What a great wine to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We have had the wine for about 35 years and it was checked and recorked in 2016 by Penfolds. I remember at the time having a small taste and felt it was past it. The Penfolds wine expert assured us it was fine but that we should drink it soon. Last night we were both blown away about how good the wine was. Still vibrant colour and no signs of bricking. Everything perfectly on place. Absolutely delicious.
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Outstanding dark colour, guessed as a 15 year old shiraz not a near 40 year old wine. Huge voluminous nose that speaks of penfolds oak treatment, huge rich concentrated berry aromas with cedar notes, you can just keep smelling this all night. Palate same level as bouquet - clearly shiraz royalty robed in plush smooth fruit at epitome of integration. What a treat.
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Drank with family for Thanksgiving. Have had this magnum since 2000. Excellent but needed drinking soon. Very fragile cork, double decanted and strained about 2 hours before drinking. Highly recommend consuming soon.
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Pulled cork decanted and drank over 1.5hrs . A magnificent Grange .. displaying all the characters of pre-90s great vintages. It drank perfectly from the first to last sip. Drink now .. but I suspect this will remain at its peak for the next 5yrs
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SLDS August 2020 - Maybe the world is ending tasting: Sesame oil, sweet red fruits, sultana and leather. In good nick, medium bodied, with good length. A really good bottle of this wine in a nice spot for drinking.
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Double decant x 1 hour; dark ruby with mild bricking; medium bodied; herbs, marionberry jam, herbs, leather; sweetens in the glass, lasting finish; drinking really nicely
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Grange is always a favorite and this was no different. Drank next to an '07 Abreu Howell. Very different styles, but both beautiful wines. This is more savory based. Opened and decanted. It just kept opening and evolving. Amazing how young it tastes. Went incredibly well with a grass fed beef course. Beautiful.
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Escape from the Cold; 2/12/2016-2/15/2016 (Sunny & Warm Florida (Del Ray Beach, Jupiter)): Well aged Grange deserves a special place in heaven. This was drunk side by side with a '97 SQN Syrah and it was interesting to see some of the similarities (I didn't expect). Both fantastic wines. For some reason having it next to the SQN pulled out more of the meat characteristics for me. Fruit has mellowed. Still nice spices. And that Grange nose that I'd be quite happy if they made a perfume out of. Excellent.
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Medium intense nose of mature red and black cherry, juicy blackberry, raspberry, dried cranberry, spicy cinnamon, oregano, and cumin, some cassis, and rare meats. Big and concentrated on the palate with loads of leathery cranberry and pruney plums. Tannins are monstrous and grippy. A bit of red cedar smoke throughout. Some oaky vanilla. Tough to believe this wine is 32 years old - It's a brute. Improved considerably with time - Nose got bigger and palate softened up somewhat. Soily note emerged after 90+ minutes.
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Unfortunately we pushed the cork through as the ah so Wine bottle opener couldn't get to the cork. Not to worry as the wine was untarnished and tasted great after 3 hours and best after 4 on a single decant. Paired with a slow cooked lamb shoulder followed by mature aged cheddar, quince and dried muskets. Not qualified to provide a rating.
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Popped and poured. Reddish purple in color. Strong nose. Much more structured and alcoholic than the 1980. What a difference 3 years makes! Full bodied well balanced. Strawberries, raspberries, currant. Opened up after one hour. Excellent.
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All alcohol on the top notes on first tasting, but once decanted and rested for an hour or so came alive. Like a sort of Syrah done by Bordeaux, lovely vegetal flavours but with a cocoa powder feel to it. Great length and still well poised. An experience.
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Vanilla, very dark berries, slightly salty (think of a Pappy as wine) very smooth and velvety, coffee, tobacco, very very nice, needs a lot of time to open up
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It's a privilege to have this mature yet in perfect condition bottle. Zero seepage and in neck. I Bordeaux decant it 2 hours before the meal started and it peaked with around 2 hours more of breathing in bottle. Smooth, elegant, rich texture, respectable structure, albeit a little bit short (just barely 30s) in finish. Coco and eucalyptus overpowered the black fruits. Can keep but I would drink it now if I have more.
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Still a baby, this is still showing lots of black cherry aromas and flavors with hints of chocolate and oak spice. Great black fruit on palate, showing a hint of sweetness in middle that I expect with soften with more time in bottle. really long finish. Another example of incredibly ageworthy Grange.
