Hello mint! Did somebody blend a splash of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard into this? Still quite the beast in terms of weight, but very drinkable. The longer it was open the more the fruit emerged, but that mint note was always there. Delicious wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rieslingfan visits Albany; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany): A treat to actually sit down and follow a bottle of Grange over dinner (as opposed to having it lost in a huge lineup/dinner), and this needed the time and attention. First sips are incredibly tight, with vividly minty and eucalyptus aromatics that lead into a palate that's almost painfully austere with a lot of grainy tannin and bright, almost sharp acids. Time eases it out (slow-oxed, not decanted) and with air the structure softens up as a core of rich dark berried fruit emerges, along with layers of more savoury herbal, woodsy, and earthy notes. It's still incredibly young, at times a wine that speaks to enjoyment in the future more than in the present, but the whole package is really compelling.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This 1995 Grange marks the end of my collection, as it is my final bottle. The tannins have gracefully dissolved over time, indicating that it has clearly passed its peak. Initially, it presented a notable sourness, but after an hour, it gradually balanced out. On the palate, delicate and restrained fruits make their presence known. Considering its current state, I see no advantages to further aging this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine showed a lot of heavy oak. But once you get past the vanilla notes and wood tannin, it has lovely sweet fruit. Deep, but I worry about its long term future. Wouldn’t touch another for 5 years though. And a reminder not to even mess around with your 01s
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: A Voluminous and brooding scent of eucalyptus, spice, red fruits, and cocoa. Bits of coffee bean and leather underpin the dark cherries and intense herbs.
Palate: This is a broad shouldered and muscular grange with silky body that shrouds slightly coarse tannin. The notes of cassis, spice, eucalyptus and rosemary are direct and have substantial length.
Finish: 50+ seconds of blackberry, American oak, tea and herb notes with nearly a spearmint note.
This really has a lot in common with 70's vintages of Heitz Marthas right now. Exotic and herbal with broad fruit notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Kind of a sturdy, broad-shouldered workhorse edition here. Nowhere as elegant and silky as the best examples, but with firm tannins and plenty of American oak. Maybe even a bit clunky, this would probably benefit from more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Careful with the cork, I didn’t manage to extract it and had to decant the wine through a sieve. Still -wonderful. Rich, powerful and yet balanced. An absolute delight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dave's 60th lunch (Porcine, Oxford Street): Double decanted about 2 hours before consumption. Plums, blackberry, a little red berry underpin, biscuit, slight vanilla, caramel, sweet spice, a tiny little oxidative note, a little leather. In the mouth it's rich with black and red fruits, dense, slightly sour notes, talc textured tannic burr persists long with fruit. It's a bit hmm for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Christmas Day at the Royal Crescent. A very nice bottle of aged Shiraz. Could have used a bit more dimension and color on the palate but definitely pleasing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bottle had been open and decanting since 4 pm and we probably sat down to eat around 7 or even a bit later. Followed through the evening. This wine is just awesome and it's always awesome. Dark and brooding and spicy and eucalyptus and always interesting. Great pairing with the steak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of leather, florals, currants and plums. Flavors of plums, curry, raspberries and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink over the short term.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
So very happy to have some of these wines stashed from when they were (at least by todays terms) affordable. Definitely the "first growth" of the Southern Hemisphere. For me Grange is to Australia what Margaux is to Bordeaux, Gaja is to Piedmont, LeFlaive is to White Burgundy. Distinctive and magnificent!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose is toffee, chocolate, vanilla, coconut and black fruit which is still primary but inviting. Palate is full bodied, intense and complex with long finish. Simply delicious! A very difficult vintage but definitely well made with Grand Cru quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
So much complexity. Simply explosive nose. Just showing some age at the rim, and just entering full maturity. Red fruits (mostly dried), eucalyptus, coffee, flowers of all sorts on the palate. Thick, long and lingering. A monumental wine given the vintage. Not in the class of the '98 but still an amazing, amazing glass of syrah.
Opened for an hour and then decanted an hour before serving.
This is in a fantastic place at the moment as it enters the beginning of a long window. Still loads of primary fruit flavours, but there's hints of the 20 years of development as this is a smooth and polished wine with perfectly integrated tannins.
Nose has loads of the Grange vanilla/coconut and black fruits. Full bodied and has intensity, but no sign of over-extraction or the boundaries having been pushed in the winery. Lovely wine for drinking now and the next 10/15 years I would guess.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Spicy and earthy nose, it is racy and powdery at the same time.
Surprisingly supple in the mouth, 1995 was quite a difficult year in Australia, but the structure and complexity are there with enveloping aromas of black fruits and vanilla. The juice is still very young and aeration does it the greatest good since the wine becomes deliciously bloody. Perfect balance, the wine unfolds serenely and offers very beautiful things, to finish on a pleasant minty finish with melted tannins and a good length.
An excellent wine, very elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decant 1 hr before dinner. Deep colour, lovely earthy nose. Turned out it needed 2.5 hrs to begin to hit its straps. Was too tight and closed initially. Not a great yr, but a great wine. Plenty of fruit supported by ample tannins. This wine has many yrs ahead and should improve in the short term. Try again in a few yrs - no rush
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Lived up to the hype. Bright, fresh, lovely notes of coffee and liquorice, fine tannins in perfect balance with the fruit. A real joy to drink with another 20 years to go if needed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A burst of spiciness and white pepper on the first sip. Super fine tannins give this a very nice grip. Great freshness and acidity. This is full of life. Complex stewed prunes and olives. A long intense finish. Delicious!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
From our cellar. This 25 year old iconic wine was in barrels when we lived in Australia. An extraordinary wine, meeting and exceeding our extremely high expectations. Cork was crumbly but fill level was still very high. Decanted for about an hour and drank over the next 3, with no decline in quality. Beautifully perfumed nose. Deep dark red in color, almost black, with a garnet rim. Super smooth. A massive wine but very elegant. Layer upon layer of flavor (lots of dark fruit, pepper, vanilla, cedar, mint, meat juice, licorice) and at least a minute long tasty finish. Everything in perfect balance. Still a touch of tannins, suggests this wine still has a long life ahead but it is stellar right now. Great way to celebrate our 28th Anniversary.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had with Mitch etc over a steak. Still looking youthful. Nice balance of power and elegance. Still somewhat reserved after an 1.5hr decant. Continued to open. Many years ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flamboyant next to the '86, very ripe and lush fruit. Tannins are mostly resolved, and for me this tied with the '98 for second place of six vintages served.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Perfect balance between elegance and power. Chocolate, cedarwood, incense, leather, and dark fruit. I thought it was a vega sicilia reserva especiale in blind. Lovely acidity with bright fruit. 93-94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Expressive nose of dark raspberry spice. Quite rich and intense with delicious flavors of dark raspberries with strong notes of minerals and eucalyptus. Very complex finish with firm tannins. This is a structured vintage of Grange but there is plenty of fruit to balance it and it needs 5 more years, at least. 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Compelling. First Grange, thanks to neighbor. Pnp, drank over 90 mins. Shockingly young, bright at first, then waves of complexity emerged, wood, soil, other flavors. I would compare to a fine northern Rhone, but it was more rustic to my mind. Great discovery.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Kleur: Donkerrood met een subtiele oranje verkleuring aan de rand. Aroma / bouquet: Wow. Een wijn van 24 jaar oud en nog steeds een explosie van aroma. Confiture van zwarte bessen, chique hout en een royale dosis menthol. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond maakt deze 24 jaar oude krachtpatser ook een bijzondere indruk. Expressief met een buitengewone balans. Een - zeker voor een belegen Shiraz - prettige zuurgraad, veel prachtig gerijpte tannines. Met 13,5% alcohol niet overdreven zoetig. Indrukwekkend lange afdronk. In de finale toont deze wijn zich helaas als 'te oud' in de vorm van een begin van hoekige zuren. Algemeen / potentieel: Indrukwekkend bouquet, indrukwekkende smaak maar 1 tot 2 jaar te laat geopend. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 92/100
