Bought by a friend in Australia in the 90scand testing ever since in his cellar in the US. Double decanted 4 hr before serving and that was just right. Big with blue fruits, tons of grip, and emerging complexity, this was a big hit at the table. Good for at least ten more years.
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Wine Bros: A Study of Syrah (Cowford Chophouse): A Grange with one of the highest levels of Cabernet in it (always some but usually low single digits, this is close to 15%). It’s a wine that really needs a lot of time and air. We opened and put it through the Lennar and double-decanted and tried to give it as much as possible before rebottling and then still poured it before the first course was served so that it had some more time. All well worth it. The wine was good and it was good from the first sip. Very classic style of Grange. Lots of eucalyptus and black fruits and maybe a bit of tea and there’s sweetness and spice and so much going on. Officially not really ready and I can’t wait to see what it is in 20 more years given how the 70’s are going but still a treat to get to try.
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The Return to the Ledbury (The Ledbury, London): Dare we say we finally found a Grange that has evolved beyond the fruit phase? Indeed this was it and felt like a softer, lighter vintage result which ( similar to 90s Napa) Well secondary, soft smoky, leathery almost and with soft spice . Well evolved beauty and a joy and nice to see it with low alcohol level too ( 13.5%) .96 easy
Richter Pre-Gaming Night (w/ some new world icons): Two Granges side by side. The 1983 (97pts) again showed highly complex, almost perfect precision and superb purity. If we could have followed the wine longer, it could have been even better (had a 99pts bottle last year). The 1993 (95pts) was not far behind with the same complexity and purity but 10 years younger, still with a bit more muscular structure and feel and some chemical/anis notes which you have to like.
TN: Slightly chemical nose, then herbs, anis. With time better and purerx On the palate much better, high toned red fruit, lots of ripe dark fruit, minerality, herbs, minty notes, again anis and spices. Very complex and layered. Highly precise. No faulty notes. Round but still very powerful but so round and sexy.
Decanting: I would decant for 5-6 hours. These Granges need a lot of air.
Had all the Grange characteristics that I like so much - drank well right out of the bottle - no need for decanting. Shared it at dinner with friends and was up against some other fabulous wines including 2007 chateau Montelena Estate; 2009 Matriarch. To me the Grange was the best of the wines, but I admit to being a bit biased. The bottom line is that it drinks well and will be good for years to come. I am glad I have more in my locker.
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Prelude to the annual Magnum Rarities Tasting in Zurich. Decanted for 2h which worked well (double-decant absolutely required). Initially a intricate and detailed profile of dark cherry, bramble berry, sweet pipe tobacco, scorched earth, leather and hints of Asian spice. Build intensity in the decanter. Poured back into bottle and served ~5 hours later at too high room temperature. Unfortunately, by that time this declined in appeal, adding balsamic and tarty notes. Palate, however, was fully intact with soft tannin, balance and a broad, lengthy finish. This started off at ~98 and well ahead of the 1983 I paired it with, but ended up still good a notch or two lower.
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For me always one of the weaker vintages of Grange - yet sill a good wine - this had a great body and finish, but the nose showed some VA and plastic. Others liked it better than me.
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1993 survey, or filling a hole with Chave (Chicago, IL): I think I liked this a lot more than most at the table. I do love my big wines. This has loads upon loads of American oak -- the empty glass smells like dill. But I really love the way that American oak integrates with the leathery black fruit here, and while the flavours seem to evoke leather, the texture is actually more satin than leather. Still very youthful with tons of gas left in the tank. Have to admit, these kinds of wines really hit the spot once in a while.
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Did not decant, opened this after drinking a few tremendous Napa cabs and this bottle was the favorite of everyone. Absolutely exceptional, does not get better than that.
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Nose: floral, coffee, burnt meat, raspberry, Notes: quite an amazing wine. I never had much enjoyment with Australian wines but the Grange 1993 was really one of a kind. With a fantastic nose that's comparable with Guigals La la la I would say this wine is quite complete in terms of its tasting profile. With almost everything you need from a good wine the Grange is a classic example of syrah/shiraz and is probably the ceiling of what a good shirza should demonstrate. Still not entirely at the same level of a good la landonne or la mouline but it's certainly up there. Still quite strong and should last for another 20 years. I've tried several vintages of Grange and this is by far one of the best ones, most other ones were either too fruit forward or lacks the depth and complexity. This 1993 was outstanding in all aspects. Drink: now- 2045 Rating: 92
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Part of a mini Grange vertical which included ‘85, ‘87 and ‘89. We think there might have been a bit of a custom blend with this and the ‘89 at some point so trying to stick to initial impressions. This started all brambly blackberry. Lots more fruit than the others. Still much too young and not quite completely integrated yet. But will be be lovely and very tasty today.
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Old, rich, brown, tootsie roll notes but not oxidized, fairly deep, especially the at the dregs of the bottom of the bottle! Really cool stuff although the '98, even though just 5 years its senior, was showing better and much fresher. M.Pole from BB
My first time to taste Grange. 86 syrah, 14 cab, this came from a pristine bottle, purchased at retail about 5 years prior. Cork, capsule and fill were all perfect. Decanted about 45 minutes then into Riedel Somm cabernet glasses.
The dominant note for me was mint. A composite of spearmint notes and fine oak, leading to a palate of almost over ripe, warm red and black fruit tones (strawberry, red plum) and raisin. Silty tannins leave a long finish. I came back to the last glass about 6 hours later and while the oak had faded, the fruit left on the midpalate is just massive. For my palate, this has many years to go..
In my tasting matrix, this was somewhere between the Two Hands Bella’s Garden series and Joseph Phelps Insignia. I felt the cab element was really forward, and in fact, there were really no typical Rhone syrah notes (no olive, black pepper, meat/bacon, lavender). So while fairly tasty, and grateful for the experience, I’ll trade for Chave Hermitage any day.
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Based on the reviews, I opened the ‘93 expecting to be disappointed.
The ‘93 is certainly not considered to be a great vintage for Grange and even the recently published 8th edition of Rewards of Patience is lukewarm.
The wine was decanted and consumed from 2 hours post decant over a 6 hour period.
I enjoyed watching the story of Max Schubert and a documentary about Peter Gago whilst I sipped.
The ‘93 is a great wine and whilst it has the highest Cabernet Sauvignon percentage in grange history at 14%, you surely can’t detect this on the nose or on the palate.
It’s dark and layered with lots of red and black fruits, some oak, some marzipan and oh so very long.
Finished on a high with each sip exceeding the previous sip and definitely at its best in the final glass rather than the first glass.
A great experience!!!
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Hmmmm. a pleasant Grange but not in the class of better vintages. Also annihilated by a young and decadent 1993 Basket Press. Others thought it was better I thought it was pleasant but simple, a bit green and boring, and probably past its best. Hutton Vale shirazes also consumed from 1998 and 1999 , so not much younger, on the table also annihilated it. I have a controversial and probably unfounded theory on Grange made between around 1987 and 2001. Despite the hype of 1990 and 1998 and other good vintages like 1994 and 1996 i have been consistently underwhelmed with this period of Grange. 1991 i have had several times and it doesn't do anything for me. 1994 is disappointing, 1996 is backward, tannic and unknown if it will reach the quality of 1976 or 1978 or even 1983 for example. 1990 is good but a little overrated and ready and 1998 is a lovely wine but ready to go and i think there are far better value wines. This period of grange just doesn't seem to have the passion, stuffing, the soul and structural richness and balls that many from 60's to early 80's had. And since Peter Gago took over I think they are returning to this level. OK so lets get it on the table, at the risk Cellartracker ban me, these are Duval era Granges and i know he is a fabulous winemaker but I'm not sure his granges will stand the test of time. For example would a 1990 grange be as amazing and ethereal and rich and decadent at 60 years of age as 1960 grange is now?? Would a 1998 grange be as stunning and laden with fruit and chocolate at 45 years of age like a 1976 is now? I just do not think so. So there you have it, each to your own. I love grange but it is overpriced and overrated sometimes and particularly in this period. stick with the 60's, 71, 76, 78, 82 ,83. 86 is still a question mark. i find it a bit green but better than its younger siblings. do i prepare my legal defense counsel now?
