A classic great wine living up to its potential. I feel we drank it a bit before its time. Crimson to black cherry, concentrated dark fruits with the vanilla oak a little forward hints of dark chocolate. Mouth filling with a long finish. I look forward to trying my next bottle post 2028.
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Have had this sitting in my cellar for ~ 10 years. Opened for 2 hours. Color is deep ruby/purple. On the nose: Plum, cassis, violets, pepper, dark chocolate, espresso and iron. On the palate: Cassis, pepper, plum , olive , cinnamon and black cherry liquor. Long and sensuous with broad and deep flavors. Extremely well made (what a shock) and well balanced. It’s been probably a decade since I’ve had a Grange and now I remember why they are so good. Superb. I think need more time to open up and this has decades of life it in. My only bottle so I need to splurge over the holidays are pick up 2-3 bottles to lay away.
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Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Of the younger iterations, this was very much my favourite. It is of a slightly more delicate, perfumed nature, and there is more syrah character here than in most of the other wines. The American oak is still prominent, but the red fruit gives this more of a Côte-Rôtie character. With air, more menthol and earth emerges. The lighter profile of this wine makes it much more attractive to drink now.
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Fragile cork. Superb. In the zone: combining meatiness, depth and savory complexity. I decanted because of the cork but i doubt it needed it and potentially risks over oxidizing given the stage of development.
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This is a great rendition of Grange. Not quite at the level of the 1998s I"ve had, but close, and it might get there with more age. The tertiary development is terrific, and another 5-10 years of it probably produces a peak for my taste.
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TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND: I gotta be honest, I would’ve never called this out as a Syrah at first glance. This had more similarities to a 2004 Unico than it did with our sassy neighbors to the south. A bit more leather and red strawberry-type fruits than expected, with wood and a decent tick of heat tripping up the finish. Notes of bay leaf, dark spice (anise? Old cinnamon stick?), salty black olive, and Band-Aid add complexity to the light-to-medium bodied fruit core. The leather repeats throughout the delivery.
My Cellar Tracker brethren connected with this wine a bit more than I did, as I was looking for a tad more breadth of flavor overall. That said, it is clearly a well-constructed specimen and one worthy of its accolades. Even when a particular bottle doesn’t necessarily resonate with your emotions or tug at your heartstrings, one can still appreciate its specialness without question. (I should write Hallmark cards).
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Best of the World Wine Night (ex-Italy) (The csimm_M Estate): As I commented in my TN for the ‘04 VSU, seeing this on the tasting island, not having been previously listed on the carte and, while a New World wine, not an obvious invitee, coming from the large Southern land mass rather our own from the North, made my heart skip a beat. Unlike the VSU, I’d had a small taste of some vintage of this once before, at once of those “Best of the World” tastings, but it was small, many moons ago and I don’t even remember the vintage. I do know a bit about Aus wines, for sure not like ours, those from the Land of the Boot or even the French, and I do love Astralis (and, separately, as I’ve written in a TN for the ‘09 of that cuvee, Syrah generally), though, so I did have a pretty good sense of what I was in for. Still, even if I expected excellence, this blew past that (and some excellent, and more expensive wines, all in IMO only, like Scarecrow and Mag 7). The fruit here is so vibrant, a mix of red cherries, dark berries, maybe a currant note, and the secondary notes so exotic and varied, from chocolate to Asian spice to forest floor to medicinal incense, with no doubt lots more I’m forgetting that this is truly a world class wine for the ages. For me, it easily outpaced the excellent if slightly underpowered Chave, even more so, the potent but noisy SQN Atlantis. Perhaps of all the wines on this memorable evening, none struck me as so much bang on in the middle of its drinking window as this, likely to stick around for quite a while (tannins silky and strong, acidity robust, but in each case well balanced, mostly integrated), with an impossible, for me, to predict of whether the arc from here will be up or down. As I said in one of my other TNs, with so many exceptional pours, in addition to the issue of just personal preference, it really becomes angels dancing on the head of a pin in trying to order them, but this felt right behind the ‘18 Lafleur and Harlan as my WOTN. If you have any question about Aus as capable of producing best in the world wines or the ability of syrah/shiraz to reach the levels of CS, you need to try this and be convinced (I hasten to add, at these prices, both of these *should* be the case, IMO). Fabulous, and yet another giant TY to whomever brought this (IRBDW again?).
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Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Sunday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor): This is yet another stellar wine that is in the "zone" right now! If you are a fruit whore, like me, but also like that tertiary goodness that comes from a well aged wine, then this will be right up your alley! It's Shiraz (Syrah, for those not familiar with Australian wine), so it is big and lots of fruit (think SQN here), but also has settled down and is showing lots of tertiary goodness.
2004 Grange - Fruit forward with lots of red and dark fruit, some eucalyptus, some forest floor, some anise and some earth all wrapped in sweet toasty oak. The wine is silky with a long finish that calls you like a siren's song, to take another sip...then BAM! it's all gone! Love this wine, wish I had more, can't wait for later vintages to mature! Solid 97 for me...no hurry on this either!
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Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 2 of 2: Another first experience for me and not to my surprise, I liked this a lot. It could be because I have grown a palate for shiraz specifically in my early years. This wine had it all in terms of what I expected from a grand cru Aussie wine. Spice, fruit, a tad of eucalyptus and menthol, and clay. Will be seeking Grange at some point. Not to be missed!
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Flavors of rich dark red fruit with a sexy and pleasurable bite, with an awesome clean finish. There's also a hint of salinity here on the palate. The darkness of the fruits lighten up a bit with a little bit of air time but maintains swiftness on the palate.
Wines that can age like this are the kind I like. The kind that is like the person who says they are older but still has the energy, charm and stamina of someone who is younger. I'm sure this can still go for a good number of years but is quite exciting to drink now. 97+
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True to reputation - impressive life after all these years. Retain a solid fruit core, pepper, blackberry. sweet leather elements. Almost a salty quality. Very smooth and dignified in structure.
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Probably as good as South Australian Shiraz gets, and certainly up there with the best Australian Shiraz I have tried. It’s certainly intense and the depth of flavour is profound, but it’s still quite light on its feet with good acidity and resolved tannins. Certainly not gluey or syrupy in any way. Quite evolved now, but the power of the fruit means it will continue to age for many years to come, but in a perfect window of drinking for my tastes. Lots of complexity - blackberry, cassis, dark cherry, plums, soy, meat, charry vanilla, spice, anise, black olive. Layers of aromas and flavours. You can honestly still tasted the wine two or three minutes later. Fantastic and profound stuff.
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Unreal improvement since last bottle. Already a pretty wine moving into beautiful territory, potentially! Developing quickly, maybe too quickly? Aroma of creamed cherries… I know, that’s what I get! Palate is balanced, explosive Shiraz fruit … rich yet finely structured . This wine is powerful and lite on its feet. Great drinking now, this wine has turned the corner ! 97+
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Decanted 2hrs. The colour is deep saturated purple. Pehaps a hint of colour but this still looks very young for an 18yr old. Great perfume rising up out of the glass of black fruits, licorice and a hint of strawberries. On the palate this is very concentrated but as always, the balance here is immaculate - rich, super contrated and powerful but in no way sweet or cloying. Just loads of dark sweet fruit, a hint of charred sweet oak and sumptuous tannins and acidity. Again, not quite like any other wine I can think of. Maybe Vega Unico single vintage. Stunning.