Google Translate:
Color: Dark red with a subtle orange discoloration on the edge. Aroma / bouquet: Wow. A wine of 24 years old and still an explosion of aroma. Black currant jam, chic wood and a generous dose of menthol. Taste / Aftertaste: In the mouth, this 24-year-old powerhouse also makes a special impression. Expressive with an extraordinary balance. A - certainly for a mature Shiraz - pleasant acidity, lots of beautifully aged tannins. Not overly sweet with 13.5% alcohol. Impressively long finish. In the final, this wine unfortunately appears to be 'too old' in the form of an onset of angular acids. General / potential: Impressive bouquet, impressive taste but opened 1 to 2 years late. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Finish: 17 + General / potential: 8 = 92/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: Powerful dark fruits on the nose and as one of my fellow tasters remarked: "full of mouth filling tannins". Whilst the tannins may be a touch prominent here I certainly have no complaints. This would benefit from food more than some vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dense colour, a little fade at the rim; complex nose, still a lick of oak spice, a touch of soy, black olive-tinged cassis, a warm mineral atoma, this has a lovely perfume; nice elegance on the palate, good spread of flavours, nicely balanced, the oak not dominating. This is spot on for me. Delicious. Just a touch of heat on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose offers pastis, eucalyptus, unripe blueberry extract, penetrating and beautiful. Long, lots of dark blueberry and bitter chocolate, with an intriguing saddle leather finish. Great now, and for 7-10 years, no sign of it deteriorating in the glass after an hour.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Penfolds Grange dinner with Stephanie Dutton (The Musket Room in NYC): Another great Grange in a line-up of great Grange. It's almost always black or red berries for me with Grange, but this has to be one of the first times that I was getting cherry notes (black cherry to be exact). There's a certain roundness to the wine and nice mouthful. I think a bit closed down to some of it's brethren as it didn't have the twenty different things hitting depending upon where you were in your taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep garnet, too rim; explosive nose, a cascade of dark fruits warm leather & brick; powerful, starting to soften yet retains an inner core, classic iron fist in a velvet core. Still going strong after 12 hours - plenty of plum & blackberried fruit, tannins unfurl. Can be enjoyed now but plenty more to come. Will age easily for a further 15+ years. Lingering. Magnificent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Coravin fun - token Burgundy followed by older Australians… (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium plus intensity aromas of baked black fruit, raisins, currants, cream, vanilla, caramel, sweet spice backed by meaty, savoury bit and bolshy but polished. And that's what you get on the palate. Smooth but plentiful, and slightly drying, tannins though fruit persists. Getting tertiary notes but still quite youthful and, well, massive. Woof.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
decanted 2 hrs thanks to previous tasting note suggestions. tasted from riedel syrah glasses... center of the dark red orange meniscus is opaque perhaps a little brown on the edge.. nice legs after swirling nose first hot, then dark stone fruit, some smoke, palate the same with some dark red roses..i grow em, so i know, finish, nice 30-45 seconds. my wife, who has a wonderful palate describes the wine as powerful and elegant at the same time, but she is a Grange addict
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
There's a first time for everything as they say, and this was my first taste of Grange, after maybe 20 years of being aware of it and wanting to try it. Sadly a crushing disappointment. That's not to say this was a bad wine - far from it. It's been badly cellared (in fact not cellared at all), so it's a minor miracle it wasn't disgusting. Not helped at all by the '95 vintage being famously feeble, unlike the sensational '96. Grange is so legendary, so universally admired that you really want to like it. And it's got immediate appeal: a rather surprising earthy rusticity, fragrance of woodsmoke, leather, truffles, plums, violets, and earth after long rain. Certainly interesting. But I found it had lost what structure and vigour it might have had - especially for a Shiraz, mindful of what Syrah can do in places like Hermitage. And the length was disappointing - it just sort of petered out after a couple of seconds. You expect more for something so hugely famous. But if anything, this was a perfect case study in something I bang on about remorselessly: buy good-to-great vintages only, and cellar correctly. No exceptions.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Penfolds Grange vertical with Peter Gago (Singapore): I attended a Penfolds re-corking clinic, overseen by Chief winemaker Peter Gago, where they refilled my old bottles. They used the 2013 vintage as a refilling wine (I guess everybody was averaging up that day). I was able to taste my own bottle before they re-filled it because Peter was so kind to leave me a bit of the certifying portion. TN: Remarkable youthful aroma and structure, lots of live left. Dark fruit, well integrated tannins, classic SA terroir notes. A much stronger showing than the WA scores suggest.
4th Nov 2017: decanted for over 2 hours...supposed to be the grand finale of a significant celebration which began with DP 2002, Ch La Fleur 2006, Penfolds 707 1996...this wine was underwhelming....what more can I say...perhaps expectations were too high for such an exalted wine..not withstanding this wine falling short of expectation, it is still a nice wine but certainly not as enjoyable as it’s 707 sibling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Double decanted two hours before the meal, but it was still not ready. String aroma of cherries as I decanted. The colour darkened in the glass and liquorice and pepper flavours came through the cherries. Drank between 4, so didn't get much of a second go!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose was balanced and aromatic with mint, raspberries, dark red cherries, leather, and vanilla tones. There was very good depth with this having an expressive side.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained with the feel showing off a lot of balance along with mint, raspberries, dark red cherries, and vanilla tones.
Overall: This is showing beautifully right now. There is a ways to go, but this is a Grange that favors a more elegant side.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium dark garnet. Moderately pronounced sweet blackberry and plum aroma. Medium-full body, very round and soft, nicely balanced, with tannin resolved. Not a really concentrated Grange, but very enjoyable with filets. Moderately long aftertaste. Needs to be drunk in the next year or two. Ric
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A deep colour; full, spicy, smoky, brambly fruit, quite intense and long, and with a fresh acidity which should ensure many more years of life. The 8% Cabernet Sauvignon helps to soften the Shiraz and improve the balance. A pity the cork fell apart: the wine had to be strained and decanted, but it was none the worse for that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank on New Years Eve with friends over Filet Mignon with a sweet potato side (with sherry, thyme, sage, bacon, and spinach). Wonderful wine. Deep dark red color with no fading around the edges. Full and deep palate of dark berries and spice/cloves. The complexity of a well-aged wine with the vigor of a wine in its prime. Long finish. Amazing amount of sediment - so best to decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 2.5 hours; Deep dark colour, minimal browning on rim ; nose of dark cherry and plum, earthy, dark chocolate - opens up over time; soft dark fruits, round and good mouth feel, dark cherry, quite elegant, tannins were still firm on the finish - not as integrated as much as I expected after 21 years - gave a long finish with dissipating fruit; my sense is it needs longer decanting and may improve further in the cellar; feels like a very well made younger wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful wine. Paired perfectly with charcoal grilled filet mignon and simple fresh garden salad. No flaws. Immense sediment. Major rim variation. Beautiful, very dark, red/black color. Very interesting nose. Very earthy. Musk. Dirt. Leathery/Chocolate. Some florals, not a lot. Low tannin and acid. Medium alcohol. Long finish. Beautiful and ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! Let it breath for a few hours and it gained emense weight and body. Jammy, smokey, dark fruit. Inky and opluent. Intense, but not over-extracted. Extraordinary finish! It has begun to shift into its prime, but I suspect it would have been better in 10 years.
9-19-10-9
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
good deep purple color; nose of mint, plum, cinnamon and a wisp of oak; palate well balanced elements, not at all alcoholic, dusty but smooth tannins, good structure and grip. a slight oak lashing cost the wine a few points, but that's a matter of personal taste. All in all, quite an outstanding wine.