The solid cork was easily extracted, with only minimal seepage. One of the most enjoyable of the dozen or so Granges I have been fortunate enough to taste, topped only by a stellar 1998. Whereas as many of the others were lush and polished, with plenty of eucalyptus and mocha. This wine was savory and textured, with floral notes complementing the rich fruit. I perceived a lot of currant flavor in addition to the dark fruit notes. At peak, but should hold for at least fifteen more years.
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(Blind tasting BYO) Full, deep and very generously fruity nose, verging on the jammy. Cassis and ripe plum. Warm. Complex notes of nuts, spice and milk chocolate. But also minerally notes. Perhaps a bit volatile. Fullish, generous and rich palate. Warm with evident alcoholic heat. Plum and raisin. Mineral and sweet liquorice. Dense and with some development but lacks layers and complexity. Actually very hard to guess and place this wine. Not as parodic full-blown as prior Granges we have tasted. A fragrant style for the wine. But also perhaps a bit simple for the pedigree...
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Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: Made with 14% Cabernet. More fragrant than your typical Grange in a floral kind of way. There is still power on the nose that perhaps comes from the slightly higher dose of Cabernet in this vintage. There is also a creaminess on the palate but its not as good as they '92 and certainly can't hold a candle to the '91.
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First opening was very fruity/jammy. Welch's grape jam. This blew off rather quickly. Smooth, integrated, balanced. Very good. Finish was not as long as I had hoped but still a great wine.
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Opened and decanted and drank over the course of maybe 3 hours. I'm amazed at how young this still tastes. There's still the oak and a bit of the vanilla. It softened with time in the glass. Very intense. Lots of eucalyptus, darker fruits, pencil shavings. It's a very tasty wine. Will hold on our other bottles though.
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Amazing wine. Expected to be a bit over the hill, but oh, no! Nose of cherry, no browning at all. The fruit is beautifully balanced with tannins and acidity. It leaves one wishing for a bigger fortune and longer life.
Asian herbs, spice, sweet black currant on the nose. Palate was very complete with a perfect balance with fruit and power. Lovely layers that slowly unfolded in the glass. An excellent penfold shiraz that is starting to drink well with a long horizon ahead. Lots of stuffing wrapped in a silky body. 94+
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From the land down under - Q4 Wine Club (The Apt): Wine #14: I did not pick this as a Grange at all. Had down that it was very well balanced between the fruit and the savory. More herbal than a number of others. Decent tannin and I thought still quite young (you could not tell there were 24 years on this wine at all). Would prob have benefited from a decant. A very nice wine that was very enjoyable. (6 pennies)
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Big Meat and Serious Syrah on a gorgeous summer afternoon (Westport, CT): Clearly much younger than the 1970 Grange but also very nice - at this points my notes are getting less descriptive and I am left with the following - "Yummy!!, Black Fruits, Well Balanced" I am starting to appreciate why this group loves Grange - really special!
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Big Meat and Serious Syrah (Westport, CT): Drank next to the 1970 which made it clear that these really need more like 30+ years. It's just a baby. Lots of black fruits and lavender and eucalyptus and leather and all of that. The difference was more in the balance together and the brightness of the flavors. This will be a truly fantastic wine one day.
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Comes across as youthful still. Very rich with concentrated blueberry fruit, soft and well textured. Nice finish. A bit simple overall, was hoping to see some more complexity from this one.
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Another fantastic showing from this wine. Last bottle was two years ago. Decanted for about an hour. Color is opaque like previous bottles. Youthful, great balance of fruit, dried herbs, forest floor notes. Fully integrated tannins. I think its picked up some weight over the last several years ago. Stunning.
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Great nose from the beginning, opened but not decanted for 4hrs, excellent balance between fruit and structure, high expectations fully met, perfectly mature now and should stay at this level for another +/- 5 years
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Double decanted then slow oxed for four hours. Our impressions mirror many already expressed, albeit a bit more muted: dark red fruits, spice, earth, oak. For one of our guests the tannins were a bit obtrusive, so he used the "Clef du Vin" for 5 seconds and we all agreed that the tannins softened, and the wine became more rounded and balanced. The 93 rating is pre clef du vin; rating increased to 95 after use.
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Christmas-dinner with friends. Beautiful notes of black cherries, cassis, sweet spices, tobacco, leather and some earth. It's full-bodied and dense, but not over-the-top, has nice medium-high acidity providing freshness and medium- tannin that is very silky. Even if it is undoubtedly new world, it has a very classic sense of balance and harmony. Perfectly mature now and so much fun to drink.
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Weihnachtsfeier mit den Keller Dreck-ern (Zurich): Whuhawhow !!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!!! That's f*****g shit a very good wine! Das ist einfach gross, johannisbeerig, aber eben nicht marmeladig, nicht picksüss sondern tief und lakritzig erhaben. Ein wirklich grosser Wein!
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Zachys Holiday Auction - Winter 2015 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): I could have been happy just smelling this wine all day. It's got this alluring moss and spice and maybe hints of fruit. But tasting it isn't so bad either - eucalyptus, cigar box, dark fruit, and spring (yes spring - like life coming together). It's just straight up spectacular. The Colgin gave this a run for its money as WOTD, but this might have just edged. It was delicious and possibly responsible for some late auction Grange purchases.
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Zachy's Wine Auction - Winter 2014 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Grange continues to be my king of wine. After tasting this one it was clear why every lot of it @ the Zachy's auction was going for much higher than even what I'd found as market rates. Blackberry, brambles, this just stunning pepperiness. I wrote in my notes 'how can you not worship this wine?' and I think that still holds. It is partially accountable for the purchase of the '82 we made later in the day.
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Translucent crimson. Very dark, plummy core, with anise and cedar overtones. A little stewed/overripe berry character in the mouth. Texturally at peak--the tannins are no longer astringent, but bind the wine to the tongue for an extremely lengthy finish. This isn't my preferred fruit profile, but it's definitely a fine wine.
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Decanted over 1.5 hours. Blackcurrent. Plum. Silky tannins. Cinnamon. Complex and beautifully balanced. Different layers emerging over the 3 hours of tasting this bottle.
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1993 Double Blind Horizontal (Chris'): Double blind. Ruby color. Wow, gorgeous big lifted aromas of red and black fruit, with eucalyptus, mint and vanilla notes. Palate shows young with youthful, round black fruit and integrated american oak notes of dill and mint. Fresh with a long finish. Surprised to see this is a 20 year old wine!
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Double Blind 1993s From Around the World (Hughes House - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind in what turned out to be a flight of 1993s. Dense black fruit, huge spice, lots of dill and eucalyptus. Sweet tannins with dense black fruit. Seemed much younger than a '93, so lots of upside from here.
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In a great night with good friends and bottles of '90 Lafite, '97 Ridge Monte Bello, and '05 Cayuse Bionic Frog, the Grange held its ground. Both the Lafite and Grange were WOTN.
I've had the '93 Grange a couple of years ago from the same purchase. This showing was even better than the first bottle. Decanted for about an hour and a half, the nose had an intense raspberry liquer, sweet cherries, eucalyptus, and vanilla. On the palate, the fruit and spice mixes well with the fine, silky tannin. Definitely heavier than the '90 Lafite but everything was in balance.
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Dinner at the White House (Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong): Decanted for 12 hours before serving...... worryingly crumbled cork and lean, thin acidic taste on opening, but that's not unusual for a Grange of this or older vintages. Deep black-red opaque colour just lightening to watery transparency at the extreme edge of the glass. Nose is uber-concentrated blackcurrant, warm eucalyptus tree and Koala bear shit....a superb shitty element.....new bicycle tyres....warm fresh-laid black ashphalt (that also made me remember red ashphalt driveways which were popular with our wealthier neighbours in my childhood). Yep, it's got that classic Grange complexity and mesmeric element and we haven't even tasted it yet. Palate is perfect-poised black and red ashphalt...red berries, Chinese small red dates.....with a drying red dates finish. Huuuge resonance and reverberance on the finish. Lovely....... for all of us, it significantly beat the preceding Ch. Lynch Bages 1989 in terms of complexity and sheer enjoyment. Actually, I was enjoying it too much to even think to compare it to older Granges.
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Dark garnet ruby. Chocolate malt, dried fig and minty cedar make a rather exotic impression on the nose and are further complimented by balsamic-drenched raspberries and smoky graphite in the mouth. The tannin is now fully evolved and the wine is at the ultimate of its peak and should be drunk now and within the next 3 years (until 2013).