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still heavy on unresolved oak but good quality. Shy savoury nose. Still primary young and black fruit driven profile. Concentrated blackcurrant palate, thick and syrupy. Not subtle but lovers of the style will like it, not overdone for the style
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Grange Vertical with Peter Gago (Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore): A very strong wine. It took about an hour to get going, but was really solid when it did. This had a slightly deeper, funkier nose that some of the others on the flight, but it was really nice in its own way, with meaty, earthy, and ever so slightly sauvage notes laced through sweeter aromas of blueberries and plums, some creme de cassis maybe, then a burst of spice and violets, with maybe a bit of capsicum at the sides. There was a touch of VA on the sides, but I liked that nose otherwise - lots of little complex smells to pick through. The palate was very nice too. Full and generous on the attack, with blueberries, plums and a touch of cassis showing in a rather primary fashion, then giving a bit of way on the midpalate to some spice and dried earth. There was a lot to like here though, with its ripe depth wed to a fresh feel that gave a sense of energy and tension on the fruit. The finish had a rather drying, woody feel to it at first which I was not quite a fan of, but this too filled up and opened out after an hour or so, until it almost exploded across the backplate with interesting notes of dried lemon peel, savoury earth and hints of mint and menthol. It was still tight though, with chewy tannins aplenty that cried out for some food to tame. This needs a lot of time yet, but it is a very good wine indeed. I think this will be a superb drink in another decade or so.
Masterclass with Peter Gago. 4% Cab Sauv. A touch of tobacco on the nose. Very elegant, dark berries and other dark fruit, some graphite. Similar in age as I like to drink Bordeaux, the 96 and 04 were in my eyes in their peak drinking window.
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This is a real blockbuster. Overwhelming fruit, from dark berries to orange, span together with dark chocolate an elegant arc with lots of melting from start to finish. The finish is very long and only at the end does it drift a little too much into dryness for me. A great experience, an outstandingly harmonious wine.
Decanted 2.5 hours. Full of dark fruit. Loads of blackberry. Intense and relenting yet oh so elegant. Nougat, tar, and a hint of mint. Floral lift lingers above the glass. Complex and structured. Long finish. Drink now-2035.
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Incredible wine that I only gave 2 hours to decant. Needs to decant for at least 4 hours. It needs to decant for 4 hours and then enjoy a great bottle of wine. Wish I had more.
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Decanted 6 hrs! A little too long 2-3 hrs next bottle. Impenetrable black ruby. Aromas of pencil, eucalyptus, pine tar early on, changing to rosemary, roses and peeled ginger. Palate has some young wine oak, cherry, cedar and cloves. Tannins soft after the extended decant. Needs 4 more years 2025 and should be singing around 2030.
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Really showing well on the nose and balanced on the palate with tannins that give a good backbone but weel integrated with the fruit. Still young but certainly very enjoyable now.
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Not the biggest or boldest version of Grange. Still, beautiful aromatics that hold all kinds of interest. Perhaps this needed a longer decant, but after an hour of air it still still put on any weight.
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Eminently drinkable. Something special but also a little simple and a little sweet - but with a certain layer of sophistication. Tasted so young and fresh still although the integration defined its breeding (had a certain velvety-ness despite being forward and robust. Plums, berries, chocolate and caramel.
From Coravin. All of the oak! Plain chocolate, vanilla, coconut over caramel and sweet spice. Behind this some ripe black and red fruits. The palate is juicy, ripe black fruit with a little red currant freshness, similar oak flavours on the palate as well...the alcohol is contained, the tannins ripe, a little grainy, drying & persistent. Time for me.
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I feel bad scoring so low, but this just didn't do anything for me. As a massive lover of Northern Rhone (esp Cote Rotie, Cornas and Hermitage) I just find this far too overpowering without the elegance to balance it out. Maybe it needs another 10-20 years, as it was still very tight and structured, or maybe it's just not aligned to my palate, but I can't imagine having too much enjoyment from this unless I'm having a massive chargrilled steak or BBQ. Still, great to try a legendary wine. (Shared by BV).
30 minute decant and consumed over 2 hours. Still very young in the grand scheme. So could/should have been given more air ahead of serving. Loads of depth and complexity to smell and taste, would like to revisit in 10-15 years when it hits its stride. An array of purple and red berries, cola, cinnamon, clove and spice. 95+ for development potential
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Tasted single blind among '98 Margaux, '01 Opus One, '10 Cakebread Dancing Bear, '03 Chave Hermitage, and '06 Ducru. All of the aforementioned were fantastic wines and drinking beautifully, but the grange was just one pace ahead of the pack. Previously I've never given out a score this high, but given the company it was in and the fact we tasted blind I feel like this score was well deserved. For the record, the '03 Chave was #2 WOTN
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Grange is always Grange but this one is coming into drinkability. Extreme competitio in the flight but enjoyable nevertheless.No hurry to drink up however...
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Decanted 3+ hours. A very good bottle. Still pretty young but already fantastic. This will be even better with 5 (+?) more years in the cellar. 96+ pts at the moment.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Great nose... notes of anise, old leather, blackberries and black cherries. Plenty of tannin, but well balanced and right. Smooth on the palate with layers of spices, dark cocoa, black plums, and some herbs. Long and lingering finish. Fabulous bottle of wine, but will be even better in 5+ years.
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Second red wine at our wine tasting dinner (#DCWineCru) is the one of the top wines coming out of Australia, the Penfolds Grange. Made up of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from multiple regions within South Australia; Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Magill. Aged for 16 months in 100% new American oak. Deep and dark garnet red. Lovely and complex nose with notes of anise, black tea, forest floor, a little herbal, Asian five spice, blackberries and black cherries. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus to full bodied. Flowed effortlessly on the palate with layers of spices, dark cocoa, black plums, and some herbs. Long and lingering finish. Drinking nicely right now but will be beautiful in a few more years. Given a three hour decant. Drink till 2038. (95+)
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YAWG Rhone vs. Grange: Beautiful colour. New car varnish, prune, indian mango dessert, carpet showroom, black tea salted plum candy. Harmonious, sticky but still light on its feet. Composed and elegant. Polished. First ever Grange and I understand the fuss - it's quintessentially Australian Shiraz but wonderfully balanced and polished. For me, this is a definition of great "new world" wine in that it has a sense of place but a sensiblity to old world fundamentals.
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Black-dark-purple; nose of black berry, some concentrated cassis notes, some smoke and dark, almost charred meat with slight violets and bramble; almost had a dark cab feel to it before having the Abreu; after breathing American oak became prominent, vanilla and cocoa powder; fairly big chewy mouthfeel, but not gooey, not overdone, still youthful but well integrated (except the oak); still some acid lift, hefty tannins, really lovely, excellent bottle. At the Royce at the Langham w/Yarom, Ron, Arnie, Larry, Terry. 93-94
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Wow, one of the best wines I have had in a very long time! Just a perfect combination of complexity, boldness, and refined balance. Start off with a smooth and seductive combination of blackberries, currant, and plums which turns into a beautiful structured core of creamy vanilla, mocha, and some subtle eucalyptus notes on the mid-palate which is just mouth-coating brilliance! A touch of tobacco and smoke on the end finishes the wine out along with it silky smooth tannins and ridiculously long finish. An absolutely gorgeous wine that is drinking so well right now!
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Best bottle - X-Mas Edition (Restaurant 5, Stuttgart): Glass: Zalto Bordeaux From perfect bottle, not decanted. Deep, purple inky color. Clean, medium intense, youthful nose that hasn’t developed the incredibly intense perfume yet that I adore so much in a Grange. Lots of primary fruit, spices, tobacco, smoke, speck. Not broad at all, you can feel the potential, but it is still locked in. Dry, 14,5% abv, perfectly balanced by the high, ripe acidity. High amount of silky tannin, that gives this wine a perfect backbone. Not jammy, broad or fat at all. Great length and you can feel the hidden complexity. But it screams with every drop: Please, let me sleep at least for another decade! At the moment around 94, but certainly in 10+ years around 97++
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Zachys May Auction (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): My WOTD. Opened and poured and then I stuck the glass in a corner and tried other things. Came back to it prob 2-3 hours later and man was it singing. Original taste on pouring had been tight and almost flavorless, but at this point it was potpourri and fruit and leather and dried leaves and just all sorts of wonderful. These wines are just special. Would hold though on any bottles of this.