Removed cork with an ah-so device after reading some recent subscriber had trouble pulling his cork. Worked like a charm and the cork came out intact. Some sediment, which the server poured into the decanter when she simply upended the bottle, unfortunately, not having been trained how to decant old wine! Ahhhhhh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cork disintegrated on opening and was very dry, hard to explain as been stored well since purchased. Wine was still good fortunately. Cedar and herbs, thyme, on the nose. Great depth of flavour on the palate. Liquorice, almonds, lots of black fruits and some mint and vanilla. Tannins soft and very well integrated. Very long. Finished a day later still good, but didn't really gain in complexity. Very enjoyable now, not obvious that would get much better from here. Tend to agree with others that this is very very good, but not quite great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(Blind tasting) Full, fruit-driven nose giving a sweet impression. Mint, mint, mint. Then violet-cassis, vanilla oak and cocos. Rich and powerful, but also parodie Aussie without elegance and complexity. Full, generous palate with oak, mint, and dark fruit. Good balance with hint of bitter tannins. Very generous and very Aussie. Immediately recognized as top Aussie, but we did not guess on a wine with such a pedigree. Hard to know what to make of such a fruit-driven, full, and sweet wine for our European palates. For our tasting group, this wine lacks elegance och tertiary complexity. Maybe it appears if you wait 10 more years? And if you like the style of New World full power fruit sweetness, you could probably add 2-4 pts to the rating.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After an excellent Bordeaux 1995 tasting with all 1er cru + CB & Ausone, Haut Brion blanc and Yquem with many scoring very highly, a Vega Sicilia Unico and Penfolds Grange were served. I scored both 100! - a very rare score from my side; was it the great preceding tasting or just simply perfect wines or both? Penfolds was sweet, silky, soft licorice, wonderful, lots of fruit; perfect
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very deep colour; blackberry and smoke on the nose; the palate is rather austere, the fruit a bit tight and dry, although it did open out with time. Very concentrated and long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose is all blood plums, toasty oak and vanilla. It is generous and velvety in the mouth with warm, briary fruits. The wine is currently driven by its oak and finishes with sweet cedar and vanilla.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still quite vigorous, with blackberry, smoke and tar notes, strong oak and reasonable length. The oak dominates the finish and makes it slightly hard and hollow. Should keep for a while, but will probably lighten with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A surprise inclusion at the Visy Bankers lunch. Perhaps not a great wine but very very good, and speaks well to the advantages of blending regions in a poor year. Very complete in the classic Pennies with old crumbly oak and tannin, and very balanced set of red berrie fruits. Drinking well now for mine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A deep colour. Quite full, concentrated and spicy, and still noticeably oaky. I think the fruit is perhaps not as rich as previous bottles and there is a slight dryness on the finish which is not that long. Still lively, but perhaps beginning to show its age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Boozy Lunch at S and B's Apartment (Auckland, New Zealand): Voluptuous and sweet nose with considerable creamy coconut laden American oak. Silky and creamy in the mouth - this is a softy with considerable tannic structure lurking behind the fruit. Wonderful length and a refined quality add up to a popular wine at the dinner. Certainly outstanding and a wine that will age as long as anyone would want. It is an old fashioned style that is great to drink from time to time. The wine is in a good place at the moment - in early to mid maturity. (opened due to a corked 1995 Mouton Rothschild).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deeply flavored. No bricking, dark garnet in color. Aromatically tight, not offering much. Pleasant drinking with a long finish. Moderate complexity. Perhaps decanting for an hour would help it open up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and poured. Red brick in color. Smoother than the 1992, and even more fruitful and with better structure. Same powerful flavors with dark fruits and berry flavors - raspberries, blackberries, and currants. Beautiful taste. Smooth finish. This will last another 10+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Intense, rich, smoky fruit; concentrated, still vigorous and not at all old. Somewhat sweet on the finish, and fairly alcoholic, making it almost port-like. Quite an experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is now tasting quite mature and is unlikely to improve; however, it is still full flavoured and intense, with smoky blackberry fruit and good length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark red bordering black; lovely nose of spices, black pepper; saddle, leather, stable but also blueberries; slightly tannic, sweetness, lean but balanced, long aftertaste; youthful despite age; very good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The Usual Suspects...a new tradition; 3/22/2013-3/24/2013 (Lucerne Inn): Color: Ruby with light bricking at the rim Smell: Smoke, tar, granite, dark fruits, leather, and a faint funk this may be corked Taste: Alcohol, dried red fruits, and vanilla Overall: Very Good/Excellent. Medium body, med tannin, med fruit, med acidity, and a short finish. The obvious alcohol on the palate really detracted from this wine. The more I smelled this the more I'm wondering if it may be corked? (1 hour later. The wine was declared corked by someone else.)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose of black currants, cola, oak, and cigar box. Refined, sophisticated and smooth palate with black currant, plum, dried fig, and velvety tannins. Polished finish is super-long with velvety tannins, black fruit, and tobacco leaf. An unbelievably elegant wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
NC Cindy Tasting (Phredd's Humble Abode): It doesn't get much bigger than Beaucastel, but if it does, this might be the wine that does it. Decanted an hour ahead, this is much darker than the Beaucastel, almost completely opaque with just a hint of fading at the rim. The nose is just loaded with fresh spearmint. The mint is so dominant that it takes about 20 seconds before you realize that there is a whole lot more there. Blackberry, black licorice, fresh fennel, and a ton of herbs - tomato leaf, lemon basil, and fresh oregano. This may be the best, freshest and most complex nose I've ever experienced on a red wine. The palate fairly bursts with blackberries and black cherries, but it also has plenty of herbal notes, tending especially toward rosemary. It also has a nice meaty character, and the meat is sporting a nice paprika- and pepper-based spice rub. The finish goes on and on. This is spectacular, layered, delicious wine, pure and simple. If you're going to pay multiple hundreds of dollars for a single bottle of wine, it better be great. This was.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Farewell Runny....at least for now! (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 2/F, Garden East, 222 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong): Opaque colour but turning more to red than black. Nose is very reticent for a Grange despite a 5-hour decant but still so powerful.....old fashioned wallpaper paste in a bucket, deep plum fruit and hints of plum stones. Palate is classic young Grange....plum, dried prune, high acidity, not yet in balance...huge brooding power....needs more time to transmit the raw power of the engine to a great driving experience. Much too young....but wow!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opus One vs. Penfolds Grange (AWSEC, Hong Kong): Holy cow - this is dark. Ink with a tiny rim, and 17 years old! Big minty, menthol nose with vanilla. Surprisingly, not very concentrated on the palate with low acidity. Ripe tannins. Blueberry, pepper and again vanilla.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Jack's Birthday Bash (Jupiter, FL): Much richer and riper than the La Turque with relatively low acidity and full body. Currant, blackberry and blueberry fruit with still prominent oak and tannins that suggest this will improve with more time in the bottle. If drinking now, I would suggest at least 3 hours of decanting as this continued to improve and my last sips of a glass untouched for an hour was far better than the initial ones.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just a delicious Grange. Not a blockbuster vintage but rather medium-bodied with a strong eucalyptus flavor along with black fruits and licorice. In mid-life and just short of showing secondary flavor development. Another 5 years and this should be peaking. Yum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Concentrated blackberry, smoke and licorice flavours, with quite a thick and still somewhat tannic structure. A very concentrated wine, with a streak of acidity on the finish. Very fine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted. Loads of sediment. Red-purple in the glass. Aromatic nose that is a striking marriage of classic Bordeaux notes of dark fruit, graphite, and tobacco, along with a woodsy eucalyptus note. In the mouth, cool and refined, with great purity and concentration. The fruit is compelling, unfolding in lovely layers throughout the palate. The complex earth, tobacco, and spice notes are classically Bordeaux, then interception by the eucalyptus coming back one more time. Long finish still flexes tannins. A-/A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rustic, but in a sophisticated way, if that's possible. Big earthy aromas of pine forest floor, peat, and moist earth. Intense but balanced flavors of sour cherry, sweet licorice and black fruit, plenty of round tannins and more earthy notes, plus some mint tea. A little brooding but very complex, I loved agree with the taster below that this Shiraz is more in the category of a burly northern Medoc. I loved this wine and think it's showing beautifully right now. Perfect with grilled marinated steak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Saturated dark rich red colour. Rich blackberry liqueur and black currant jelly, liquorice and cardamom comprise an impressively vibrant nose. Full bodied with abundant velvety tannins that have not yet begun to decay. Warm ripe dark fruit, lifted balsamic components and leather linger on the finish. Drink now to 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was much different than I expected. Not a Velvet Glove, RunRig, or an Ares. This was more like a St. Julien from a warm vintage. Nose was complex, with fruit intertwined with earth and wet rock. Mouthfeel was medium to full bodied, but not with the signature fruit explosion I have come to expect from Shiraz. There was loads of structure here, vanilla oak, sour cherry, and crushed granite were the order of things, and as time went on, it opened further, with more complex fruit expression and a long finish. A delight, a surprise, and a fantastic wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Angela's Birthday Party (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Decanted for 10+ hours beforehand. Black colour, totally opaque graduating to translucent deep red at the edge. Closed nose but giving thick glycerine and trademark deep stewed plums. Gorgeous chewy and slightly tart palate of coffee and very deep black plums. Enormous length and great resonance in the head on the finish. Young but very promising. Lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great spice and showing no fading. Was still getting better when we finished it (brought to Carnivore and had with Kobe but did not have enough decanting time). Was the third of 6 bottles consumed and probably the best yet if memory serves (I opened the first in 2000 and it was too early, the second in 2006 with Paul Jacquart also at Carnivore) and it was great and now with buddy Cliff Jarrett. I will wait more time for the last three I think.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): When first opened, this showed nice, bright, spicy berries. Integrated oak and fine tannins. It later appears to take on a bit of mustiness, although better on the palate than the nose. Not sure if this was an off bottle; not rated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Almost black color with ruby rim. Nose of black fruits, mint, tea, cedar. In mouth is simply huge, full bodied with super concentration. After 3 hours of decanting texture became more silky but this wine is just entering its maturity. Great balance and long aftertaste. Patience will be rewarded but even now unique experience to taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A very pleasant wine that showed well after a couple hours of decanting: lots of bright fruit and eucylyptus and a racy finish that was really fun. Not quite the power of the 96, but a solid wine that still has time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours. Unique nose of menthol, mint, pepper and tobacco- never would have guessed shiraz. Over the next few hours the mint faded and licorice, blackberry tobacco, and tar emerged. Meaty midpalate aided by course-fine tannins that defined a solid structure. The only knock is on the finish, which will become smoother and longer in time. Very unusual and delicious experience. 93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fantastic aroma of dark and stewed fruits that evolved over the evening. Complex, nuanced taste with a very long and memorable finish. Perhaps too expensive, but still worth it every once in a while!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
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.