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Farewell Runny....at least for now! (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 2/F, Garden East, 222 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong): Dense purple-red colour just lightening slightly at the meniscus. Nose is very closed...new cycle tyre rubber...hard to coax much out. Oddly, the palate is then much more open than the preceding Grange 1995...more rounded, plummy, fleshy plums,some plum stone, sweetness, distinct fresh-ground nutmeg....followed by a growling and growing resonance of slowly-advancing thunder. WOW!......the finale just builds and keeps building. This wine is a work in progress but I am transported.......it has huge potential to develop more over the next 10+ years.
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Another New Year's Eve with Grange, this is my last bottle of 93, based on my experience last year I did NOT decant but rather let it breathe in my Riedel Sommelier glass over the course of the evening. Sweet cherries and oak on the nose with some heat on the palate. Medium finish. Seemed a bit tired and soft. Not the usual Grange power. Disappointing. Clearly on the downside. I bought this bottle in January 2009 from a reputable wine dealer but not 100% sure of the entire provenance for this bottle. Maybe that is the problem as it seems many of the other notes indicate a much better experience with the 93.
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It's hard to give a numerical number when it is the first experience. Expectations were high given the name. Opened and poured into a decanter and let it sat for about an hour. While pouring, the aromas smelled delicious with baked red and blue fruits and sweet spices. Very youthful inky color. Medium-to-full bodied. This was smooth and fresh with just a bit of tannins and oak on the finish.
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This showed best after 2 hours of air. Medium-dark but looking a bit advanced, almost garnet at the rim. Classic Grange eucalyptus and oak on the nose, along with sweet Chambord, bacon fat, and buttery tawny notes. On the palate, the intense wood is less elegant than usual, over a core of sweet berry fruit. Fine tannins and juicy acidity, almost sour. Alcohol in balance but somewhat bitter. Unusually stemmy, tart finish. Lots going on here, an atypical Grange or off bottle, with its sweet-sour profile. I would like to try this again in 5 years.
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Nez d'eucalyptus et de cassis, qui me fait davantage penser à du Cabernet qu'à la Syrah. Profil aromatique assez Nouveau monde, en pur aveugle j'aurais probablement identifité un Cali Cab ou même chilien de haut calibre. Le vin est parfaitement intégré selon moi, avec des tanins bien intégrés et une belle finesse en bouche qui contrebalance le nez plus banal.
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Smells and tastes like it's two years old. preposterous. I think someone may have siphoned off the original wine and filled the bottle up with this but there are no marks on the cork. I must be going mad in my dotage. for those that care: Black fruit, vanilla, leather and black pepper dominate accompanied by a lush back drop of greenness on the nose...Huge wine in the mouth, not jammy just massive, high acidity and medium tannin, a finish that just doesn't quit. How can a wine this old taste this youthful. Under cork (which is in good condition) as well. I'll leave the 96 for my retirement...
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Aussie Gems (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): This is a very young 18 year old wine, but quite a delicious one. The nose sporting cassis, blackberry, blueberry, eucalyptus, with hints of brighter red cherry fruit, baking spice, and touches of cedar, leather and campfire. There is evident tannin that is yet to resolve, but I still found the wine to be fairly expressive. On the palate, there is substantial tannic structure with less in the way of secondary notes. I found primarily dark blue and black fruits with just hints of tobacco, meat drippings and leather. Long finish and complex finish, but evident tannin giving this some room to grow. I would love to revisit this in 10 more years, lots of potential for improvement when this is fully mature.
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Australian Gem Tasting (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): Let me start off saying this, this WILL be a great wine. Is it a great wine today? No. Just far too young. Incredibly dense nose of black fruit, rich spice and meat. The palate had a lot of class to it with subtle cassis, hints of black cherry, leather, subtle cherry tobacco, and animal hide. Sadly, these flavors were hopelessly woven together so tightly that they only peaked out from behind their massive wall of tannin. I think that this wine had the composition to land in the 93-96 range (for my palate).
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Pretty good stuff. Amazingly young tasting for an 18-year old bottle, but such is to be expected with Grange. This wine would have benefited from a decant of about an hour because it steadily improved over the course of 3 hours. Initially there were tart fruit notes (cherry mainly) that overshadowed the blueberry and blackberry core. These came into balance over time, and the whole thing is wrapped in fine tannins that indicate there is plenty of life left in this (I'd say 3-5 years at this level). It wasn't as complex as I would have guessed based on the last bottle (5 years ago) but it is maturing nicely. (PE: 90)
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Carrying on my NYE tradition of Grange, decanted for 2 hours, the wine improved over the evening, typical Grange, dark purple out of the bottle, great complexity, strong berries on the nose, 30 second finish was amazing, some cherries as well, slightly more acidic than usual Grange, based on other Grange years I would say this wine has peaked, go ahead and drink any 93s you have been saving for that special day, I would suggest at least a 4 hour decant, still not as good as the 2001 which is my favorite all time Grange
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Chocolate, herbs, mint, blackberries and Stilton cheese in the nose which sounds disgusting but it is actually really good as the Stilton is not dominating. Bold in the palate with some chestnuts. Long finish. It is a good wine but not one of my favorite Grange vintages.
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NC Cindy Tasting. Amazingly dark when poured into the decanter, we vigorously swirled for 45 minutes or so, then gave this a whirl. On the nose, this is spicy cherries. Unlike the Sassicaia we opened just prior, this wine did smell like kirsch, along with cinnamon and a touch of clove. Just tremendous fruits on the nose, but also some underlying caramel. On the palate, this wine opens with cherries and then just takes off with layers of tons of red fruits - cherries, raspberries, red currant. At the same time, there are blackberry and plum notes, as well. As the mid-palate intensifies, layers of kale, allspice and pine needle or fir tree are all present. The finish is huge, lasting for 60 seconds easily, and revealing secondary layers of smoked meat and a mineral core. This wine just continues to develop over time. The complexity is amazing. This wine certainly does have the wow factor - it may be the best wine I've ever had. It is almost a shame to take this wine off my bucket list, since I'm not sure how else I can justify buying one at modern prices. I can certainly see why this is the wine that put Australia on the oenological map. Just fabulous! I am honored to be one of a very small group for whom this was opened. Thanks, Bill.
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Christmas Dinner 2009. Opened and double decanted 6 hours prior to drinking. -5 for value as per my modification on the ratings in protest over investor-driven price hikes! Typical, if less well known, Grange vintage. Dark red/purple colour starting to fade to brick at the edges. Nose of mocha, leather, white pepper and cloves. Palate retains its austere tannic backbone after 17 years in the bottle, but the lingering cherry, raisins, blackberry and mocha flesh it out so as to bring it into perfect balance. Long, lingering red fruit and light acid finish. Supremely elegant wine, drinking at its peak. Pity about the price!
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BD wine. Signs of aging with a brick outer robe. It closely resembles a brownish amber color. Earthy aromas include olives, dried currant, port, mint, hints of red berry spice. It keeps changing. Medium full body with defined acid and a bold structure. Velvet on the palate and meaningful this juice has drive and ambition. Like a lean prize fighter (float like a butterfly, sting like a bee). Concentrated with layers and layers of earth, mushrooms, cigar tobacco, truffles, bitter cocoa, coffee bean, black currant, mint, traces of red fruit with a very lengthy finish. Excellent fruit to earth ratio. Decanted for about three hours to perfection. This really lives up to it's reputation. A treasure!
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Opaque, port like appearance, a wonderful complex nose of layer after layer of syrah highlights, wow, what a mouthful, you felt your tongues was being covered with different layers of fruit and spice, complex, 0ne minute aftertaste
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** Color: Dark Purple with light bricking at the edges Smell: Plum with a light floral scent Taste: Very elegant with some plum, cedar, tobacco a little mineral and a creamy taste - almost tropical. Finish: Lon smooth lingering finish with tannins well integrated.
Just a lovely bottle of wine. This is singing right now, not a fruit bomb with some fruit in the background but a complex well integrate flavor.
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Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): Soft and advanced. Milk chocolate, dried cherries, brown sugar and prunes. Seems to lack the vigor I would expect, perhaps a bit oxidized? Still quite enjoyable.