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Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is deep and polished with vanilla, menthol, herbs, dark red cherries, licorice, eucalyptus, and raspberries. There is a richness and class to the nose that is desirable.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The structure is deceptive as there is excellent concentration that covers up the chewy tannins. The feel is deep and rich with vanilla, menthol, eucalyptus, raspberries, and dark red cherries, with some liqueur tones.
Overall: This is still a bruiser that is a good decade away from really showing itself. This has a lot of flesh, but is deep and polished as well.
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Simply sensational. Awesome powerful nose that wafts into the senses. Magnificient dark fruit, massive mouthfeel and huge long finish. Fantastic we have another ....will wait a few years and look forward with great anticipation.
Crazy good right now, wow! Smooth black cherry, blackberry, and plum fruit with subtle eucalyptus notes. Very refined and balanced all around. Great, long finish, smooth tannins...oh boy!
From a great vintage comes this elegant, fresh and complex Grange full of finesse with fascinating aromas of red and black berries, spices, delicate sweetness, some chocolate and minerality(!). Multi-layered, fine, but solid structured and of perfect balance on the palate with dark fruit, herbal freshness, little oak and mocha. Finishes very long. A beauty in its youth.
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11 years old and still so young. Still has its baby fat (it's big!), with minty, spicy aromas. Good complexity. Lenght is excellent. Great vintage to be consumed in another 10-15 years.
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Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant. 78 Penfold Road Rosslyn Park, South Australia, 5072, Australia.
Tasting glass arranged by Martin and Patrick.
Black impenetrable heart and dark ruby rim. Primary fruit nose, young buoyant, vanillin. Medium full bodied, great fruit weight, delish sweet black and red fruit flavours. Seamless mid palate with mocha tannins through the finish.
Blackberry, no Ribena, dark cherry. Enjoyable smokey aromas from 5 hours open.
Penfolds Grange Wine Dinner at Botrini's (Botrini Restaurant, Athens, Greece): Hands down the wine of the night. A shadow away from perfection. Extremely complex and already enjoyable, with a bright future. Very long aftertaste. No formal notes taken, but almost everybody agreed that this was the greatest among greats. A perfect combination of power, complexity and balance.
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Finally just pulled the cork and didn't look back. Decanted 2.5 hours prior to tasting. Fantastic Shiraz, tannins still firm but the fruit was the driving force here. What a treat with a rib roast. Many many years ahead of it, but is a special treat now with time out of its coffin. Was a business gift and incredibly appreciated. I bet if I'd held this another 6-10 years I'd give it 100 points.
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Brought by Andrew - consumed during our annual 'after xmas, before new year visit'. This time Andrew & Amanda came and generously shared this bottle with us. Enjoyed this with a steak/mash potatoes.
Deep dark purple even after 10 years. Decanted for about an hour before really getting into it. Probably can use a bit more air. Nose of dark fruit, chocolate, creamy vanilla. Flavors carry to the palate, as it's big, heavy but not jammy at all. well balanced with acidity/tannins. The heat/tannins are less than what i recall from 3 years ago. It's shed some of the baby fat from 3 years ago but still very young. Amazing bottle, and wonderful company!
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Drank alongside a 2003 Chapoutier Ermite and a 2002 Shafer Hillside (what a night!). Dark purple; soaring aromas, huge wine with concentrated fruit, spice and earth, beautiful balance, and with a finish that just wouldn't stop.
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Labor Day = Grange Day for Camille and I. Served non-blind. Opened at 830 AM, beautiful aromatics right off the bat. Initial PnP note C: Nearly purple N: Blackberry, cassis, leather, tobacco, graphite, meat, vanilla, hint of eucalyptus. More depth to nose than 10 hours later. P: Massive, super intense full bodied wine. Fresh fruit, not jammy tough. Very high acid and huge tannin. New oak. Long finish 60+seconds
10 hours decanting later: N: Classic Grange creamy cassis, blackberry, vanilla, hint eucalyptus, soy sauce, cinnamon. P: Dense, dark, concentrated, still massive. Sweet ripe fruit. Creamy blackberry/cassis, dark chocolate/cocoa, vanilla. Acid and tannin have smoothed out considerably but still huge. High alcohol.
Overall awesome stuff, will try the 2nd half of bottle tomorrow and post updated note. Preferred the initial nose, right on opening it, but at 10 hours it was more drinkable. This is just huge, awesome stuff. Needs 20+ years I think. Probably will still be huge at 10 years.
Day 2: After 2 hour decant on day two, this finally came up with what we consider the classic Grange nose: Creamy vanilla cassis, eucalyptus, black licorice. Beautiful stuff. Still quite hot though if you drink without food. I find the heat slightly obtrusive, but there is a lot of everything stuffed into this wine, so it should all integrate nicely. At least I hope so, considering how much I'm going to have to drink.
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Treated to a taste of this wine by some very kind friends. Certainly the best wine I have ever tasted. Beautiful dark purple colour, nose of dark cherries earth and spice. Big body but with perfect balance, complex and yet simple. This wine is just a baby but what a baby.
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Didn't disappoint. 10 yrs old and still purple; deep, but not black. Youthful, yet already complex nose of bright dark and purple fruit with vanillan oak and hint of cigar box. Plush, velvety dark fruit with mouthcoating, firm-yet-soft tannins. Flavours build and build on the middle palate before the long sumptuous finish. A velvet glove, but such a balanced one. Extremely intense without being a monster - an essay in balanced power. Still an absolute baby and a pleasure to drink now, but this will improve for a long time yet and last forever. 97+
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Grange tasting at Divino, Calgary; 10/8/2013-10/9/2013 (Divino Bistro, Calgary): Inky, opaque. Concentrated black fruit, caramel, graphite, eucalyptus and cocoa. Fresh and lifted flavours, fresh acidity and firm tannin. This is extremely rich and incredibly long. A wonderful experience! Also had a glass of this wine from magnum , to accompany dinner. The magnum was a little closed up, in comparison.
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Consistent with last notes. Dark purple; soaring nose; concentrated fruit; huge, with a long, long finish. Eclipsed, in my view and Cynthia's, by the 2001 which we drank alongside this. Can only improve from here.
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Expecting nothing but fruit from the beginning, I was shocked when smoke was the first thing to touch my nose. It certainly wasn’t peaty, but it has this recently extinguished campfire smell that was just sensational. It continued with licorice, plum skin, cassis, bumbleberry pie, charred meat and sandalwood. The palate was silky, almost the same viscosity as whipping cream. On the back end I started picking up vanilla milk, maple sugar, candy hearts, sunflower seeds, apricot pit and graphite.
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Very complex and young wine. Dark purple rim and almost one of the most opague colors I've seen. Much like the 2005 Vintage I tasted, the most prominent traits were the Huge vanilla core and the weird brown sugar/maple like quality. Also Raspberry jam and hints of menthol followed by a long long finish. Not giving much today even with decant; Wait 10 years minimum. 94 to 98 points.
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. Decanted for three hours - probably not enough. Dark purple; soaring aromas; beautiful, concentrated fruit; huge, with a finish hat went on and on. Drank with Seil and Sheridan alongside a 2000 Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite.