Dark fruit profile with a scorched earth and licorice nose. Good in its own right, but pales in comparison to prior granges. Lush syrupy dark fruits with considerable tannins showing. So far the most extracted wine of the evening. 91
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drunk at the Oak over dinner-Very Dark purple wine. i love how Grange looks almost black. great nose of black fruits and casis.in the mouth it feels thick and a bit sweet, black fruits and some tar, and sweet tannins..it is very well balanced wine and very long. i had decanted it 4 hours before dinner and it really helped as this wine is young and needs some time. long future ahead og it i think
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Raid the Cellar Party. This was nice, but just not up to the competition. There was a little more wood here than I would have liked too. Beautiful fruit and with time may evolve into something more special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark ruby color. Strong nose of dark berries and eucalyptus. A young and full-bodied Grange with extraordinarily rich fruit and a real minty/eucalyptus thing going on. Big, balanced and concentrated, this is enjoyable now but should really develop into a top vintage of Grange in a few more years.(I think it's a sleeper). 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep tarry nose with strong aromas of black tea, menthol and liquorice. Sweet tarry fruit flavours - very deep, and nice subtle nuances of flavour developing. Black rather than red wine. It needed 2 hours decanting time to start opening out. Approachable rather than mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tastes like something just bottled, not a 10+ year old wine. Nose is a bit reticent, but shows really pure fruits, grilled meats, some pomegranate. Intensely focused wine on the palate - blackberry, mocha, black cherry, kirsch. This wine still needs some time to open up (a surprising statement from a guy who likes his wines young).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seattle Tasting Group does Aussie Shiraz (Bellevue, WA): Hot, mmm, some lilac and powdered sugar, tar, cedar, wow and I mean a serious wowza. My notes on this blind wine say "Grange like, 1999?" This is a bit candied but my oh my. Dark, some cranberry flavors, a bit drying, but this is just young and tight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Had with cheese course - served semi-blind, decanted 3 hrs prior. Gorgeous aromas of black fruits, pepper, mint, tar, and eucalyptus. Concentrated without seeming over-extracted or out of balance, this baby threw a decent bit of sediment and displayed a moderately long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds premiums 86-96 (Darling Mills, Glebe): Deep, deep red-purple. Very meaty nose, with rich spicy tones. This is hugely tannic - they just build and build on the palate. 1995 was a pretty lousy year, and I recall this wine got some pretty lukewarm reviews when it came out. I think it’s a better wine than the 89 , but I think it’s only average at best for Grange. I wouldn’t presume to judge it, but I suspect the tannins will always outlive the fruit. It’s a good wine, but was quite overshadowed by the 96...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/11/2024 - hmorgan@argandequity.com wrote:
Robin retirement gift 2/24
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2024 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dave B visits Albany, Day 1: Auction Rieslings, 95 Grange, 67 G. Conterno (Salil's, Albany, NY): [Opened around 5:30pm. Tasted around 7pm.] Huge nose of black fruit and mint. Full in the mouth with loads of mint and black fruit. But the mint isn't overbearing. Long and complex. Another great Grange with many years ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2024 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Hello mint! Did somebody blend a splash of Heitz Martha’s Vineyard into this? Still quite the beast in terms of weight, but very drinkable. The longer it was open the more the fruit emerged, but that mint note was always there. Delicious wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2024 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Rieslingfan visits Albany; 1/26/2024-1/27/2024 (Châteauneuf-du-Salil, Albany): A treat to actually sit down and follow a bottle of Grange over dinner (as opposed to having it lost in a huge lineup/dinner), and this needed the time and attention. First sips are incredibly tight, with vividly minty and eucalyptus aromatics that lead into a palate that's almost painfully austere with a lot of grainy tannin and bright, almost sharp acids. Time eases it out (slow-oxed, not decanted) and with air the structure softens up as a core of rich dark berried fruit emerges, along with layers of more savoury herbal, woodsy, and earthy notes. It's still incredibly young, at times a wine that speaks to enjoyment in the future more than in the present, but the whole package is really compelling.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2024 - burgburgburg wrote: 93 Points
This 1995 Grange marks the end of my collection, as it is my final bottle. The tannins have gracefully dissolved over time, indicating that it has clearly passed its peak. Initially, it presented a notable sourness, but after an hour, it gradually balanced out. On the palate, delicate and restrained fruits make their presence known. Considering its current state, I see no advantages to further aging this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2023 - Brittasbay Likes this wine: 95 Points
NYE Rib eye on the bone - reverse sear. 2 hour decant ( cork crumbled) via coffee sive. Delicious,liquorice, pepper, more time to go ( two left!!)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/2/2023 - jviz wrote: 94 Points
This wine showed a lot of heavy oak. But once you get past the vanilla notes and wood tannin, it has lovely sweet fruit. Deep, but I worry about its long term future. Wouldn’t touch another for 5 years though. And a reminder not to even mess around with your 01s
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/14/2023 - RockinCabs wrote: 94 Points
Nose: A Voluminous and brooding scent of eucalyptus, spice, red fruits, and cocoa. Bits of coffee bean and leather underpin the dark cherries and intense herbs.
Palate: This is a broad shouldered and muscular grange with silky body that shrouds slightly coarse tannin. The notes of cassis, spice, eucalyptus and rosemary are direct and have substantial length.
Finish: 50+ seconds of blackberry, American oak, tea and herb notes with nearly a spearmint note.
This really has a lot in common with 70's vintages of Heitz Marthas right now. Exotic and herbal with broad fruit notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Kind of a sturdy, broad-shouldered workhorse edition here. Nowhere as elegant and silky as the best examples, but with firm tannins and plenty of American oak. Maybe even a bit clunky, this would probably benefit from more time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2023 - yeastyboy Likes this wine: 99 Points
Careful with the cork, I didn’t manage to extract it and had to decant the wine through a sieve. Still -wonderful. Rich, powerful and yet balanced. An absolute delight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2023 - chatters wrote:
Dave's 60th lunch (Porcine, Oxford Street): Double decanted about 2 hours before consumption. Plums, blackberry, a little red berry underpin, biscuit, slight vanilla, caramel, sweet spice, a tiny little oxidative note, a little leather. In the mouth it's rich with black and red fruits, dense, slightly sour notes, talc textured tannic burr persists long with fruit. It's a bit hmm for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2023 - Donwaldo wrote:
First overnight on the boat with Heids
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/7/2023 - Duckyd Likes this wine:
Was good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2022 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 95 Points
Christmas Day at the Royal Crescent. A very nice bottle of aged Shiraz. Could have used a bit more dimension and color on the palate but definitely pleasing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Bottle had been open and decanting since 4 pm and we probably sat down to eat around 7 or even a bit later. Followed through the evening. This wine is just awesome and it's always awesome. Dark and brooding and spicy and eucalyptus and always interesting. Great pairing with the steak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2022 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of leather, florals, currants and plums. Flavors of plums, curry, raspberries and cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink over the short term.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2022 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 98 Points
So very happy to have some of these wines stashed from when they were (at least by todays terms) affordable. Definitely the "first growth" of the Southern Hemisphere. For me Grange is to Australia what Margaux is to Bordeaux, Gaja is to Piedmont, LeFlaive is to White Burgundy. Distinctive and magnificent!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2021 - edwine__ Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose is toffee, chocolate, vanilla, coconut and black fruit which is still primary but inviting.