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I think I just opened a bottle of "whoop-ass"! Bursting with big, deep, pure, brawny flavors of blackberry, licorice, tar and oak with just a hint of pepper. Massively concentrated, with a lush mouthfeel and a long, slightly acidic finish. Rich blackberry, tobacco and oak nose. Balanced, but with a lot of roughness around the edges. Nothing subtle about this bottle, it still has the elemental power of a barrel sample right now. This will be a 95+ wine in 5-10 years.
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White Truffle Dinner (Chez Patrick Sun Street, Hong Kong): Black, black inpenetrable colour. Nose of new black bicycle tyres and warming tar roads in spring, with just a touch of hard black fruits starting to show through. Likewise, it is all very primary on the palate but very, very deep and pure indeed. It will be incredible when it grows up but it needs at least 10 years, I think.
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Decanted for a few hours before opening, this wine was deep, dark purple in colour - almost black. On the nose I found aromas of jammy dark fruits and a little smoke. The palate showed less primary fruit, and more earthy, vegetal characters and more acidicty than I was expecting. I think this vintage has peaked.
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Deep ruby/black. Had hints of amber in the rim. On the nose, a rather high-toned wine: red currents, leather, fresh hay. Seemed a tiny bit stewed but not to the point of being unpleasant. Mature flavors, at any rate, with deep fruit and a medium-length finish. A touch hot.
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Made from 86% Shiraz (Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley) and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra) the '93 Grange was matured in 100% new American oak for 18 months. We decanted about an hour before opening. Deep, dark purple in colour I found aromas of dark fruits, cigar box and a hint of liquorice on the nose. The palate is rich and shows good plum fruit character, wood and a slight spiciness. Well matured. Well integrated tannins. Soft and drinkable. Excellent!
This was my reward for finally learning how to ski!
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Spanish Inquisition at Brad England's House: My first Grange. We all smelled this in the decanter and were amazed at how good it smelled. It was as if someone had filled the decanter with freshly sliced black truffles. Amazing. Opaque black/purple in color. On the nose I got truffle, black olive, licorice and prune. On the palate this gave black fruit and licorice. A big wine, but well balanced. Good length. As the wine sat in the glass it changed significantly. It developed an undesirable sur maturite/stewed fruit profile on the nose and the taste that made it hard to enjoy (especially given all the other wines Brad was opening). I'm not sure what happened here, but it was a real treat to taste a Grange.
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Weekday Pizza Night at Brad's (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Nose of black truffles, soy, and balsamic. A touch of dill pickle/American oak. Rich black fruits, ripe blackberry fruit, and licorice. Still youthful, with grippy tannins on the finish. With an hour of air time in the glass, turned increasingly Port-like and pruney.
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This seems to be just entering it's drinking window, where it should stay for a long time. Big, but balanced, with a surprising elegance to it. Much more my style of wine that the bigger/riper vintages of Grange that I have had, like the '95 and '98. I would buy this again at the price I paid on release, but definitely not at what it's currently going for.
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Could easily be a 3-5 year old wine. Cherry and bluberry, with kirsch and some menthol on the nose. Perfume-y. Mouthcoating flavors, but a very elegant texture, with dark, dark fruits and fine, fine tannins. Surprisingly variable over the course of drinking, sometimes being very fruit forward, sometimes being more reticent. An excellent wine from a less-than-perfect vintage.
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Color is medium garnet with some lightening at the rim. The nose shows an intriguing mix of spiced plum, beef bouillion, and a lighter, almost floral, element. On the palate, plum and mild blackberry predominate at the fore, with an almost tropical undercurrent. Tannins are beautifully integrated and acidity is in check. A beautiful wine that puts the lie to the belief of many that Australia cannot produce subtle, elegant, ageworthy wines. Thanks to Bill Wood for bringing this WOTN.
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Seattle Tasting Group does Aussie Shiraz (Bellevue, WA): Big, plummy, overripe and roasted with a smell of almsot rotten fruit. It reminds me a bit of a Clarendon Grenache although with some brett. The palate is spicy with some pepper and then a simply massive wall of tannins and fruit. It is a bit astringent, but there is something to like here.
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Tasted at Michael's. My WOTN! Very ripe, definately not like the other wines served with this. Ersure, bananna, overripe torpical fruits. A lovely nose, very intoxicating. Drinking very well.
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Seattle Tasting Group does older Northern Rhône reds (Bellevue, WA, USA): Another ringer. The dominant element on the nose is a high-pitched violet. The nose is hyperripe with roasted plum, very intense and pungent. The palate is exotically ripe with banana, tar, and blackberry. The finish shows intense structure, a little searing almost. I knew this was a different animal, but I never would have guessed this was Australian. However, the very floral nose and different character led me to write this in my notes: "Is this really old world?? I don't think so or it will be a surprise." Cool ringer and very impressive wine!
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Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1994 Harlan (NYC): Super intense "essense" of berries and spice on the nose. Purried cassis on the palate, great extract, yet not heavy. Tannic, but surprisingly accessable due to the silky nature of the tannins. A blockbuster wine.
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dense, backwards dark black fruits - tight US oak in the background - has a touch of the almost clinical blackberry over ripeness that the best Hermitage possess. Great in the mouth - sur maturite, sweetness, candied blackberries. Super rich and concentrated - a special wine. An Aussie version (US oak) of a Hermitage from a good/excellent year.
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3/17/2024 - Topper wrote: 95 Points
Bought by a friend in Australia in the 90scand testing ever since in his cellar in the US. Double decanted 4 hr before serving and that was just right. Big with blue fruits, tons of grip, and emerging complexity, this was a big hit at the table. Good for at least ten more years.
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2/10/2024 - 89grange wrote: flawed
Disappointed
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1/6/2024 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Bros: A Study of Syrah (Cowford Chophouse): A Grange with one of the highest levels of Cabernet in it (always some but usually low single digits, this is close to 15%). It’s a wine that really needs a lot of time and air. We opened and put it through the Lennar and double-decanted and tried to give it as much as possible before rebottling and then still poured it before the first course was served so that it had some more time. All well worth it. The wine was good and it was good from the first sip. Very classic style of Grange. Lots of eucalyptus and black fruits and maybe a bit of tea and there’s sweetness and spice and so much going on. Officially not really ready and I can’t wait to see what it is in 20 more years given how the 70’s are going but still a treat to get to try.
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1/6/2024 - Papies wrote: 96 Points
The Return to the Ledbury (The Ledbury, London): Dare we say we finally found a Grange that has evolved beyond the fruit phase?
Indeed this was it and felt like a softer, lighter vintage result which ( similar to 90s Napa) Well secondary, soft smoky, leathery almost and with soft spice . Well evolved beauty and a joy and nice to see it with low alcohol level too ( 13.5%) .96 easy
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7/14/2023 - Isaac D wrote:
Garnet in colour. Leather, mushrooms, touch of blackberries. Tannis still omnipresent. Medium finish. 92
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5/19/2023 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Richter Pre-Gaming Night (w/ some new world icons): Two Granges side by side. The 1983 (97pts) again showed highly complex, almost perfect precision and superb purity. If we could have followed the wine longer, it could have been even better (had a 99pts bottle last year). The 1993 (95pts) was not far behind with the same complexity and purity but 10 years younger, still with a bit more muscular structure and feel and some chemical/anis notes which you have to like.
TN: Slightly chemical nose, then herbs, anis. With time better and purerx On the palate much better, high toned red fruit, lots of ripe dark fruit, minerality, herbs, minty notes, again anis and spices. Very complex and layered. Highly precise. No faulty notes. Round but still very powerful but so round and sexy.
Decanting: I would decant for 5-6 hours. These Granges need a lot of air.
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5/6/2023 - Grangelady Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had all the Grange characteristics that I like so much - drank well right out of the bottle - no need for decanting. Shared it at dinner with friends and was up against some other fabulous wines including 2007 chateau Montelena Estate; 2009 Matriarch. To me the Grange was the best of the wines, but I admit to being a bit biased. The bottom line is that it drinks well and will be good for years to come. I am glad I have more in my locker.
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5/5/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Prelude to the annual Magnum Rarities Tasting in Zurich. Decanted for 2h which worked well (double-decant absolutely required). Initially a intricate and detailed profile of dark cherry, bramble berry, sweet pipe tobacco, scorched earth, leather and hints of Asian spice. Build intensity in the decanter. Poured back into bottle and served ~5 hours later at too high room temperature. Unfortunately, by that time this declined in appeal, adding balsamic and tarty notes. Palate, however, was fully intact with soft tannin, balance and a broad, lengthy finish. This started off at ~98 and well ahead of the 1983 I paired it with, but ended up still good a notch or two lower.