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I am a succer for The Grange because it is just such a great combination of charm and overwhelming power plus a nose that is to die for. So although this is a wine to really enjoy today I think it might be close to a hundred point wine in another 10 years or so. I'll keep mine - well at lest some of them - if I can...
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Deep purple in colour. Double decanted. Very generous nose, with fragrances of fruits, coffee, just a tint of oak and many other things. Lots of fruits on the palate too, very balanced and complex. A lot of things going on, tannins are unobtrusive, and a pleasure to drink now, even at this tender age. Yes, the 2004 Grange is that approachable. This is the youngest in a formidable flight that spans 40+ years (1962 to 2004), but the 2004 is a young Lionel Messi, not daunted at all. Given some more years in bottle, this may develop into the greatest Penfold Grange. Buy more if you can afford.
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Deep purple with an amazing nose of chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, with some slight gamey notes. Acidic on the palate still needing time to integrate. Young with a bit of heat, heavy on the palate. Absolutely stunning wine, and will only improve with 10+ years.
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Woody, very big but drinkable, menthol, chocolate, vanilla, more open than the 1988 it was paired with. Grange must have made a stylistic change, because this wine is more drinkable than most old Granges.
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Wonderful nose of dark berries, cassis. Hints of cocoa, vanilla, pepper. Upon tasting, the wine does not disappoint. Even though young, it is smooth, relaxed and elegantly complex. The dark berries come through as do the notes of cocoa and vanilla. Just a hint of terroir. There are multiple layers of flavours that continued to display over the 2 hours the wine was tasted. Magnificent.
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Opened and sampled over the course of 9 hours. Not decanted. Final third of the bottle. A nice metallic garnet color, dense but not inky. Lots of creamy vanilla aromas on the bouquet, giving way to more pungent aromas of musky red and darker fruits, along with hint of white pepper. A little bit of a primal aspect to the nose as well. What's striking is how full yet mellow the flavors are at first glance. They start with ripe plum, blueberry, and pomegranate flavors; building toward earthier notes, along with mineral and tea. The flavors here are round and meld together well. It's a little more compact on the finish, with sweet and ripe oak tannins. A finish that lasts for quite some time. A little mysterious, but quite beautiful already.
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Very intense in color with aromas of cherry, kirsch, violets, mint, clove, vanilla and fruit cake. In the palate, the fruit came through with plums and blackberries as well as consistent mint and vanilla notes. The wine evolved once and again in the glass showing very high complexity and its texture was seductive.
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Very aromatic, but somewhat backward nose of sweet blackberry, leather, graphite and eucalyptus with plenty of woody cedar and vanilla notes. Mouth is huge and tannic with less to say about the actual wine than its immense aging potential. The acidity and tannins are at the forefront at the moment and there is loads of concentration, but alcohol does not show and fruit seems pure and focused albeit a little obscured. Structure reminiscent of first and second growth 2005 Bordeaux, structured but balanced, needless to say point score will probably rise as wine improves. This wine will still be improving for decades.
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RUSSK WW@CafeMax blind tasting. Top tier. Got better as the night went on, approaching 93pts. Nose of pickle barrel and melting model airplane plastic. Better than it sounds. Reminds me of an older high end Rioja Gran Reserva. Nice balance. Did guess that it was the Grange.
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Tasted at the Penfold dinner with the most affable winemaker. A stunning aromatic of reserved power. Graphite, plum, subtle blueberry hinting at the varietal and spice. In the mouth, disappointing mix of disjointed components. Still, easily the best wine of the night. Tannin is not obtrusive at all. As Gago commented, this can be drunk now or in 10 years time. One can sense the potential to come and the elegant power is reined in presently. But not worth the asking price at $500. Nonetheless, a truly special wine.
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WFA 2009 Grange Vertical Tasting: Very primary with capsicum, fruits, vanish but very elegant and soft. Cassis. Powerful but lots of Potential lots of complexity on the palate. Tons of flavours on the palate with good structure and form. Good Weight and beautifully balance on most aspect.
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Intense purple colour. Very opulent on the nose, black fruits, raspberry, liquorice, vanilla and coffee notes. The oak is noticeable on the palate currently, but it is balanced by the depth and intensity of fruit. Indisputable class showing right now, but will be superb given enough time to develop.
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Opaque purple, it gives off an ethereal bouquet of violets, saddle leather, blueberry, blackberry, pencil lead, and chocolate. This is followed by a full-bodied wine with tremendous concentration, multiple layers of flavor, ripe tannins, and great balance. Thick and rich, with a 60-second finish.
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Philadelphia Wine Festival (Marriott, Philadelphia PA): first time trying grange. very tight, but an interesting mix of youthful black fruit, secondary notes of tobacco and leather showing through already, and tightness. definitely one to lay down for a decade or more.
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3/30/2024 - GFWeaver Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful expression of Grange. 20 years in, and still a big boy… took 2 hours to hit its stride. Loved drinking it… sorry it’s gone.
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2/16/2024 - rapcor Likes this wine: 95 Points
A classic great wine living up to its potential. I feel we drank it a bit before its time. Crimson to black cherry, concentrated dark fruits with the vanilla oak a little forward hints of dark chocolate. Mouth filling with a long finish. I look forward to trying my next bottle post 2028.
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1/1/2024 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 97 Points
Really impressive at this young stage. Drank NYE dinner Kokkari with lamb chops! 2 left, will try to hold off for a decade or so.
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12/2/2023 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 96 Points
Have had this sitting in my cellar for ~ 10 years. Opened for 2 hours. Color is deep ruby/purple. On the nose: Plum, cassis, violets, pepper, dark chocolate, espresso and iron. On the palate: Cassis, pepper, plum , olive , cinnamon and black cherry liquor. Long and sensuous with broad and deep flavors. Extremely well made (what a shock) and well balanced. It’s been probably a decade since I’ve had a Grange and now I remember why they are so good. Superb. I think need more time to open up and this has decades of life it in. My only bottle so I need to splurge over the holidays are pick up 2-3 bottles to lay away.
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9/28/2023 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Of the younger iterations, this was very much my favourite. It is of a slightly more delicate, perfumed nature, and there is more syrah character here than in most of the other wines. The American oak is still prominent, but the red fruit gives this more of a Côte-Rôtie character. With air, more menthol and earth emerges. The lighter profile of this wine makes it much more attractive to drink now.
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8/4/2023 - Wadham Cellar wrote: 94 Points
Fragile cork. Superb. In the zone: combining meatiness, depth and savory complexity. I decanted because of the cork but i doubt it needed it and potentially risks over oxidizing given the stage of development.
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7/10/2023 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is a great rendition of Grange. Not quite at the level of the 1998s I"ve had, but close, and it might get there with more age. The tertiary development is terrific, and another 5-10 years of it probably produces a peak for my taste.
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6/6/2023 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND: I gotta be honest, I would’ve never called this out as a Syrah at first glance. This had more similarities to a 2004 Unico than it did with our sassy neighbors to the south. A bit more leather and red strawberry-type fruits than expected, with wood and a decent tick of heat tripping up the finish. Notes of bay leaf, dark spice (anise? Old cinnamon stick?), salty black olive, and Band-Aid add complexity to the light-to-medium bodied fruit core. The leather repeats throughout the delivery.
My Cellar Tracker brethren connected with this wine a bit more than I did, as I was looking for a tad more breadth of flavor overall. That said, it is clearly a well-constructed specimen and one worthy of its accolades. Even when a particular bottle doesn’t necessarily resonate with your emotions or tug at your heartstrings, one can still appreciate its specialness without question. (I should write Hallmark cards).