Palate is full bodied, intense and complex with long finish.
Simply delicious!
A very difficult vintage but definitely well made with Grand Cru quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2021 - Fuel55 Likes this wine: 95 Points
So much complexity. Simply explosive nose. Just showing some age at the rim, and just entering full maturity. Red fruits (mostly dried), eucalyptus, coffee, flowers of all sorts on the palate. Thick, long and lingering. A monumental wine given the vintage. Not in the class of the '98 but still an amazing, amazing glass of syrah.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
4/9/2021 - Cooky474 wrote: 93 Points
Opened for an hour and then decanted an hour before serving.
This is in a fantastic place at the moment as it enters the beginning of a long window. Still loads of primary fruit flavours, but there's hints of the 20 years of development as this is a smooth and polished wine with perfectly integrated tannins.
Nose has loads of the Grange vanilla/coconut and black fruits. Full bodied and has intensity, but no sign of over-extraction or the boundaries having been pushed in the winery. Lovely wine for drinking now and the next 10/15 years I would guess.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2021 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spicy and earthy nose, it is racy and powdery at the same time.
Surprisingly supple in the mouth, 1995 was quite a difficult year in Australia, but the structure and complexity are there with enveloping aromas of black fruits and vanilla. The juice is still very young and aeration does it the greatest good since the wine becomes deliciously bloody. Perfect balance, the wine unfolds serenely and offers very beautiful things, to finish on a pleasant minty finish with melted tannins and a good length.
An excellent wine, very elegant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2021 - salua wrote: 95 Points
Double decant 1 hr before dinner. Deep colour, lovely earthy nose. Turned out it needed 2.5 hrs to begin to hit its straps. Was too tight and closed initially. Not a great yr, but a great wine. Plenty of fruit supported by ample tannins. This wine has many yrs ahead and should improve in the short term. Try again in a few yrs - no rush
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2020 - Bing57 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Lived up to the hype. Bright, fresh, lovely notes of coffee and liquorice, fine tannins in perfect balance with the fruit. A real joy to drink with another 20 years to go if needed.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 96 Points
A burst of spiciness and white pepper on the first sip. Super fine tannins give this a very nice grip. Great freshness and acidity. This is full of life. Complex stewed prunes and olives. A long intense finish. Delicious!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2020 - wine4ever Likes this wine:
From our cellar. This 25 year old iconic wine was in barrels when we lived in Australia. An extraordinary wine, meeting and exceeding our extremely high expectations. Cork was crumbly but fill level was still very high. Decanted for about an hour and drank over the next 3, with no decline in quality. Beautifully perfumed nose. Deep dark red in color, almost black, with a garnet rim. Super smooth. A massive wine but very elegant. Layer upon layer of flavor (lots of dark fruit, pepper, vanilla, cedar, mint, meat juice, licorice) and at least a minute long tasty finish. Everything in perfect balance. Still a touch of tannins, suggests this wine still has a long life ahead but it is stellar right now. Great way to celebrate our 28th Anniversary.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2020 - RN wrote: 94 Points
Had with Mitch etc over a steak. Still looking youthful. Nice balance of power and elegance. Still somewhat reserved after an 1.5hr decant. Continued to open. Many years ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2019 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Flamboyant next to the '86, very ripe and lush fruit. Tannins are mostly resolved, and for me this tied with the '98 for second place of six vintages served.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect balance between elegance and power. Chocolate, cedarwood, incense, leather, and dark fruit. I thought it was a vega sicilia reserva especiale in blind. Lovely acidity with bright fruit. 93-94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Expressive nose of dark raspberry spice. Quite rich and intense with delicious flavors of dark raspberries with strong notes of minerals and eucalyptus. Very complex finish with firm tannins. This is a structured vintage of Grange but there is plenty of fruit to balance it and it needs 5 more years, at least. 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2019 - JGinMO wrote: 96 Points
Compelling. First Grange, thanks to neighbor. Pnp, drank over 90 mins. Shockingly young, bright at first, then waves of complexity emerged, wood, soil, other flavors. I would compare to a fine northern Rhone, but it was more rustic to my mind. Great discovery.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/7/2019 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 92 Points
Kleur: Donkerrood met een subtiele oranje verkleuring aan de rand. Aroma / bouquet: Wow. Een wijn van 24 jaar oud en nog steeds een explosie van aroma. Confiture van zwarte bessen, chique hout en een royale dosis menthol. Smaak / Afdronk: In de mond maakt deze 24 jaar oude krachtpatser ook een bijzondere indruk. Expressief met een buitengewone balans. Een - zeker voor een belegen Shiraz - prettige zuurgraad, veel prachtig gerijpte tannines. Met 13,5% alcohol niet overdreven zoetig. Indrukwekkend lange afdronk. In de finale toont deze wijn zich helaas als 'te oud' in de vorm van een begin van hoekige zuren. Algemeen / potentieel: Indrukwekkend bouquet, indrukwekkende smaak maar 1 tot 2 jaar te laat geopend. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 92/100
Google Translate:
Color: Dark red with a subtle orange discoloration on the edge. Aroma / bouquet: Wow. A wine of 24 years old and still an explosion of aroma. Black currant jam, chic wood and a generous dose of menthol. Taste / Aftertaste: In the mouth, this 24-year-old powerhouse also makes a special impression. Expressive with an extraordinary balance. A - certainly for a mature Shiraz - pleasant acidity, lots of beautifully aged tannins. Not overly sweet with 13.5% alcohol. Impressively long finish. In the final, this wine unfortunately appears to be 'too old' in the form of an onset of angular acids. General / potential: Impressive bouquet, impressive taste but opened 1 to 2 years late. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Taste / Finish: 17 + General / potential: 8 = 92/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2019 - KoalaHK wrote:
Tasted at Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide. 40 Vintages of Grange: Powerful dark fruits on the nose and as one of my fellow tasters remarked: "full of mouth filling tannins". Whilst the tannins may be a touch prominent here I certainly have no complaints. This would benefit from food more than some vintages.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/28/2019 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 94 Points
A distinctive nose. Minty black fruit.
Silky palate. Power and elegance combined.
Tautness on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2019 - vespasian wrote:
From Magnum.