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5/5/2023 - G_H wrote: 91 Points
For me always one of the weaker vintages of Grange - yet sill a good wine - this had a great body and finish, but the nose showed some VA and plastic. Others liked it better than me.
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3/14/2023 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
1993 survey, or filling a hole with Chave (Chicago, IL): I think I liked this a lot more than most at the table. I do love my big wines. This has loads upon loads of American oak -- the empty glass smells like dill. But I really love the way that American oak integrates with the leathery black fruit here, and while the flavours seem to evoke leather, the texture is actually more satin than leather. Still very youthful with tons of gas left in the tank. Have to admit, these kinds of wines really hit the spot once in a while.
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12/31/2022 - popasq Likes this wine: 100 Points
Did not decant, opened this after drinking a few tremendous Napa cabs and this bottle was the favorite of everyone. Absolutely exceptional, does not get better than that.
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12/5/2022 - TWSA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose: floral, coffee, burnt meat, raspberry,
Notes: quite an amazing wine. I never had much enjoyment with Australian wines but the Grange 1993 was really one of a kind. With a fantastic nose that's comparable with Guigals La la la I would say this wine is quite complete in terms of its tasting profile. With almost everything you need from a good wine the Grange is a classic example of syrah/shiraz and is probably the ceiling of what a good shirza should demonstrate. Still not entirely at the same level of a good la landonne or la mouline but it's certainly up there. Still quite strong and should last for another 20 years. I've tried several vintages of Grange and this is by far one of the best ones, most other ones were either too fruit forward or lacks the depth and complexity. This 1993 was outstanding in all aspects.
Drink: now- 2045
Rating: 92
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12/4/2022 - popasq Likes this wine: 98 Points
Did not decant, this was exceptional
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10/14/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Part of a mini Grange vertical which included ‘85, ‘87 and ‘89. We think there might have been a bit of a custom blend with this and the ‘89 at some point so trying to stick to initial impressions. This started all brambly blackberry. Lots more fruit than the others. Still much too young and not quite completely integrated yet. But will be be lovely and very tasty today.
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9/10/2021 - peternelson Likes this wine: 93 Points
Old, rich, brown, tootsie roll notes but not oxidized, fairly deep, especially the at the dregs of the bottom of the bottle! Really cool stuff although the '98, even though just 5 years its senior, was showing better and much fresher. M.Pole from BB
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5/29/2021 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
My first time to taste Grange. 86 syrah, 14 cab, this came from a pristine bottle, purchased at retail about 5 years prior. Cork, capsule and fill were all perfect. Decanted about 45 minutes then into Riedel Somm cabernet glasses.
The dominant note for me was mint. A composite of spearmint notes and fine oak, leading to a palate of almost over ripe, warm red and black fruit tones (strawberry, red plum) and raisin. Silty tannins leave a long finish. I came back to the last glass about 6 hours later and while the oak had faded, the fruit left on the midpalate is just massive. For my palate, this has many years to go..
In my tasting matrix, this was somewhere between the Two Hands Bella’s Garden series and Joseph Phelps Insignia. I felt the cab element was really forward, and in fact, there were really no typical Rhone syrah notes (no olive, black pepper, meat/bacon, lavender). So while fairly tasty, and grateful for the experience, I’ll trade for Chave Hermitage any day.
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5/26/2021 - PJM0208 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Based on the reviews, I opened the ‘93 expecting to be disappointed.
The ‘93 is certainly not considered to be a great vintage for Grange and even the recently published 8th edition of Rewards of Patience is lukewarm.
The wine was decanted and consumed from 2 hours post decant over a 6 hour period.
I enjoyed watching the story of Max Schubert and a documentary about Peter Gago whilst I sipped.
The ‘93 is a great wine and whilst it has the highest Cabernet Sauvignon percentage in grange history at 14%, you surely can’t detect this on the nose or on the palate.
It’s dark and layered with lots of red and black fruits, some oak, some marzipan and oh so very long.
Finished on a high with each sip exceeding the previous sip and definitely at its best in the final glass rather than the first glass.
A great experience!!!
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5/5/2021 - yodamark Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Hmmmm. a pleasant Grange but not in the class of better vintages. Also annihilated by a young and decadent 1993 Basket Press. Others thought it was better I thought it was pleasant but simple, a bit green and boring, and probably past its best. Hutton Vale shirazes also consumed from 1998 and 1999 , so not much younger, on the table also annihilated it. I have a controversial and probably unfounded theory on Grange made between around 1987 and 2001. Despite the hype of 1990 and 1998 and other good vintages like 1994 and 1996 i have been consistently underwhelmed with this period of Grange. 1991 i have had several times and it doesn't do anything for me. 1994 is disappointing, 1996 is backward, tannic and unknown if it will reach the quality of 1976 or 1978 or even 1983 for example. 1990 is good but a little overrated and ready and 1998 is a lovely wine but ready to go and i think there are far better value wines. This period of grange just doesn't seem to have the passion, stuffing, the soul and structural richness and balls that many from 60's to early 80's had. And since Peter Gago took over I think they are returning to this level. OK so lets get it on the table, at the risk Cellartracker ban me, these are Duval era Granges and i know he is a fabulous winemaker but I'm not sure his granges will stand the test of time. For example would a 1990 grange be as amazing and ethereal and rich and decadent at 60 years of age as 1960 grange is now?? Would a 1998 grange be as stunning and laden with fruit and chocolate at 45 years of age like a 1976 is now? I just do not think so. So there you have it, each to your own. I love grange but it is overpriced and overrated sometimes and particularly in this period. stick with the 60's, 71, 76, 78, 82 ,83. 86 is still a question mark. i find it a bit green but better than its younger siblings.
do i prepare my legal defense counsel now?
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3/5/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 95 Points
The solid cork was easily extracted, with only minimal seepage. One of the most enjoyable of the dozen or so Granges I have been fortunate enough to taste, topped only by a stellar 1998. Whereas as many of the others were lush and polished, with plenty of eucalyptus and mocha. This wine was savory and textured, with floral notes complementing the rich fruit. I perceived a lot of currant flavor in addition to the dark fruit notes. At peak, but should hold for at least fifteen more years.
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12/14/2020 - apg23 Likes this wine: 92 Points
First time I have tasted PG. I liked it - smooth and just the right amount bite. This has matured nicely.
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10/16/2020 - Argrath wrote: 93 Points
(Blind tasting BYO)
Full, deep and very generously fruity nose, verging on the jammy. Cassis and ripe plum. Warm. Complex notes of nuts, spice and milk chocolate. But also minerally notes. Perhaps a bit volatile.
Fullish, generous and rich palate. Warm with evident alcoholic heat. Plum and raisin. Mineral and sweet liquorice. Dense and with some development but lacks layers and complexity.
Actually very hard to guess and place this wine. Not as parodic full-blown as prior Granges we have tasted. A fragrant style for the wine. But also perhaps a bit simple for the pedigree...
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8/22/2019 - KoalaHK wrote:
Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: Made with 14% Cabernet. More fragrant than your typical Grange in a floral kind of way. There is still power on the nose that perhaps comes from the slightly higher dose of Cabernet in this vintage. There is also a creaminess on the palate but its not as good as they '92 and certainly can't hold a candle to the '91.
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6/29/2019 - Zingrrl Likes this wine: 92 Points
First opening was very fruity/jammy. Welch's grape jam. This blew off rather quickly. Smooth, integrated, balanced. Very good. Finish was not as long as I had hoped but still a great wine.
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2/10/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted and drank over the course of maybe 3 hours. I'm amazed at how young this still tastes. There's still the oak and a bit of the vanilla. It softened with time in the glass. Very intense. Lots of eucalyptus, darker fruits, pencil shavings. It's a very tasty wine. Will hold on our other bottles though.
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11/28/2018 - G_H wrote: 94 Points
Stunning showing, elegant yet opulent but not rich if that makes any sense. Classic Grange but in a slightly lighter style. Great!