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5/28/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 99 Points
Best of the World Wine Night (ex-Italy) (The csimm_M Estate): As I commented in my TN for the ‘04 VSU, seeing this on the tasting island, not having been previously listed on the carte and, while a New World wine, not an obvious invitee, coming from the large Southern land mass rather our own from the North, made my heart skip a beat. Unlike the VSU, I’d had a small taste of some vintage of this once before, at once of those “Best of the World” tastings, but it was small, many moons ago and I don’t even remember the vintage. I do know a bit about Aus wines, for sure not like ours, those from the Land of the Boot or even the French, and I do love Astralis (and, separately, as I’ve written in a TN for the ‘09 of that cuvee, Syrah generally), though, so I did have a pretty good sense of what I was in for. Still, even if I expected excellence, this blew past that (and some excellent, and more expensive wines, all in IMO only, like Scarecrow and Mag 7). The fruit here is so vibrant, a mix of red cherries, dark berries, maybe a currant note, and the secondary notes so exotic and varied, from chocolate to Asian spice to forest floor to medicinal incense, with no doubt lots more I’m forgetting that this is truly a world class wine for the ages. For me, it easily outpaced the excellent if slightly underpowered Chave, even more so, the potent but noisy SQN Atlantis. Perhaps of all the wines on this memorable evening, none struck me as so much bang on in the middle of its drinking window as this, likely to stick around for quite a while (tannins silky and strong, acidity robust, but in each case well balanced, mostly integrated), with an impossible, for me, to predict of whether the arc from here will be up or down. As I said in one of my other TNs, with so many exceptional pours, in addition to the issue of just personal preference, it really becomes angels dancing on the head of a pin in trying to order them, but this felt right behind the ‘18 Lafleur and Harlan as my WOTN. If you have any question about Aus as capable of producing best in the world wines or the ability of syrah/shiraz to reach the levels of CS, you need to try this and be convinced (I hasten to add, at these prices, both of these *should* be the case, IMO). Fabulous, and yet another giant TY to whomever brought this (IRBDW again?).
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5/28/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Sunday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor): This is yet another stellar wine that is in the "zone" right now! If you are a fruit whore, like me, but also like that tertiary goodness that comes from a well aged wine, then this will be right up your alley! It's Shiraz (Syrah, for those not familiar with Australian wine), so it is big and lots of fruit (think SQN here), but also has settled down and is showing lots of tertiary goodness.
2004 Grange - Fruit forward with lots of red and dark fruit, some eucalyptus, some forest floor, some anise and some earth all wrapped in sweet toasty oak. The wine is silky with a long finish that calls you like a siren's song, to take another sip...then BAM! it's all gone! Love this wine, wish I had more, can't wait for later vintages to mature! Solid 97 for me...no hurry on this either!
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5/28/2023 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 97 Points
Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 2 of 2: Another first experience for me and not to my surprise, I liked this a lot. It could be because I have grown a palate for shiraz specifically in my early years. This wine had it all in terms of what I expected from a grand cru Aussie wine. Spice, fruit, a tad of eucalyptus and menthol, and clay. Will be seeking Grange at some point. Not to be missed!
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5/28/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Memorial Day Weekend, Day 2: The Great Gatsby: Aromas of fresh red cherries, dusty earth and a subtle spice.
Flavors of rich dark red fruit with a sexy and pleasurable bite, with an awesome clean finish. There's also a hint of salinity here on the palate. The darkness of the fruits lighten up a bit with a little bit of air time but maintains swiftness on the palate.
Wines that can age like this are the kind I like. The kind that is like the person who says they are older but still has the energy, charm and stamina of someone who is younger. I'm sure this can still go for a good number of years but is quite exciting to drink now. 97+
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11/6/2022 - tbrader wrote: 95 Points
True to reputation - impressive life after all these years. Retain a solid fruit core, pepper, blackberry. sweet leather elements. Almost a salty quality. Very smooth and dignified in structure.
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6/14/2022 - azzah Likes this wine: 98 Points
Probably as good as South Australian Shiraz gets, and certainly up there with the best Australian Shiraz I have tried. It’s certainly intense and the depth of flavour is profound, but it’s still quite light on its feet with good acidity and resolved tannins. Certainly not gluey or syrupy in any way. Quite evolved now, but the power of the fruit means it will continue to age for many years to come, but in a perfect window of drinking for my tastes. Lots of complexity - blackberry, cassis, dark cherry, plums, soy, meat, charry vanilla, spice, anise, black olive. Layers of aromas and flavours. You can honestly still tasted the wine two or three minutes later. Fantastic and profound stuff.
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3/9/2022 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 97 Points
Unreal improvement since last bottle.
Already a pretty wine moving into beautiful territory, potentially! Developing quickly, maybe too quickly?
Aroma of creamed cherries… I know, that’s what I get! Palate is balanced, explosive Shiraz fruit … rich yet finely structured . This wine is powerful and lite on its feet. Great drinking now, this wine has turned the corner ! 97+
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3/2/2022 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 2hrs. The colour is deep saturated purple. Pehaps a hint of colour but this still looks very young for an 18yr old. Great perfume rising up out of the glass of black fruits, licorice and a hint of strawberries. On the palate this is very concentrated but as always, the balance here is immaculate - rich, super contrated and powerful but in no way sweet or cloying. Just loads of dark sweet fruit, a hint of charred sweet oak and sumptuous tannins and acidity. Again, not quite like any other wine I can think of. Maybe Vega Unico single vintage. Stunning.
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11/28/2021 - Andice wrote: 91 Points
still heavy on unresolved oak but good quality. Shy savoury nose. Still primary young and black fruit driven profile. Concentrated blackcurrant palate, thick and syrupy. Not subtle but lovers of the style will like it, not overdone for the style
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11/27/2021 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
Grange Vertical with Peter Gago (Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore): A very strong wine. It took about an hour to get going, but was really solid when it did. This had a slightly deeper, funkier nose that some of the others on the flight, but it was really nice in its own way, with meaty, earthy, and ever so slightly sauvage notes laced through sweeter aromas of blueberries and plums, some creme de cassis maybe, then a burst of spice and violets, with maybe a bit of capsicum at the sides. There was a touch of VA on the sides, but I liked that nose otherwise - lots of little complex smells to pick through. The palate was very nice too. Full and generous on the attack, with blueberries, plums and a touch of cassis showing in a rather primary fashion, then giving a bit of way on the midpalate to some spice and dried earth. There was a lot to like here though, with its ripe depth wed to a fresh feel that gave a sense of energy and tension on the fruit. The finish had a rather drying, woody feel to it at first which I was not quite a fan of, but this too filled up and opened out after an hour or so, until it almost exploded across the backplate with interesting notes of dried lemon peel, savoury earth and hints of mint and menthol. It was still tight though, with chewy tannins aplenty that cried out for some food to tame. This needs a lot of time yet, but it is a very good wine indeed. I think this will be a superb drink in another decade or so.
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11/27/2021 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 95 Points
Masterclass with Peter Gago. 4% Cab Sauv. A touch of tobacco on the nose. Very elegant, dark berries and other dark fruit, some graphite. Similar in age as I like to drink Bordeaux, the 96 and 04 were in my eyes in their peak drinking window.
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11/26/2021 - Collector1855 wrote: 98 Points
Penfolds Grange vertical with Peter Gago (Singapore): WOTN of this tasting. This combined youthful racyness with excellent emerging tertiary aromas. Great energy and tension. A wonderful Grange.
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10/28/2021 - Jofie Likes this wine: 98 Points
This is a real blockbuster. Overwhelming fruit, from dark berries to orange, span together with dark chocolate an elegant arc with lots of melting from start to finish. The finish is very long and only at the end does it drift a little too much into dryness for me. A great experience, an outstandingly harmonious wine.