Very dense colour, a little fade at the rim; complex nose, still a lick of oak spice, a touch of soy, black olive-tinged cassis, a warm mineral atoma, this has a lovely perfume; nice elegance on the palate, good spread of flavours, nicely balanced, the oak not dominating. This is spot on for me. Delicious. Just a touch of heat on the finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2019 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 95 Points
The nose offers pastis, eucalyptus, unripe blueberry extract, penetrating and beautiful. Long, lots of dark blueberry and bitter chocolate, with an intriguing saddle leather finish. Great now, and for 7-10 years, no sign of it deteriorating in the glass after an hour.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Penfolds Grange dinner with Stephanie Dutton (The Musket Room in NYC): Another great Grange in a line-up of great Grange. It's almost always black or red berries for me with Grange, but this has to be one of the first times that I was getting cherry notes (black cherry to be exact). There's a certain roundness to the wine and nice mouthful. I think a bit closed down to some of it's brethren as it didn't have the twenty different things hitting depending upon where you were in your taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/12/2019 - chbeaumont wrote: 97 Points
Deep garnet, too rim; explosive nose, a cascade of dark fruits warm leather & brick; powerful, starting to soften yet retains an inner core, classic iron fist in a velvet core. Still going strong after 12 hours - plenty of plum & blackberried fruit, tannins unfurl. Can be enjoyed now but plenty more to come. Will age easily for a further 15+ years. Lingering. Magnificent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2019 - mrpseudonym wrote:
Halliday says drink now (feb 19)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2018 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - token Burgundy followed by older Australians… (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium plus intensity aromas of baked black fruit, raisins, currants, cream, vanilla, caramel, sweet spice backed by meaty, savoury bit and bolshy but polished. And that's what you get on the palate. Smooth but plentiful, and slightly drying, tannins though fruit persists. Getting tertiary notes but still quite youthful and, well, massive. Woof.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2018 - michaelgor wrote: 94 Points
decanted 2 hrs thanks to previous tasting note suggestions. tasted from riedel syrah glasses... center of the dark red orange meniscus is opaque perhaps a little brown on the edge.. nice legs after swirling nose first hot, then dark stone fruit, some smoke, palate the same with some dark red roses..i grow em, so i know, finish, nice 30-45 seconds. my wife, who has a wonderful palate describes the wine as powerful and elegant at the same time, but she is a Grange addict
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2018 - ricard Likes this wine: 93 Points
There's a first time for everything as they say, and this was my first taste of Grange, after maybe 20 years of being aware of it and wanting to try it. Sadly a crushing disappointment. That's not to say this was a bad wine - far from it. It's been badly cellared (in fact not cellared at all), so it's a minor miracle it wasn't disgusting. Not helped at all by the '95 vintage being famously feeble, unlike the sensational '96. Grange is so legendary, so universally admired that you really want to like it. And it's got immediate appeal: a rather surprising earthy rusticity, fragrance of woodsmoke, leather, truffles, plums, violets, and earth after long rain. Certainly interesting. But I found it had lost what structure and vigour it might have had - especially for a Shiraz, mindful of what Syrah can do in places like Hermitage. And the length was disappointing - it just sort of petered out after a couple of seconds. You expect more for something so hugely famous. But if anything, this was a perfect case study in something I bang on about remorselessly: buy good-to-great vintages only, and cellar correctly. No exceptions.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Penfolds Grange vertical with Peter Gago (Singapore): I attended a Penfolds re-corking clinic, overseen by Chief winemaker Peter Gago, where they refilled my old bottles. They used the 2013 vintage as a refilling wine (I guess everybody was averaging up that day). I was able to taste my own bottle before they re-filled it because Peter was so kind to leave me a bit of the certifying portion.
TN: Remarkable youthful aroma and structure, lots of live left. Dark fruit, well integrated tannins, classic SA terroir notes. A much stronger showing than the WA scores suggest.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
11/4/2017 - willmark wrote: 86 Points
4th Nov 2017: decanted for over 2 hours...supposed to be the grand finale of a significant celebration which began with DP 2002, Ch La Fleur 2006, Penfolds 707 1996...this wine was underwhelming....what more can I say...perhaps expectations were too high for such an exalted wine..not withstanding this wine falling short of expectation, it is still a nice wine but certainly not as enjoyable as it’s 707 sibling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2017 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 97 Points
Famous Aussie wine. Important family day. Existential. Only Grange would do. National icon.
Briary. Briary apple. Wild. Blackcurrent. Dense. Will live forever. Like the Australian spirit.
Gun powder finish. Fades. Fun ricochet from walls in the ever increasing distance.
Bound for Botany Bay. Sailing off ...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2017 - bowesmana wrote: 93 Points
Double decanted two hours before the meal, but it was still not ready. String aroma of cherries as I decanted. The colour darkened in the glass and liquorice and pepper flavours came through the cherries. Drank between 4, so didn't get much of a second go!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose was balanced and aromatic with mint, raspberries, dark red cherries, leather, and vanilla tones. There was very good depth with this having an expressive side.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained with the feel showing off a lot of balance along with mint, raspberries, dark red cherries, and vanilla tones.
Overall: This is showing beautifully right now. There is a ways to go, but this is a Grange that favors a more elegant side.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2017 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium dark garnet. Moderately pronounced sweet blackberry and plum aroma. Medium-full body, very round and soft, nicely balanced, with tannin resolved. Not a really concentrated Grange, but very enjoyable with filets. Moderately long aftertaste. Needs to be drunk in the next year or two.
Ric
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2017 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
A deep colour; full, spicy, smoky, brambly fruit, quite intense and long, and with a fresh acidity which should ensure many more years of life. The 8% Cabernet Sauvignon helps to soften the Shiraz and improve the balance. A pity the cork fell apart: the wine had to be strained and decanted, but it was none the worse for that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2016 - SeaCellar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank on New Years Eve with friends over Filet Mignon with a sweet potato side (with sherry, thyme, sage, bacon, and spinach). Wonderful wine. Deep dark red color with no fading around the edges. Full and deep palate of dark berries and spice/cloves. The complexity of a well-aged wine with the vigor of a wine in its prime. Long finish. Amazing amount of sediment - so best to decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2016 - kaydn215 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Decanted for 2.5 hours; Deep dark colour, minimal browning on rim ; nose of dark cherry and plum, earthy, dark chocolate - opens up over time; soft dark fruits, round and good mouth feel, dark cherry, quite elegant, tannins were still firm on the finish - not as integrated as much as I expected after 21 years - gave a long finish with dissipating fruit; my sense is it needs longer decanting and may improve further in the cellar; feels like a very well made younger wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/16/2016 - snowman94114 wrote:
From Peter and Carolyn 50th
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2016 - SimonG wrote: 91 Points
Hermitage La Chapelle & Grange (10 Greek Street, London): Dense and dark. Volatile lift on the nose, in the banana and acetone spectrum, though it does blow off. Dark and dense and very hard to judge. *(***)?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
9/2/2016 - DrZett Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great vertical Grange tasting (Rare-Bordeaux-Weine, Wachtberg (Germany)): Fourth of 10 in vertical Grange tasting.
Very nice and typical modern Grange with some more good years ahead. Drink within the next 5-6 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2016 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 96 Points
Beautiful wine. Paired perfectly with charcoal grilled filet mignon and simple fresh garden salad. No flaws. Immense sediment. Major rim variation. Beautiful, very dark, red/black color. Very interesting nose. Very earthy. Musk. Dirt. Leathery/Chocolate. Some florals, not a lot. Low tannin and acid. Medium alcohol. Long finish. Beautiful and ready to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2016 - CO_Roots13 wrote: 97 Points
Wow! Let it breath for a few hours and it gained emense weight and body. Jammy, smokey, dark fruit. Inky and opluent. Intense, but not over-extracted. Extraordinary finish! It has begun to shift into its prime, but I suspect it would have been better in 10 years.
9-19-10-9
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/5/2016 - thwacker Likes this wine: 95 Points
good deep purple color; nose of mint, plum, cinnamon and a wisp of oak; palate well balanced elements, not at all alcoholic, dusty but smooth tannins, good structure and grip. a slight oak lashing cost the wine a few points, but that's a matter of personal taste. All in all, quite an outstanding wine.
Removed cork with an ah-so device after reading some recent subscriber had trouble pulling his cork. Worked like a charm and the cork came out intact. Some sediment, which the server poured into the decanter when she simply upended the bottle, unfortunately, not having been trained how to decant old wine! Ahhhhhh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2015 - concord Likes this wine:
Cork disintegrated on opening and was very dry, hard to explain as been stored well since purchased. Wine was still good fortunately. Cedar and herbs, thyme, on the nose. Great depth of flavour on the palate. Liquorice, almonds, lots of black fruits and some mint and vanilla. Tannins soft and very well integrated. Very long. Finished a day later still good, but didn't really gain in complexity. Very enjoyable now, not obvious that would get much better from here. Tend to agree with others that this is very very good, but not quite great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT) - Part 2 - Penfolds Grange Vertical (Palm Beach Gardens FL): Tasting in huge Grange vertical, brief note. Great aromatic start with fresh black fruit, lots of black pepper. Good and similar flavors, just slightly less exciting. Moderate power and balance.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2015 - Argrath wrote: 91 Points
(Blind tasting)
Full, fruit-driven nose giving a sweet impression. Mint, mint, mint. Then violet-cassis, vanilla oak and cocos. Rich and powerful, but also parodie Aussie without elegance and complexity.
Full, generous palate with oak, mint, and dark fruit. Good balance with hint of bitter tannins. Very generous and very Aussie.