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9/24/2018 - Rwsmith5 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazing wine. Expected to be a bit over the hill, but oh, no! Nose of cherry, no browning at all. The fruit is beautifully balanced with tannins and acidity. It leaves one wishing for a bigger fortune and longer life.
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5/28/2018 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Asian herbs, spice, sweet black currant on the nose. Palate was very complete with a perfect balance with fruit and power. Lovely layers that slowly unfolded in the glass. An excellent penfold shiraz that is starting to drink well with a long horizon ahead. Lots of stuffing wrapped in a silky body. 94+
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11/18/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
From the land down under - Q4 Wine Club (The Apt): Wine #14: I did not pick this as a Grange at all. Had down that it was very well balanced between the fruit and the savory. More herbal than a number of others. Decent tannin and I thought still quite young (you could not tell there were 24 years on this wine at all). Would prob have benefited from a decant. A very nice wine that was very enjoyable. (6 pennies)
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7/29/2017 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Big Meat and Serious Syrah on a gorgeous summer afternoon (Westport, CT): Clearly much younger than the 1970 Grange but also very nice - at this points my notes are getting less descriptive and I am left with the following - "Yummy!!, Black Fruits, Well Balanced" I am starting to appreciate why this group loves Grange - really special!
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7/29/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Big Meat and Serious Syrah (Westport, CT): Drank next to the 1970 which made it clear that these really need more like 30+ years. It's just a baby. Lots of black fruits and lavender and eucalyptus and leather and all of that. The difference was more in the balance together and the brightness of the flavors. This will be a truly fantastic wine one day.
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4/13/2017 - Bavey Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drinking well, needs air, & then opens into a truely fabulous claret: berries and long long finish.
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3/31/2017 - SonnyChiba wrote: 91 Points
Comes across as youthful still. Very rich with concentrated blueberry fruit, soft and well textured. Nice finish. A bit simple overall, was hoping to see some more complexity from this one.
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3/8/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: flawed
Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): There was something off with this bottle. It wasn't corked, but, it wasn't right
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2/11/2017 - DoubleD1969 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Another fantastic showing from this wine. Last bottle was two years ago. Decanted for about an hour. Color is opaque like previous bottles. Youthful, great balance of fruit, dried herbs, forest floor notes. Fully integrated tannins. I think its picked up some weight over the last several years ago. Stunning.
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2/3/2017 - wineguy75 wrote: 95 Points
1hr decant. Nose amazing. Tart black cherry. Back end of drinking window.
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9/2/2016 - DrZett wrote: 93 Points
Great vertical Grange tasting (Rare-Bordeaux-Weine, Wachtberg (Germany)): Eight vintage of 10 in vertical Grange tasting.
Still very present an satisfying with a lot of power. Has some more years to go but won't make it good into the far future. Drink up now or until 2018.
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12/28/2015 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great nose from the beginning, opened but not decanted for 4hrs, excellent balance between fruit and structure, high expectations fully met, perfectly mature now and should stay at this level for another +/- 5 years
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12/25/2015 - VlgJeff wrote: 93 Points
Double decanted then slow oxed for four hours. Our impressions mirror many already expressed, albeit a bit more muted: dark red fruits, spice, earth, oak. For one of our guests the tannins were a bit obtrusive, so he used the "Clef du Vin" for 5 seconds and we all agreed that the tannins softened, and the wine became more rounded and balanced. The 93 rating is pre clef du vin; rating increased to 95 after use.
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12/18/2015 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Christmas-dinner with friends. Beautiful notes of black cherries, cassis, sweet spices, tobacco, leather and some earth. It's full-bodied and dense, but not over-the-top, has nice medium-high acidity providing freshness and medium- tannin that is very silky. Even if it is undoubtedly new world, it has a very classic sense of balance and harmony. Perfectly mature now and so much fun to drink.
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12/17/2015 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 95 Points
Weihnachtsfeier mit den Keller Dreck-ern (Zurich): Whuhawhow !!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
That's f*****g shit a very good wine!
Das ist einfach gross, johannisbeerig, aber eben nicht marmeladig, nicht picksüss sondern tief und lakritzig erhaben. Ein wirklich grosser Wein!
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12/5/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachys Holiday Auction - Winter 2015 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): I could have been happy just smelling this wine all day. It's got this alluring moss and spice and maybe hints of fruit. But tasting it isn't so bad either - eucalyptus, cigar box, dark fruit, and spring (yes spring - like life coming together). It's just straight up spectacular. The Colgin gave this a run for its money as WOTD, but this might have just edged. It was delicious and possibly responsible for some late auction Grange purchases.
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12/20/2014 - dlcass Likes this wine: 97 Points
At Jerry's party. Amazing experience. Subtle, balanced, bordeaux-like with notes of petrol, cardamon.
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12/5/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachy's Wine Auction - Winter 2014 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Grange continues to be my king of wine. After tasting this one it was clear why every lot of it @ the Zachy's auction was going for much higher than even what I'd found as market rates. Blackberry, brambles, this just stunning pepperiness. I wrote in my notes 'how can you not worship this wine?' and I think that still holds. It is partially accountable for the purchase of the '82 we made later in the day.
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8/17/2014 - cooberp Likes this wine: 91 Points
Translucent crimson. Very dark, plummy core, with anise and cedar overtones. A little stewed/overripe berry character in the mouth. Texturally at peak--the tannins are no longer astringent, but bind the wine to the tongue for an extremely lengthy finish. This isn't my preferred fruit profile, but it's definitely a fine wine.
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11/30/2013 - Cigar nuke Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted over 1.5 hours. Blackcurrent. Plum. Silky tannins. Cinnamon. Complex and beautifully balanced. Different layers emerging over the 3 hours of tasting this bottle.
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11/25/2013 - Nanda wrote:
1993 Double Blind Horizontal (Chris'): Double blind. Ruby color. Wow, gorgeous big lifted aromas of red and black fruit, with eucalyptus, mint and vanilla notes. Palate shows young with youthful, round black fruit and integrated american oak notes of dill and mint. Fresh with a long finish. Surprised to see this is a 20 year old wine!
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11/25/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Double Blind 1993s From Around the World (Hughes House - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind in what turned out to be a flight of 1993s. Dense black fruit, huge spice, lots of dill and eucalyptus. Sweet tannins with dense black fruit. Seemed much younger than a '93, so lots of upside from here.
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5/11/2013 - DoubleD1969 Likes this wine: 96 Points
In a great night with good friends and bottles of '90 Lafite, '97 Ridge Monte Bello, and '05 Cayuse Bionic Frog, the Grange held its ground. Both the Lafite and Grange were WOTN.
I've had the '93 Grange a couple of years ago from the same purchase. This showing was even better than the first bottle. Decanted for about an hour and a half, the nose had an intense raspberry liquer, sweet cherries, eucalyptus, and vanilla. On the palate, the fruit and spice mixes well with the fine, silky tannin. Definitely heavier than the '90 Lafite but everything was in balance.
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4/12/2013 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner at the White House (Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong): Decanted for 12 hours before serving...... worryingly crumbled cork and lean, thin acidic taste on opening, but that's not unusual for a Grange of this or older vintages. Deep black-red opaque colour just lightening to watery transparency at the extreme edge of the glass. Nose is uber-concentrated blackcurrant, warm eucalyptus tree and Koala bear shit....a superb shitty element.....new bicycle tyres....warm fresh-laid black ashphalt (that also made me remember red ashphalt driveways which were popular with our wealthier neighbours in my childhood). Yep, it's got that classic Grange complexity and mesmeric element and we haven't even tasted it yet. Palate is perfect-poised black and red ashphalt...red berries, Chinese small red dates.....with a drying red dates finish. Huuuge resonance and reverberance on the finish. Lovely....... for all of us, it significantly beat the preceding Ch. Lynch Bages 1989 in terms of complexity and sheer enjoyment. Actually, I was enjoying it too much to even think to compare it to older Granges.
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2/1/2013 - CamWheeler wrote: 91 Points
Seppelt (Colin Preece) Sparkling Burgundy, 2x100yo Seppelt Paras and many more! (Sydney, Australia): 86% Shiraz and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackcurrant, plum, vanilla and cinnamon aromas. Palate has good powerful fruit and very good length, but the depth of a top Grange isn't quite there. Drinking well now and over the next 5 years.