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3/25/2021 - Poisey wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2.5 hours. Full of dark fruit. Loads of blackberry. Intense and relenting yet oh so elegant. Nougat, tar, and a hint of mint. Floral lift lingers above the glass. Complex and structured. Long finish. Drink now-2035.
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2/28/2021 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Incredible wine that I only gave 2 hours to decant. Needs to decant for at least 4 hours. It needs to decant for 4 hours and then enjoy a great bottle of wine. Wish I had more.
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12/31/2020 - DWStyle wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 6 hrs! A little too long 2-3 hrs next bottle. Impenetrable black ruby. Aromas of pencil, eucalyptus, pine tar early on, changing to rosemary, roses and peeled ginger. Palate has some young wine oak, cherry, cedar and cloves. Tannins soft after the extended decant. Needs 4 more years 2025 and should be singing around 2030.
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12/31/2020 - robertek wrote: 96 Points
Really showing well on the nose and balanced on the palate with tannins that give a good backbone but weel integrated with the fruit. Still young but certainly very enjoyable now.
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10/9/2020 - mats13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not the biggest or boldest version of Grange. Still, beautiful aromatics that hold all kinds of interest. Perhaps this needed a longer decant, but after an hour of air it still still put on any weight.
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7/17/2020 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Eminently drinkable. Something special but also a little simple and a little sweet - but with a certain layer of sophistication. Tasted so young and fresh still although the integration defined its breeding (had a certain velvety-ness despite being forward and robust. Plums, berries, chocolate and caramel.
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6/8/2020 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. All of the oak! Plain chocolate, vanilla, coconut over caramel and sweet spice. Behind this some ripe black and red fruits. The palate is juicy, ripe black fruit with a little red currant freshness, similar oak flavours on the palate as well...the alcohol is contained, the tannins ripe, a little grainy, drying & persistent. Time for me.
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1/30/2020 - Patrik H Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the nose: Eucalyptus, vanilla, hint of camp fire
On the palate: Sweet fruit, vanilla, cola and red berries
Long finish
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10/27/2019 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 91 Points
I feel bad scoring so low, but this just didn't do anything for me. As a massive lover of Northern Rhone (esp Cote Rotie, Cornas and Hermitage) I just find this far too overpowering without the elegance to balance it out. Maybe it needs another 10-20 years, as it was still very tight and structured, or maybe it's just not aligned to my palate, but I can't imagine having too much enjoyment from this unless I'm having a massive chargrilled steak or BBQ. Still, great to try a legendary wine. (Shared by BV).
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8/31/2019 - Jimmy_D Likes this wine: 95 Points
30 minute decant and consumed over 2 hours. Still very young in the grand scheme. So could/should have been given more air ahead of serving. Loads of depth and complexity to smell and taste, would like to revisit in 10-15 years when it hits its stride. An array of purple and red berries, cola, cinnamon, clove and spice. 95+ for development potential
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5/10/2019 - Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 99 Points
Tasted single blind among '98 Margaux, '01 Opus One, '10 Cakebread Dancing Bear, '03 Chave Hermitage, and '06 Ducru. All of the aforementioned were fantastic wines and drinking beautifully, but the grange was just one pace ahead of the pack. Previously I've never given out a score this high, but given the company it was in and the fact we tasted blind I feel like this score was well deserved. For the record, the '03 Chave was #2 WOTN
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12/15/2018 - robertek wrote: 95 Points
Grange is always Grange but this one is coming into drinkability. Extreme competitio in the flight but enjoyable nevertheless.No hurry to drink up however...
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10/5/2018 - Romol Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 3+ hours. A very good bottle. Still pretty young but already fantastic. This will be even better with 5 (+?) more years in the cellar. 96+ pts at the moment.
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8/7/2018 - GFWeaver Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Great nose... notes of anise, old leather, blackberries and black cherries. Plenty of tannin, but well balanced and right. Smooth on the palate with layers of spices, dark cocoa, black plums, and some herbs. Long and lingering finish. Fabulous bottle of wine, but will be even better in 5+ years.
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7/13/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 95 Points
Second red wine at our wine tasting dinner (#DCWineCru) is the one of the top wines coming out of Australia, the Penfolds Grange. Made up of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from multiple regions within South Australia; Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Magill. Aged for 16 months in 100% new American oak. Deep and dark garnet red. Lovely and complex nose with notes of anise, black tea, forest floor, a little herbal, Asian five spice, blackberries and black cherries. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and medium plus to full bodied. Flowed effortlessly on the palate with layers of spices, dark cocoa, black plums, and some herbs. Long and lingering finish. Drinking nicely right now but will be beautiful in a few more years. Given a three hour decant. Drink till 2038. (95+)
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5/26/2018 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 95 Points
YAWG Rhone vs. Grange: Beautiful colour. New car varnish, prune, indian mango dessert, carpet showroom, black tea salted plum candy. Harmonious, sticky but still light on its feet. Composed and elegant. Polished. First ever Grange and I understand the fuss - it's quintessentially Australian Shiraz but wonderfully balanced and polished. For me, this is a definition of great "new world" wine in that it has a sense of place but a sensiblity to old world fundamentals.
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5/22/2018 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Black-dark-purple; nose of black berry, some concentrated cassis notes, some smoke and dark, almost charred meat with slight violets and bramble; almost had a dark cab feel to it before having the Abreu; after breathing American oak became prominent, vanilla and cocoa powder; fairly big chewy mouthfeel, but not gooey, not overdone, still youthful but well integrated (except the oak); still some acid lift, hefty tannins, really lovely, excellent bottle. At the Royce at the Langham w/Yarom, Ron, Arnie, Larry, Terry. 93-94
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12/25/2017 - brianofthevine Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wow, one of the best wines I have had in a very long time! Just a perfect combination of complexity, boldness, and refined balance. Start off with a smooth and seductive combination of blackberries, currant, and plums which turns into a beautiful structured core of creamy vanilla, mocha, and some subtle eucalyptus notes on the mid-palate which is just mouth-coating brilliance! A touch of tobacco and smoke on the end finishes the wine out along with it silky smooth tannins and ridiculously long finish. An absolutely gorgeous wine that is drinking so well right now!
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12/2/2017 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best bottle - X-Mas Edition (Restaurant 5, Stuttgart): Glass: Zalto Bordeaux
From perfect bottle, not decanted.
Deep, purple inky color. Clean, medium intense, youthful nose that hasn’t developed the incredibly intense perfume yet that I adore so much in a Grange. Lots of primary fruit, spices, tobacco, smoke, speck. Not broad at all, you can feel the potential, but it is still locked in.
Dry, 14,5% abv, perfectly balanced by the high, ripe acidity. High amount of silky tannin, that gives this wine a perfect backbone. Not jammy, broad or fat at all. Great length and you can feel the hidden complexity. But it screams with every drop: Please, let me sleep at least for another decade!
At the moment around 94, but certainly in 10+ years around 97++
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5/19/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachys May Auction (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): My WOTD. Opened and poured and then I stuck the glass in a corner and tried other things. Came back to it prob 2-3 hours later and man was it singing. Original taste on pouring had been tight and almost flavorless, but at this point it was potpourri and fruit and leather and dried leaves and just all sorts of wonderful. These wines are just special. Would hold though on any bottles of this.
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5/6/2017 - Alhag Likes this wine:
Drank with IMC . Amazing wine. Still youthful.succulent and aggressive with elegant tannins.
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3/8/2017 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Penfolds Grange Vertical (Sixteen, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is deep and polished with vanilla, menthol, herbs, dark red cherries, licorice, eucalyptus, and raspberries. There is a richness and class to the nose that is desirable.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The structure is deceptive as there is excellent concentration that covers up the chewy tannins. The feel is deep and rich with vanilla, menthol, eucalyptus, raspberries, and dark red cherries, with some liqueur tones.
Overall: This is still a bruiser that is a good decade away from really showing itself. This has a lot of flesh, but is deep and polished as well.
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12/31/2016 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 98 Points
Simply sensational.
Awesome powerful nose that wafts into the senses.
Magnificient dark fruit, massive mouthfeel and huge long finish.
Fantastic we have another ....will wait a few years and look forward with great anticipation.
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3/27/2016 - brianofthevine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Crazy good right now, wow! Smooth black cherry, blackberry, and plum fruit with subtle eucalyptus notes. Very refined and balanced all around. Great, long finish, smooth tannins...oh boy!
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1/23/2016 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 96 Points
From a great vintage comes this elegant, fresh and complex Grange full of finesse with fascinating aromas of red and black berries, spices, delicate sweetness, some chocolate and minerality(!). Multi-layered, fine, but solid structured and of perfect balance on the palate with dark fruit, herbal freshness, little oak and mocha. Finishes very long.
A beauty in its youth.
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12/19/2015 - S_stas wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely delightful. A four hour evolution of spectacular flavour.
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6/14/2015 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 93 Points
11 years old and still so young. Still has its baby fat (it's big!), with minty, spicy aromas. Good complexity. Lenght is excellent. Great vintage to be consumed in another 10-15 years.
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5/1/2015 - Good Stuff Likes this wine: 92 Points
great shiraz, very dry, lots of consistent tannins
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4/18/2015 - MyCellar01 Likes this wine:
Barossa Vintage Festival 2015.
Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant.
78 Penfold Road
Rosslyn Park, South Australia, 5072, Australia.
Tasting glass arranged by Martin and Patrick.
Black impenetrable heart and dark ruby rim.
Primary fruit nose, young buoyant, vanillin.
Medium full bodied, great fruit weight, delish sweet black and red fruit flavours. Seamless mid palate with mocha tannins through the finish.
Blackberry, no Ribena, dark cherry. Enjoyable smokey aromas from 5 hours open.
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4/16/2015 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 98 Points
Penfolds Grange Wine Dinner at Botrini's (Botrini's Restaurant Athens): Fourth and final flight and '04 was for many at the table, including me, the star of the evening.
Youthful and open it delivered effortlessly.
Classy and elegant but with so much power.
Perfect to drink now.
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4/16/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 99 Points
Penfolds Grange Wine Dinner at Botrini's (Botrini Restaurant, Athens, Greece): Hands down the wine of the night. A shadow away from perfection. Extremely complex and already enjoyable, with a bright future. Very long aftertaste. No formal notes taken, but almost everybody agreed that this was the greatest among greats. A perfect combination of power, complexity and balance.
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1/18/2015 - BinVA Likes this wine: 98 Points
Finally just pulled the cork and didn't look back. Decanted 2.5 hours prior to tasting. Fantastic Shiraz, tannins still firm but the fruit was the driving force here. What a treat with a rib roast. Many many years ahead of it, but is a special treat now with time out of its coffin. Was a business gift and incredibly appreciated. I bet if I'd held this another 6-10 years I'd give it 100 points.
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12/31/2014 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 97 Points
Exceptional wine as expected. Loads of dark fruit, tannins still firm but not over bearing. Very long finish. Many years ahead as well.
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12/27/2014 - mye Likes this wine: 97 Points
Brought by Andrew - consumed during our annual 'after xmas, before new year visit'. This time Andrew & Amanda came and generously shared this bottle with us. Enjoyed this with a steak/mash potatoes.
Deep dark purple even after 10 years. Decanted for about an hour before really getting into it. Probably can use a bit more air.
Nose of dark fruit, chocolate, creamy vanilla. Flavors carry to the palate, as it's big, heavy but not jammy at all. well balanced with acidity/tannins. The heat/tannins are less than what i recall from 3 years ago. It's shed some of the baby fat from 3 years ago but still very young. Amazing bottle, and wonderful company!
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10/23/2014 - peterk Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank alongside a 2003 Chapoutier Ermite and a 2002 Shafer Hillside (what a night!). Dark purple; soaring aromas, huge wine with concentrated fruit, spice and earth, beautiful balance, and with a finish that just wouldn't stop.
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9/1/2014 - cmbond Likes this wine:
Labor Day = Grange Day for Camille and I. Served non-blind.
Opened at 830 AM, beautiful aromatics right off the bat.
Initial PnP note
C: Nearly purple
N: Blackberry, cassis, leather, tobacco, graphite, meat, vanilla, hint of eucalyptus. More depth to nose than 10 hours later.
P: Massive, super intense full bodied wine. Fresh fruit, not jammy tough. Very high acid and huge tannin. New oak. Long finish 60+seconds
10 hours decanting later:
N: Classic Grange creamy cassis, blackberry, vanilla, hint eucalyptus, soy sauce, cinnamon.
P: Dense, dark, concentrated, still massive. Sweet ripe fruit. Creamy blackberry/cassis, dark chocolate/cocoa, vanilla. Acid and tannin have smoothed out considerably but still huge. High alcohol.
Overall awesome stuff, will try the 2nd half of bottle tomorrow and post updated note.
Preferred the initial nose, right on opening it, but at 10 hours it was more drinkable. This is just huge, awesome stuff. Needs 20+ years I think. Probably will still be huge at 10 years.
Day 2:
After 2 hour decant on day two, this finally came up with what we consider the classic Grange nose: Creamy vanilla cassis, eucalyptus, black licorice. Beautiful stuff. Still quite hot though if you drink without food. I find the heat slightly obtrusive, but there is a lot of everything stuffed into this wine, so it should all integrate nicely. At least I hope so, considering how much I'm going to have to drink.
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2/16/2014 - Wine4Life wrote: 99 Points
Treated to a taste of this wine by some very kind friends. Certainly the best wine I have ever tasted. Beautiful dark purple colour, nose of dark cherries earth and spice. Big body but with perfect balance, complex and yet simple. This wine is just a baby but what a baby.
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2/11/2014 - G.M. wrote: 97 Points
Didn't disappoint. 10 yrs old and still purple; deep, but not black. Youthful, yet already complex nose of bright dark and purple fruit with vanillan oak and hint of cigar box. Plush, velvety dark fruit with mouthcoating, firm-yet-soft tannins. Flavours build and build on the middle palate before the long sumptuous finish. A velvet glove, but such a balanced one. Extremely intense without being a monster - an essay in balanced power. Still an absolute baby and a pleasure to drink now, but this will improve for a long time yet and last forever. 97+
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10/9/2013 - KVM wrote: 97 Points
Grange tasting at Divino, Calgary; 10/8/2013-10/9/2013 (Divino Bistro, Calgary): Inky, opaque. Concentrated black fruit, caramel, graphite, eucalyptus and cocoa. Fresh and lifted flavours, fresh acidity and firm tannin. This is extremely rich and incredibly long. A wonderful experience!
Also had a glass of this wine from magnum , to accompany dinner. The magnum was a little closed up, in comparison.
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6/16/2013 - KLDrake Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 2 hours, full on the front but dies slightly in the back of the mouth. Very good overall.
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6/7/2013 - peterk wrote: 95 Points
Consistent with last notes. Dark purple; soaring nose; concentrated fruit; huge, with a long, long finish. Eclipsed, in my view and Cynthia's, by the 2001 which we drank alongside this. Can only improve from here.
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12/1/2012 - ErikMercier Likes this wine: 93 Points
Expecting nothing but fruit from the beginning, I was shocked when smoke was the first thing to touch my nose. It certainly wasn’t peaty, but it has this recently extinguished campfire smell that was just sensational. It continued with licorice, plum skin, cassis, bumbleberry pie, charred meat and sandalwood. The palate was silky, almost the same viscosity as whipping cream. On the back end I started picking up vanilla milk, maple sugar, candy hearts, sunflower seeds, apricot pit and graphite.
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10/24/2012 - LelouchViBritannia wrote: 96 Points
Very complex and young wine. Dark purple rim and almost one of the most opague colors I've seen. Much like the 2005 Vintage I tasted, the most prominent traits were the Huge vanilla core and the weird brown sugar/maple like quality. Also Raspberry jam and hints of menthol followed by a long long finish. Not giving much today even with decant; Wait 10 years minimum. 94 to 98 points.
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9/20/2012 - ChinonRouge wrote: 94 Points
Opened with MD.
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7/9/2012 - peterk wrote: 96 Points
. Decanted for three hours - probably not enough. Dark purple; soaring aromas; beautiful, concentrated fruit; huge, with a finish hat went on and on. Drank with Seil and Sheridan alongside a 2000 Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite.
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6/2/2012 - Niagara wrote:
Earthy and primal, big presence, like an Australian sweatsock soaked in wine. Loverly for those who like it. Crikey!
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6/1/2012 - robertek wrote: 96 Points
I am a succer for The Grange because it is just such a great combination of charm and overwhelming power plus a nose that is to die for. So although this is a wine to really enjoy today I think it might be close to a hundred point wine in another 10 years or so. I'll keep mine - well at lest some of them - if I can...
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4/25/2012 - Philip Yang wrote: 95 Points
Deep purple in colour. Double decanted. Very generous nose, with fragrances of fruits, coffee, just a tint of oak and many other things. Lots of fruits on the palate too, very balanced and complex. A lot of things going on, tannins are unobtrusive, and a pleasure to drink now, even at this tender age. Yes, the 2004 Grange is that approachable. This is the youngest in a formidable flight that spans 40+ years (1962 to 2004), but the 2004 is a young Lionel Messi, not daunted at all. Given some more years in bottle, this may develop into the greatest Penfold Grange. Buy more if you can afford.
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4/25/2012 - steinersing wrote: 97 Points
Penfolds tasting with Grange etc (Osia): cherries, chocolate, dark berry, very big, long. sweet finish. Showed very well - could be an early drinking wine.
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12/30/2011 - mye wrote: 98 Points
Deep purple with an amazing nose of chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, with some slight gamey notes. Acidic on the palate still needing time to integrate. Young with a bit of heat, heavy on the palate. Absolutely stunning wine, and will only improve with 10+ years.
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3/26/2011 - salcorn wrote: 97 Points
Woody, very big but drinkable, menthol, chocolate, vanilla, more open than the 1988 it was paired with. Grange must have made a stylistic change, because this wine is more drinkable than most old Granges.
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3/9/2011 - DonWinspear wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful nose of dark berries, cassis. Hints of cocoa, vanilla, pepper. Upon tasting, the wine does not disappoint. Even though young, it is smooth, relaxed and elegantly complex. The dark berries come through as do the notes of cocoa and vanilla. Just a hint of terroir. There are multiple layers of flavours that continued to display over the 2 hours the wine was tasted. Magnificent.
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1/16/2011 - jackarmando Likes this wine: 96 Points
Huge, complex wine with decades of potential in it.
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11/10/2010 - MattMauldin wrote: 94 Points
Opened and sampled over the course of 9 hours. Not decanted. Final third of the bottle. A nice metallic garnet color, dense but not inky. Lots of creamy vanilla aromas on the bouquet, giving way to more pungent aromas of musky red and darker fruits, along with hint of white pepper. A little bit of a primal aspect to the nose as well. What's striking is how full yet mellow the flavors are at first glance. They start with ripe plum, blueberry, and pomegranate flavors; building toward earthier notes, along with mineral and tea. The flavors here are round and meld together well. It's a little more compact on the finish, with sweet and ripe oak tannins. A finish that lasts for quite some time. A little mysterious, but quite beautiful already.
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10/21/2010 - jwhbergen wrote:
Very intense in color with aromas of cherry, kirsch, violets, mint, clove, vanilla and fruit cake. In the palate, the fruit came through with plums and blackberries as well as consistent mint and vanilla notes. The wine evolved once and again in the glass showing very high complexity and its texture was seductive.
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10/12/2010 - Sweet_Berry_Wine!! wrote: 95 Points
Very aromatic, but somewhat backward nose of sweet blackberry, leather, graphite and eucalyptus with plenty of woody cedar and vanilla notes. Mouth is huge and tannic with less to say about the actual wine than its immense aging potential. The acidity and tannins are at the forefront at the moment and there is loads of concentration, but alcohol does not show and fruit seems pure and focused albeit a little obscured. Structure reminiscent of first and second growth 2005 Bordeaux, structured but balanced, needless to say point score will probably rise as wine improves. This wine will still be improving for decades.
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9/22/2010 - RussK wrote: 92 Points
RUSSK WW@CafeMax blind tasting. Top tier. Got better as the night went on, approaching 93pts. Nose of pickle barrel and melting model airplane plastic. Better than it sounds. Reminds me of an older high end Rioja Gran Reserva. Nice balance. Did guess that it was the Grange.
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3/31/2010 - sdwineguru wrote: 98 Points
Dark purple; big mint/berry/jam/wood nose; concentrated fruit; big but balanced; brilliant finish; best of the decade.
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11/4/2009 - acheng wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at the Penfold dinner with the most affable winemaker. A stunning aromatic of reserved power. Graphite, plum, subtle blueberry hinting at the varietal and spice. In the mouth, disappointing mix of disjointed components. Still, easily the best wine of the night. Tannin is not obtrusive at all. As Gago commented, this can be drunk now or in 10 years time. One can sense the potential to come and the elegant power is reined in presently. But not worth the asking price at $500. Nonetheless, a truly special wine.
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10/22/2009 - astroman wrote:
WFA 2009 Grange Vertical Tasting: Very primary with capsicum, fruits, vanish but very elegant and soft. Cassis. Powerful but lots of Potential lots of complexity on the palate. Tons of flavours on the palate with good structure and form. Good Weight and beautifully balance on most aspect.
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8/1/2009 - CamWheeler wrote: 95 Points
Intense purple colour. Very opulent on the nose, black fruits, raspberry, liquorice, vanilla and coffee notes. The oak is noticeable on the palate currently, but it is balanced by the depth and intensity of fruit. Indisputable class showing right now, but will be superb given enough time to develop.
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5/22/2009 - fm449789 wrote: 97 Points
I don´t find my notes on this wine
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5/20/2009 - jivey wrote: 97 Points
Opaque purple, it gives off an ethereal bouquet of violets, saddle leather, blueberry, blackberry, pencil lead, and chocolate. This is followed by a full-bodied wine with tremendous concentration, multiple layers of flavor, ripe tannins, and great balance. Thick and rich, with a 60-second finish.
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5/2/2009 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Philadelphia Wine Festival (Marriott, Philadelphia PA): first time trying grange. very tight, but an interesting mix of youthful black fruit, secondary notes of tobacco and leather showing through already, and tightness. definitely one to lay down for a decade or more.
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5/2/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote:
The Eighth Annual Philadelphia Wine Festival (Philadelphia Marriott Downtown): Big backward tannic monster. Going to require a lot of time. Big brooding dark fruits beneath the tannins. Hard to get a great feel for this in fast paced tasting. Something to look for in 20-30 years.
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