Immediately recognized as top Aussie, but we did not guess on a wine with such a pedigree. Hard to know what to make of such a fruit-driven, full, and sweet wine for our European palates. For our tasting group, this wine lacks elegance och tertiary complexity. Maybe it appears if you wait 10 more years? And if you like the style of New World full power fruit sweetness, you could probably add 2-4 pts to the rating.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2015 - Miceri Likes this wine: 100 Points
After an excellent Bordeaux 1995 tasting with all 1er cru + CB & Ausone, Haut Brion blanc and Yquem with many scoring very highly, a Vega Sicilia Unico and Penfolds Grange were served. I scored both 100! - a very rare score from my side; was it the great preceding tasting or just simply perfect wines or both? Penfolds was sweet, silky, soft licorice, wonderful, lots of fruit; perfect
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 91 Points
A very deep colour; blackberry and smoke on the nose; the palate is rather austere, the fruit a bit tight and dry, although it did open out with time. Very concentrated and long.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2015 - jskuek wrote: 92 Points
Balance, mature and drink very well now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/11/2015 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A dark colour; ripe, smoky nose; intense, dark-fruited palate with spice and savoury notes. Intense, vigorous and long. Excellent wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2015 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
The nose is all blood plums, toasty oak and vanilla. It is generous and velvety in the mouth with warm, briary fruits. The wine is currently driven by its oak and finishes with sweet cedar and vanilla.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2014 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
Still quite vigorous, with blackberry, smoke and tar notes, strong oak and reasonable length. The oak dominates the finish and makes it slightly hard and hollow. Should keep for a while, but will probably lighten with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2014 - StewartWent wrote: 92 Points
A surprise inclusion at the Visy Bankers lunch. Perhaps not a great wine but very very good, and speaks well to the advantages of blending regions in a poor year. Very complete in the classic Pennies with old crumbly oak and tannin, and very balanced set of red berrie fruits. Drinking well now for mine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2014 - La Grappe wrote: 91 Points
A deep colour. Quite full, concentrated and spicy, and still noticeably oaky. I think the fruit is perhaps not as rich as previous bottles and there is a slight dryness on the finish which is not that long. Still lively, but perhaps beginning to show its age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2014 - Marc wrote: 93 Points
Boozy Lunch at S and B's Apartment (Auckland, New Zealand): Voluptuous and sweet nose with considerable creamy coconut laden American oak. Silky and creamy in the mouth - this is a softy with considerable tannic structure lurking behind the fruit. Wonderful length and a refined quality add up to a popular wine at the dinner. Certainly outstanding and a wine that will age as long as anyone would want. It is an old fashioned style that is great to drink from time to time. The wine is in a good place at the moment - in early to mid maturity. (opened due to a corked 1995 Mouton Rothschild).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2014 - Lipsman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deeply flavored. No bricking, dark garnet in color. Aromatically tight, not offering much. Pleasant drinking with a long finish. Moderate complexity. Perhaps decanting for an hour would help it open up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/9/2014 - La Grappe wrote: flawed
Sadly, this was slightly corked. However, there was clearly an attractive and mature wine behind the corkiness. Will have to try again soon.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2014 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped and poured. Red brick in color. Smoother than the 1992, and even more fruitful and with better structure. Same powerful flavors with dark fruits and berry flavors - raspberries, blackberries, and currants. Beautiful taste. Smooth finish. This will last another 10+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2014 - boxedwine wrote: 96 Points
all around fantastic bottle of wine
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2013 - anonymoose12345 Likes this wine: 88 Points
My first Grange. Seemed quite closed off. Heat on the nose. Sweet fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Intense, rich, smoky fruit; concentrated, still vigorous and not at all old. Somewhat sweet on the finish, and fairly alcoholic, making it almost port-like. Quite an experience.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is now tasting quite mature and is unlikely to improve; however, it is still full flavoured and intense, with smoky blackberry fruit and good length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2013 - Miceri Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very dark red bordering black; lovely nose of spices, black pepper; saddle, leather, stable but also blueberries; slightly tannic, sweetness, lean but balanced, long aftertaste; youthful despite age; very good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2013 - Kirk Grant wrote:
The Usual Suspects...a new tradition; 3/22/2013-3/24/2013 (Lucerne Inn): Color: Ruby with light bricking at the rim
Smell: Smoke, tar, granite, dark fruits, leather, and a faint funk this may be corked
Taste: Alcohol, dried red fruits, and vanilla
Overall: Very Good/Excellent. Medium body, med tannin, med fruit, med acidity, and a short finish. The obvious alcohol on the palate really detracted from this wine. The more I smelled this the more I'm wondering if it may be corked? (1 hour later. The wine was declared corked by someone else.)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2013 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Intense, vigorous, with smoky, spicy fruit, great depth and a long finish. This is very fine, and an excellent match for the braised beef.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2013 - VAGenius Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of black currants, cola, oak, and cigar box. Refined, sophisticated and smooth palate with black currant, plum, dried fig, and velvety tannins. Polished finish is super-long with velvety tannins, black fruit, and tobacco leaf. An unbelievably elegant wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/14/2012 - Phredd Likes this wine: 96 Points
NC Cindy Tasting (Phredd's Humble Abode): It doesn't get much bigger than Beaucastel, but if it does, this might be the wine that does it. Decanted an hour ahead, this is much darker than the Beaucastel, almost completely opaque with just a hint of fading at the rim. The nose is just loaded with fresh spearmint. The mint is so dominant that it takes about 20 seconds before you realize that there is a whole lot more there. Blackberry, black licorice, fresh fennel, and a ton of herbs - tomato leaf, lemon basil, and fresh oregano. This may be the best, freshest and most complex nose I've ever experienced on a red wine. The palate fairly bursts with blackberries and black cherries, but it also has plenty of herbal notes, tending especially toward rosemary. It also has a nice meaty character, and the meat is sporting a nice paprika- and pepper-based spice rub. The finish goes on and on. This is spectacular, layered, delicious wine, pure and simple. If you're going to pay multiple hundreds of dollars for a single bottle of wine, it better be great. This was.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2012 - Goldstone wrote: 94 Points
Farewell Runny....at least for now! (Chez Patrick Restaurant, 2/F, Garden East, 222 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong): Opaque colour but turning more to red than black. Nose is very reticent for a Grange despite a 5-hour decant but still so powerful.....old fashioned wallpaper paste in a bucket, deep plum fruit and hints of plum stones. Palate is classic young Grange....plum, dried prune, high acidity, not yet in balance...huge brooding power....needs more time to transmit the raw power of the engine to a great driving experience. Much too young....but wow!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2012 - DonalOB wrote: 92 Points
Opus One vs. Penfolds Grange (AWSEC, Hong Kong): Holy cow - this is dark. Ink with a tiny rim, and 17 years old!
Big minty, menthol nose with vanilla.
