark of something special over the other wines so far. In my notes I underlined twice "Come back in 15 years" when I think it'll be spectacular.
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2/7/2005 - tendring wrote: 96 Points
Wine Education Service - Penfolds: Deep red, youthful looking.
Such a complex fruity nose.
Blackberries in the attack, perfect balance, will be perfect drinking through to the 2030s.
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2/5/2005 - ipp wrote: 95 Points
not yet as aromatic as the 95 ... wonderfully complex and full-bodied... rich, bold tannins ... needs time .... will last years
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11/7/2004 - jmcmchi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful nose over intense red/black hues in glass. Opens slowly, very slowly to a firm structure holding all sorts of black fruit and eucalyptus
Almost infanticide
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10/7/2004 - IanL wrote: 97 Points
Wine Icons tasting with Sarah Ahmed/Oddbins Fine Wine (Alba Restaurant, London): [Fermented in stainless steel vats then aged for 17 mths in new American oak] Deep black/purple core, tiny purple rim. Intense, complex nose with notes of leather, farmyard, cassis, griotte cherries, violets, smoky vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus. On the palate, a powerful fruit flavour with ripe, rich and mouthcoating tannins. High acidity and alcohol, but well balanced. Further notes of mint, concentrated plum and blackcurrant. Very focussed, Excellent. Clear wine of the tasting.
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6/22/2004 - Double-A Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dense ruby colour. Intense aromas of mint, blackberry liqueur, espresso, bitter chocolate and cookie dough. Full, ripe, and dry palate; very well-balanced with structured tannins and a long fruit and oak driven finish. 14.5% alc/vol
5/5
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