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10/18/2012 - Julia7ich wrote: 90 Points
Dark garnet ruby. Chocolate malt, dried fig and minty cedar make a rather exotic impression on the nose and are further complimented by balsamic-drenched raspberries and smoky graphite in the mouth. The tannin is now fully evolved and the wine is at the ultimate of its peak and should be drunk now and within the next 3 years (until 2013).
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5/4/2012 - Goldstone wrote: 95 Points
Farewell Runny....at least for now! (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 2/F, Garden East, 222 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong): Dense purple-red colour just lightening slightly at the meniscus. Nose is very closed...new cycle tyre rubber...hard to coax much out. Oddly, the palate is then much more open than the preceding Grange 1995...more rounded, plummy, fleshy plums,some plum stone, sweetness, distinct fresh-ground nutmeg....followed by a growling and growing resonance of slowly-advancing thunder. WOW!......the finale just builds and keeps building. This wine is a work in progress but I am transported.......it has huge potential to develop more over the next 10+ years.
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4/8/2012 - Fordjf wrote:
Not as good as I expected. Suspect this bottle had peaked a couple of years ago
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12/31/2011 - GaryHOhio wrote: 88 Points
Another New Year's Eve with Grange, this is my last bottle of 93, based on my experience last year I did NOT decant but rather let it breathe in my Riedel Sommelier glass over the course of the evening. Sweet cherries and oak on the nose with some heat on the palate. Medium finish. Seemed a bit tired and soft. Not the usual Grange power. Disappointing. Clearly on the downside. I bought this bottle in January 2009 from a reputable wine dealer but not 100% sure of the entire provenance for this bottle. Maybe that is the problem as it seems many of the other notes indicate a much better experience with the 93.
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10/8/2011 - DoubleD1969 wrote: 94 Points
It's hard to give a numerical number when it is the first experience. Expectations were high given the name. Opened and poured into a decanter and let it sat for about an hour. While pouring, the aromas smelled delicious with baked red and blue fruits and sweet spices. Very youthful inky color. Medium-to-full bodied. This was smooth and fresh with just a bit of tannins and oak on the finish.
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8/6/2011 - petitblanc wrote: 90 Points
This showed best after 2 hours of air. Medium-dark but looking a bit advanced, almost garnet at the rim. Classic Grange eucalyptus and oak on the nose, along with sweet Chambord, bacon fat, and buttery tawny notes. On the palate, the intense wood is less elegant than usual, over a core of sweet berry fruit. Fine tannins and juicy acidity, almost sour. Alcohol in balance but somewhat bitter. Unusually stemmy, tart finish. Lots going on here, an atypical Grange or off bottle, with its sweet-sour profile. I would like to try this again in 5 years.
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6/5/2011 - ludwigbpm wrote: 91 Points
Nez d'eucalyptus et de cassis, qui me fait davantage penser à du Cabernet qu'à la Syrah. Profil aromatique assez Nouveau monde, en pur aveugle j'aurais probablement identifité un Cali Cab ou même chilien de haut calibre. Le vin est parfaitement intégré selon moi, avec des tanins bien intégrés et une belle finesse en bouche qui contrebalance le nez plus banal.
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4/1/2011 - chatters wrote:
Smells and tastes like it's two years old. preposterous. I think someone may have siphoned off the original wine and filled the bottle up with this but there are no marks on the cork. I must be going mad in my dotage. for those that care:
Black fruit, vanilla, leather and black pepper dominate accompanied by a lush back drop of greenness on the nose...Huge wine in the mouth, not jammy just massive, high acidity and medium tannin, a finish that just doesn't quit. How can a wine this old taste this youthful. Under cork (which is in good condition) as well. I'll leave the 96 for my retirement...
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3/16/2011 - gblacave Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aussie Gems (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): This is a very young 18 year old wine, but quite a delicious one. The nose sporting cassis, blackberry, blueberry, eucalyptus, with hints of brighter red cherry fruit, baking spice, and touches of cedar, leather and campfire. There is evident tannin that is yet to resolve, but I still found the wine to be fairly expressive. On the palate, there is substantial tannic structure with less in the way of secondary notes. I found primarily dark blue and black fruits with just hints of tobacco, meat drippings and leather. Long finish and complex finish, but evident tannin giving this some room to grow. I would love to revisit this in 10 more years, lots of potential for improvement when this is fully mature.
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3/16/2011 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Australian Gem Tasting (Smith & Wollensky - Washington, DC): Let me start off saying this, this WILL be a great wine. Is it a great wine today? No. Just far too young. Incredibly dense nose of black fruit, rich spice and meat. The palate had a lot of class to it with subtle cassis, hints of black cherry, leather, subtle cherry tobacco, and animal hide. Sadly, these flavors were hopelessly woven together so tightly that they only peaked out from behind their massive wall of tannin. I think that this wine had the composition to land in the 93-96 range (for my palate).
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3/11/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty good stuff. Amazingly young tasting for an 18-year old bottle, but such is to be expected with Grange. This wine would have benefited from a decant of about an hour because it steadily improved over the course of 3 hours. Initially there were tart fruit notes (cherry mainly) that overshadowed the blueberry and blackberry core. These came into balance over time, and the whole thing is wrapped in fine tannins that indicate there is plenty of life left in this (I'd say 3-5 years at this level). It wasn't as complex as I would have guessed based on the last bottle (5 years ago) but it is maturing nicely. (PE: 90)
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12/31/2010 - GaryHOhio wrote: 94 Points
Carrying on my NYE tradition of Grange, decanted for 2 hours, the wine improved over the evening, typical Grange, dark purple out of the bottle, great complexity, strong berries on the nose, 30 second finish was amazing, some cherries as well, slightly more acidic than usual Grange, based on other Grange years I would say this wine has peaked, go ahead and drink any 93s you have been saving for that special day, I would suggest at least a 4 hour decant, still not as good as the 2001 which is my favorite all time Grange
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10/15/2010 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Chocolate, herbs, mint, blackberries and Stilton cheese in the nose which sounds disgusting but it is actually really good as the Stilton is not dominating. Bold in the palate with some chestnuts. Long finish. It is a good wine but not one of my favorite Grange vintages.
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8/27/2010 - Phredd Likes this wine: 97 Points
NC Cindy Tasting. Amazingly dark when poured into the decanter, we vigorously swirled for 45 minutes or so, then gave this a whirl. On the nose, this is spicy cherries. Unlike the Sassicaia we opened just prior, this wine did smell like kirsch, along with cinnamon and a touch of clove. Just tremendous fruits on the nose, but also some underlying caramel. On the palate, this wine opens with cherries and then just takes off with layers of tons of red fruits - cherries, raspberries, red currant. At the same time, there are blackberry and plum notes, as well. As the mid-palate intensifies, layers of kale, allspice and pine needle or fir tree are all present. The finish is huge, lasting for 60 seconds easily, and revealing secondary layers of smoked meat and a mineral core. This wine just continues to develop over time. The complexity is amazing. This wine certainly does have the wow factor - it may be the best wine I've ever had. It is almost a shame to take this wine off my bucket list, since I'm not sure how else I can justify buying one at modern prices. I can certainly see why this is the wine that put Australia on the oenological map. Just fabulous! I am honored to be one of a very small group for whom this was opened. Thanks, Bill.
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8/12/2010 - docwines wrote: 96 Points
better than expected. took 2-3 hours to open up
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6/12/2010 - psmith wrote:
Red fruits. Brick dust and sour cherry notes. Spice. Bold flavors, and still seems very young. Nice wine.
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4/24/2010 - popasq wrote: 98 Points
Decanted 90 minutes. Exceptional!
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1/14/2010 - wenderoth wrote: 89 Points
Christmas Dinner 2009. Opened and double decanted 6 hours prior to drinking. -5 for value as per my modification on the ratings in protest over investor-driven price hikes! Typical, if less well known, Grange vintage. Dark red/purple colour starting to fade to brick at the edges. Nose of mocha, leather, white pepper and cloves. Palate retains its austere tannic backbone after 17 years in the bottle, but the lingering cherry, raisins, blackberry and mocha flesh it out so as to bring it into perfect balance. Long, lingering red fruit and light acid finish. Supremely elegant wine, drinking at its peak. Pity about the price!
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1/10/2010 - GreatLibations wrote: 97 Points
BD wine. Signs of aging with a brick outer robe. It closely resembles a brownish amber color. Earthy aromas include olives, dried currant, port, mint, hints of red berry spice. It keeps changing. Medium full body with defined acid and a bold structure. Velvet on the palate and meaningful this juice has drive and ambition. Like a lean prize fighter (float like a butterfly, sting like a bee). Concentrated with layers and layers of earth, mushrooms, cigar tobacco, truffles, bitter cocoa, coffee bean, black currant, mint, traces of red fruit with a very lengthy finish. Excellent fruit to earth ratio. Decanted for about three hours to perfection. This really lives up to it's reputation. A treasure!
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1/1/2010 - vanpe003 wrote:
Northwoods New Year 2010; 12/27/2009-1/3/2010 (Boulder Junction, Wisconsin): No detailed notes. On the palate, seemed to be drinking well within the window, largely resolved tannins, etc.
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10/14/2009 - barcud wrote: 93 Points
Opaque, port like appearance, a wonderful complex nose of layer after layer
of syrah highlights, wow, what a mouthful, you felt your tongues was being
covered with different layers of fruit and spice, complex, 0ne minute
aftertaste
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8/5/2009 - smahk wrote: 94 Points
**
Color: Dark Purple with light bricking at the edges
Smell: Plum with a light floral scent
Taste: Very elegant with some plum, cedar, tobacco a little mineral and a creamy taste - almost tropical.
Finish: Lon smooth lingering finish with tannins well integrated.
Just a lovely bottle of wine. This is singing right now, not a fruit bomb with some fruit in the background but a complex well integrate flavor.
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7/19/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 90 Points
Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): Soft and advanced. Milk chocolate, dried cherries, brown sugar and prunes. Seems to lack the vigor I would expect, perhaps a bit oxidized? Still quite enjoyable.
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6/21/2009 - rickspicks wrote: 94 Points
I think I just opened a bottle of "whoop-ass"! Bursting with big, deep, pure, brawny flavors of blackberry, licorice, tar and oak with just a hint of pepper. Massively concentrated, with a lush mouthfeel and a long, slightly acidic finish. Rich blackberry, tobacco and oak nose. Balanced, but with a lot of roughness around the edges. Nothing subtle about this bottle, it still has the elemental power of a barrel sample right now. This will be a 95+ wine in 5-10 years.
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3/3/2009 - clayfu wrote: 92 Points
A weekend of fine wines in LA (Sloan,Maiden,Grange,Rousseau,Shafer HS and more) (Los Angeles): Very big dense wine with a a very deep fruit nose with cedar, tobacco, tar, and pepper. Not much primary fruit but meaty with hints of stewed plum and vegetation on the palate. Very long gripping tannic finish with nice acidity.
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11/6/2008 - Goldstone wrote: 93 Points
White Truffle Dinner (Chez Patrick Sun Street, Hong Kong): Black, black inpenetrable colour. Nose of new black bicycle tyres and warming tar roads in spring, with just a touch of hard black fruits starting to show through. Likewise, it is all very primary on the palate but very, very deep and pure indeed. It will be incredible when it grows up but it needs at least 10 years, I think.
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4/26/2008 - jamieirving wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for a few hours before opening, this wine was deep, dark purple in colour - almost black. On the nose I found aromas of jammy dark fruits and a little smoke. The palate showed less primary fruit, and more earthy, vegetal characters and more acidicty than I was expecting. I think this vintage has peaked.
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3/29/2008 - bigdavemdphd wrote: 94 Points
More subtle than other Grange. Wonderful flavors of blueberry, plum, smoke and a little pepper and leather. Super long finish.
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2/13/2007 - KPB wrote: 92 Points
Deep ruby/black. Had hints of amber in the rim. On the nose, a rather high-toned wine: red currents, leather, fresh hay. Seemed a tiny bit stewed but not to the point of being unpleasant. Mature flavors, at any rate, with deep fruit and a medium-length finish. A touch hot.
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1/28/2007 - jamieirving wrote: 95 Points
Made from 86% Shiraz (Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley) and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra) the '93 Grange was matured in 100% new American oak for 18 months. We decanted about an hour before opening. Deep, dark purple in colour I found aromas of dark fruits, cigar box and a hint of liquorice on the nose. The palate is rich and shows good plum fruit character, wood and a slight spiciness. Well matured. Well integrated tannins. Soft and drinkable. Excellent!
This was my reward for finally learning how to ski!
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1/28/2007 - the godfather wrote: 97 Points
grange does not define australia because it is so much better than everything else
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12/13/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 90 Points
Spanish Inquisition at Brad England's House: My first Grange. We all smelled this in the decanter and were amazed at how good it smelled. It was as if someone had filled the decanter with freshly sliced black truffles. Amazing. Opaque black/purple in color. On the nose I got truffle, black olive, licorice and prune. On the palate this gave black fruit and licorice. A big wine, but well balanced. Good length. As the wine sat in the glass it changed significantly. It developed an undesirable sur maturite/stewed fruit profile on the nose and the taste that made it hard to enjoy (especially given all the other wines Brad was opening). I'm not sure what happened here, but it was a real treat to taste a Grange.
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12/13/2006 - Siggy wrote: 92 Points
Weekday Pizza Night at Brad's (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Nose of black truffles, soy, and balsamic. A touch of dill pickle/American oak. Rich black fruits, ripe blackberry fruit, and licorice. Still youthful, with grippy tannins on the finish. With an hour of air time in the glass, turned increasingly Port-like and pruney.
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11/10/2006 - Spencer wrote: 95 Points
This seems to be just entering it's drinking window, where it should stay for a long time. Big, but balanced, with a surprising elegance to it. Much more my style of wine that the bigger/riper vintages of Grange that I have had, like the '95 and '98. I would buy this again at the price I paid on release, but definitely not at what it's currently going for.
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3/5/2006 - MarkC wrote: 93 Points
Could easily be a 3-5 year old wine. Cherry and bluberry, with kirsch and some menthol on the nose. Perfume-y. Mouthcoating flavors, but a very elegant texture, with dark, dark fruits and fine, fine tannins. Surprisingly variable over the course of drinking, sometimes being very fruit forward, sometimes being more reticent. An excellent wine from a less-than-perfect vintage.
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1/27/2006 - Thilo wrote: 94 Points
Color is medium garnet with some lightening at the rim. The nose shows an intriguing mix of spiced plum, beef bouillion, and a lighter, almost floral, element. On the palate, plum and mild blackberry predominate at the fore, with an almost tropical undercurrent. Tannins are beautifully integrated and acidity is in check. A beautiful wine that puts the lie to the belief of many that Australia cannot produce subtle, elegant, ageworthy wines. Thanks to Bill Wood for bringing this WOTN.
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1/21/2006 - Eric wrote: 88 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does Aussie Shiraz (Bellevue, WA): Big, plummy, overripe and roasted with a smell of almsot rotten fruit. It reminds me a bit of a Clarendon Grenache although with some brett. The palate is spicy with some pepper and then a simply massive wall of tannins and fruit. It is a bit astringent, but there is something to like here.
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10/2/2004 - JasonD wrote: 96 Points
Tasted at Michael's. My WOTN! Very ripe, definately not like the other wines served with this. Ersure, bananna, overripe torpical fruits. A lovely nose, very intoxicating. Drinking very well.
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10/1/2004 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does older Northern Rhône reds (Bellevue, WA, USA): Another ringer. The dominant element on the nose is a high-pitched violet. The nose is hyperripe with roasted plum, very intense and pungent. The palate is exotically ripe with banana, tar, and blackberry. The finish shows intense structure, a little searing almost. I knew this was a different animal, but I never would have guessed this was Australian. However, the very floral nose and different character led me to write this in my notes: "Is this really old world?? I don't think so or it will be a surprise." Cool ringer and very impressive wine!
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9/18/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 97 Points
Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1994 Harlan (NYC): Super intense "essense" of berries and spice on the nose. Purried cassis on the palate, great extract, yet not heavy. Tannic, but surprisingly accessable due to the silky nature of the tannins. A blockbuster wine.
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6/10/1998 - Marc wrote: 95 Points
dense, backwards dark black fruits - tight US oak in the background - has a touch of the almost clinical blackberry over ripeness that the best Hermitage possess. Great in the mouth - sur maturite, sweetness, candied blackberries. Super rich and concentrated - a special wine. An Aussie version (US oak) of a Hermitage from a good/excellent year.
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