Surprisingly, not very concentrated on the palate with low acidity. Ripe tannins. Blueberry, pepper and again vanilla.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2011 - vinole wrote: 92 Points
Jack's Birthday Bash (Jupiter, FL): Much richer and riper than the La Turque with relatively low acidity and full body. Currant, blackberry and blueberry fruit with still prominent oak and tannins that suggest this will improve with more time in the bottle. If drinking now, I would suggest at least 3 hours of decanting as this continued to improve and my last sips of a glass untouched for an hour was far better than the initial ones.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2011 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Just a delicious Grange. Not a blockbuster vintage but rather medium-bodied with a strong eucalyptus flavor along with black fruits and licorice. In mid-life and just short of showing secondary flavor development. Another 5 years and this should be peaking. Yum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Soft but still plenty of fruit. Oak overtones but pleasant. Seems mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2011 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
A Great weekend in Athens; 2/12/2011-2/13/2011 (Athens, Greece): Ssuper dark in color. Lots of oak and vanilla. Open and expressive on the nose, but feels overdone, overworked, over oaked. Not our style 92 at best
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/13/2011 - Breguet wrote: 95 Points
One step below extraordinary.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2011 - tbone_310 wrote: 98 Points
Wow, o forgot how much I can like Aussie wines. This wine still has time left in it
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/17/2011 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
Concentrated blackberry, smoke and licorice flavours, with quite a thick and still somewhat tannic structure. A very concentrated wine, with a streak of acidity on the finish. Very fine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
Decanted. Loads of sediment. Red-purple in the glass. Aromatic nose that is a striking marriage of classic Bordeaux notes of dark fruit, graphite, and tobacco, along with a woodsy eucalyptus note. In the mouth, cool and refined, with great purity and concentration. The fruit is compelling, unfolding in lovely layers throughout the palate. The complex earth, tobacco, and spice notes are classically Bordeaux, then interception by the eucalyptus coming back one more time. Long finish still flexes tannins. A-/A
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/9/2010 - hfindlay wrote:
Rustic, but in a sophisticated way, if that's possible. Big earthy aromas of pine forest floor, peat, and moist earth. Intense but balanced flavors of sour cherry, sweet licorice and black fruit, plenty of round tannins and more earthy notes, plus some mint tea. A little brooding but very complex, I loved agree with the taster below that this Shiraz is more in the category of a burly northern Medoc. I loved this wine and think it's showing beautifully right now. Perfect with grilled marinated steak.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 92 Points
Penfolds Grange among Australias greatest (Heemstede - Rest. Southern Cross): 1995 Penfolds Grange (Australië, South Australië) Kleur: Diep donkerrood met oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Super-expressief, donker fruit als bramen en zwarte bessen, gebrand (chocola en koffie) en kruidig, ietsje maderisé wellicht… Smaak / Afdronk: Krachtig zuur en dito tannines, volop Grangoontje powerrrrr, uitgesproken krachtige en licht drogende tannines. Enorme lengte, klein bittertje in de finale. Algemeen / potentieel: Op dit moment nog wat jong.. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 12 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 92/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2010 - Julia7ich wrote: 91 Points
Saturated dark rich red colour. Rich blackberry liqueur and black currant jelly, liquorice and cardamom comprise an impressively vibrant nose. Full bodied with abundant velvety tannins that have not yet begun to decay. Warm ripe dark fruit, lifted balsamic components and leather linger on the finish. Drink now to 2020.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2010 - Twitcher35 wrote: 91 Points
a disappointment. enjoyed the little creatures on tapafter more!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2010 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
This was much different than I expected. Not a Velvet Glove, RunRig, or an Ares. This was more like a St. Julien from a warm vintage. Nose was complex, with fruit intertwined with earth and wet rock. Mouthfeel was medium to full bodied, but not with the signature fruit explosion I have come to expect from Shiraz. There was loads of structure here, vanilla oak, sour cherry, and crushed granite were the order of things, and as time went on, it opened further, with more complex fruit expression and a long finish. A delight, a surprise, and a fantastic wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 94 Points
Angela's Birthday Party (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Decanted for 10+ hours beforehand. Black colour, totally opaque graduating to translucent deep red at the edge. Closed nose but giving thick glycerine and trademark deep stewed plums. Gorgeous chewy and slightly tart palate of coffee and very deep black plums. Enormous length and great resonance in the head on the finish. Young but very promising. Lovely.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/27/2009 - Breguet wrote: 94 Points
Great spice and showing no fading. Was still getting better when we finished it (brought to Carnivore and had with Kobe but did not have enough decanting time). Was the third of 6 bottles consumed and probably the best yet if memory serves (I opened the first in 2000 and it was too early, the second in 2006 with Paul Jacquart also at Carnivore) and it was great and now with buddy Cliff Jarrett. I will wait more time for the last three I think.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/19/2009 - mdefreitas wrote:
Grange in the 90s @ Mike J's (Wilton, CT): When first opened, this showed nice, bright, spicy berries. Integrated oak and fine tannins. It later appears to take on a bit of mustiness, although better on the palate than the nose. Not sure if this was an off bottle; not rated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2009 - Joealex wrote: 94 Points
Almost black color with ruby rim. Nose of black fruits, mint, tea, cedar. In mouth is simply huge, full bodied with super concentration. After 3 hours of decanting texture became more silky but this wine is just entering its maturity. Great balance and long aftertaste. Patience will be rewarded but even now unique experience to taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2008 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 94 Points
1995 Penfolds Grange (Australië, South Australië) Kleur: Diep, bijna inktzwart, donkerrood met oranje randje. Aroma / bouquet: Overweldigend, zwoel en rijp, koffie, vanille, hout (nieuw eiken en sigarenkistjes), chocola, kersenbonbons, gedroogd fruit als pruimen en vijgen. Ook: drop en zoethout. Na een half uurtje beluchten volgen: tabak, nasmeulende open haard, studentenhaver-chocola… Smaak / Afdronk: Zoet aanzetje, diep geconcentreerd, dik-sappig, veel krachtige maar aangenaam rijpe tannines, drop. Indrukwekkend lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Gedenkwaardige, 'gelaagde' wijn, nu al prachtig rijp maar nog vol reserves… 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2008 - JScott wrote: 92 Points
This could go on for years and really could use another 5-10. If you open it now, decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2008 - BradA wrote: 92 Points
A very pleasant wine that showed well after a couple hours of decanting: lots of bright fruit and eucylyptus and a racy finish that was really fun. Not quite the power of the 96, but a solid wine that still has time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/28/2007 - Arcturus wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Unique nose of menthol, mint, pepper and tobacco- never would have guessed shiraz. Over the next few hours the mint faded and licorice, blackberry tobacco, and tar emerged. Meaty midpalate aided by course-fine tannins that defined a solid structure. The only knock is on the finish, which will become smoother and longer in time. Very unusual and delicious experience. 93
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2007 - jackarmando wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic aroma of dark and stewed fruits that evolved over the evening. Complex, nuanced taste with a very long and memorable finish. Perhaps too expensive, but still worth it every once in a while!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2007 - bubbachumps wrote: 91 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.
Dark fruit profile with a scorched earth and licorice nose. Good in its own right, but pales in comparison to prior granges. Lush syrupy dark fruits with considerable tannins showing. So far the most extracted wine of the evening. 91
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2007 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
Drunk at the Oak over dinner-Very Dark purple wine. i love how Grange looks almost black. great nose of black fruits and casis.in the mouth it feels thick and a bit sweet, black fruits and some tar, and sweet tannins..it is very well balanced wine and very long. i had decanted it 4 hours before dinner and it really helped as this wine is young and needs some time. long future ahead og it i think
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2007 - G SQUARED wrote: 92 Points
Raid the Cellar Party. This was nice, but just not up to the competition. There was a little more wood here than I would have liked too. Beautiful fruit and with time may evolve into something more special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2007 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Very dark ruby color. Strong nose of dark berries and eucalyptus. A young and full-bodied Grange with extraordinarily rich fruit and a real minty/eucalyptus thing going on. Big, balanced and concentrated, this is enjoyable now but should really develop into a top vintage of Grange in a few more years.(I think it's a sleeper). 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2006 - kevin h wrote: 92 Points
Deep tarry nose with strong aromas of black tea, menthol and liquorice. Sweet tarry fruit flavours - very deep, and nice subtle nuances of flavour developing. Black rather than red wine. It needed 2 hours decanting time to start opening out. Approachable rather than mature.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2006 - JScott wrote: 92 Points
Needs lots of time, but all the elements are there for a solid bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2006 - MarkC wrote: 92 Points
Tastes like something just bottled, not a 10+ year old wine. Nose is a bit reticent, but shows really pure fruits, grilled meats, some pomegranate. Intensely focused wine on the palate - blackberry, mocha, black cherry, kirsch. This wine still needs some time to open up (a surprising statement from a guy who likes his wines young).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2006 - Eric wrote: 93 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does Aussie Shiraz (Bellevue, WA): Hot, mmm, some lilac and powdered sugar, tar, cedar, wow and I mean a serious wowza. My notes on this blind wine say "Grange like, 1999?" This is a bit candied but my oh my. Dark, some cranberry flavors, a bit drying, but this is just young and tight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2005 - ERoss wrote: 94 Points
Had with cheese course - served semi-blind, decanted 3 hrs prior. Gorgeous aromas of black fruits, pepper, mint, tar, and eucalyptus. Concentrated without seeming over-extracted or out of balance, this baby threw a decent bit of sediment and displayed a moderately long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2003 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 90 Points
Dark red. Again, waxy scents. Also tar. Somewhat dusty and raspy in the mouth. Concentrated and large-scaled, but somewhat indifferent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2002 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds premiums 86-96 (Darling Mills, Glebe): Deep, deep red-purple. Very meaty nose, with rich spicy tones. This is hugely tannic - they just build and build on the palate. 1995 was a pretty lousy year, and I recall this wine got some pretty lukewarm reviews when it came out. I think it’s a better wine than the 89 , but I think it’s only average at best for Grange. I wouldn’t presume to judge it, but I suspect the tannins will always outlive the fruit. It’s a good wine, but was quite overshadowed by the 96...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment