1979 Penfolds Grange

Community Tasting Notes (25) Avg Score: 93.5 points

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  10/29/2023 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points

  A few observations: A) The wines undoubtedly deserve their legendary status. Few wines manage to square the circle of being intense, rich in substance and structure, while at the same time being ethereal, delicate and airy. B) The wines are all complex and very precise. With age (and/or air) the wines show a Rayas-like pure red berry fruit to die for. Other defining aromas are the minty/eucalyptus notes and especially the sweet spice I find in many Aussie Shirazes. C) The wines age at a glacial pace. Even the 40+ year old wines are still quite young and all will need a lot of decanting. D) All the wines were on a high level (except for one subpar bottle of the 2000). The winner was the magical 1982 (98pts), the epitome of elegance and balance.
  
  TN: A bit muted on the nose. On the palate better, more bordeaux-esque than the Burgundian 82/83 vintages with the structure a bit more prominent. Intense, complex aromatics with lots of red fruit, herbs, minty notes, spices, earthy notes, bacon fat, tobacco and truffles. Very complex and highly precise. Very fine and elegant, no hard edges, great freshness, airy texture and a long and expanding finish.
  
  Decanting: All wines were quickly double decanted 3h before the tasting. In my experience Grange usually needs hours of proper decanting. 2-3 hours in the decanter would probably have unlocked the nose too making this an almost perfect wine.

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  10/3/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points

  Grange vertical (Wunderbrunnen, Opfikon): Part of a 7-vintage vertical (key takeaways in the tasting story). Densely packed aroma profile with herbal complexity, elements of sweet spice, a bit of dried meat that gains in intensity, and black olives. The palate still fresh with a strong structure but not as sumptuous and harmonious as 1983 and 1982. Also lacking the balance.

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  9/28/2023 - acyso wrote: 90 Points

  Four decades of Penfolds Grange (Chicago, IL): Others liked this bottle more than I did. I found it really strange in the context of the wines -- it was oddly hyper fresh, with tart red-fruited acids, and a lightness that most of the wines didn't have. It's almost like a different product altogether. Rough, coarse tannins that didn't comport with any of the other wines. I'll have to do some homework and see if there was some sort of change between 1982 and 1979.

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  6/3/2022 - mflesh wrote: 100 Points

  One of the 79 birth year wines went down today in the presence of the "four 79ers" all present today. Amazing how youthful this is. Nose of muddled brambly toasted black fruit. The nose of this wine was so youthful moments after a 43 year sleep. Roasted peppers, eucalyptus, charred blackberry spice. The cork was about 80% saturated but a Durand had no issues. The palate was half black cherry, half blackberries on the front. Campfire roasted smoky poblano pepper, and a savory grilled meat and bacon fat note on the finish. What a wine. I debated opening this, but I still believe that it wouldn't have shown as well today as it would have yesterday, nor tomorrow. Today was the day. In the presence of the four 79ers, this wine showed impeccably well with great structure and density. My wine of the year this far over the last four years, and one of the few 99 scores that I've given in 2 decades. A year and a half after tasting this, I have revised my score from 99 to 100. First perfect wine I have had.

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  12/11/2021 - prv530 wrote: 95 Points

  Had it yesterday at our holiday wine luncheon next to an 81 Grange. The 79 had more elegance, richness, smokier, but less fruit than 81. Great palate feel at 42 yrs old. While it had peaked, the brooding, fully mature flavors had most vote it supreme to the 81. Drink now full an experience of Shiraz at its apex.

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