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NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds prior to 2000 (Alio's, Surrey Hills): [cork, 14.2%] 5% Cabernet. 14.2% alcohol on the Penfolds website – the bottle says 13.6%. Either way it’s not noticeable. A big, aging nose of blueberries and Christmas cake. All very lavish. The palate remains dustily tannic, oaky, big and brawny. More visceral than cerebral, that’s for sure. Full bodied and intense, with ripe fruits, but never quite overcomes a blockiness that’s stops it short of being a truly memorable wine. Can’t see it improving, either.
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A wonderful mature grange, showing almost no fading of the color. This was round black and balanced with good structure, but right in the window. Wonderful pepper and black spice notes. Very nice 94-95pts.
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Dark purple in colour with brick red rims, this wine still shows surprising youth! The nose shows dense berry fruit, cassis and grated dark chocolate. The palate is lucious and full bodied - still some fruit character and toasty oak, but age has also introduced some nice meaty, vegetal aromas. Smooth and delicious.
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Sydney Offline: Birthyear Wines: Nose is fairly simple at this stage with a fair bit of vanilla oak, blueberry and blackberry. Palate shows some youthful richness but it is ultimately too oaky and there is some bitterness on the finish. Based on this bottle I would be giving it more time, but I'm not entirely convinced that it will come into balance.
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This one had a huge red fruit aroma with really distinct banana notes. I debated for a while whether this was an endearing quality or whether it was to the point of distraction. In the end, I guess it worked as that same banana note made its way to the palate as well. Rich candied black fruit with coffee notes and a long creme de cassis finish. This just kept opening up and gaining complexity with time. My WOTN. 94+ pts. 9/05
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This is a fantastic wine. It tsates exactly as you would expect a Shiraz to taste, yet it is more than 20 years old. It has great finish, is bursting with subtle fruit and is definitely a memorable wine. I am writing this note about 5 months later and I can almost still taste it! The best wine I have ever drunk. Drinking very well now, but this may be its peak. I'd certainly be surprised of if it got very much better. If I could afford it, I would have some more of this to drink in the next couple of years. As it is, I'll have to wait for my 1999 to mature for the next 15 years.
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This was a tremendous wine. It was brick red in color, dark intensity and clear to segiment. An immensely full-bodied wine, with a glycerin edge and aromas of earth and cloves.
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It always seems to be cheating to write “unmistakeably Grange” when you knew it was, but the nose had that rich meaty spicy, tarry aspect that is so characteristic of the wine. Unbelievable to think it was 18 years old, and from a not particularly well regarded vintage. A long finish, powerful but restrained – a magnificent wine. Can’t imagine what the 86 must be like – one of the few 80s Granges I’ve not tasted.
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4/6/2024 - Stray Cat Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a great wine to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We have had the wine for about 35 years and it was checked and recorked in 2016 by Penfolds. I remember at the time having a small taste and felt it was past it. The Penfolds wine expert assured us it was fine but that we should drink it soon. Last night we were both blown away about how good the wine was. Still vibrant colour and no signs of bricking. Everything perfectly on place. Absolutely delicious.
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8/8/2023 - crazywineguy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding dark colour, guessed as a 15 year old shiraz not a near 40 year old wine. Huge voluminous nose that speaks of penfolds oak treatment, huge rich concentrated berry aromas with cedar notes, you can just keep smelling this all night. Palate same level as bouquet - clearly shiraz royalty robed in plush smooth fruit at epitome of integration. What a treat.
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11/26/2021 - mtn_living Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with family for Thanksgiving. Have had this magnum since 2000. Excellent but needed drinking soon. Very fragile cork, double decanted and strained about 2 hours before drinking. Highly recommend consuming soon.
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9/1/2020 - smenzies wrote: 96 Points
Pulled cork decanted and drank over 1.5hrs . A magnificent Grange .. displaying all the characters of pre-90s great vintages. It drank perfectly from the first to last sip. Drink now .. but I suspect this will remain at its peak for the next 5yrs
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8/5/2020 - CamWheeler wrote: 91 Points
SLDS August 2020 - Maybe the world is ending tasting: Sesame oil, sweet red fruits, sultana and leather. In good nick, medium bodied, with good length. A really good bottle of this wine in a nice spot for drinking.
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5/23/2020 - dafmd Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decant x 1 hour; dark ruby with mild bricking; medium bodied; herbs, marionberry jam, herbs, leather; sweetens in the glass, lasting finish; drinking really nicely
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8/12/2019 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 89 Points
Cassis, BlackBerry, smoke, tobacco, dirt. Technically sound but not particularly pleasurable to my taste. Fine I guess but I think a burnout.
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11/11/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Grange is always a favorite and this was no different. Drank next to an '07 Abreu Howell. Very different styles, but both beautiful wines. This is more savory based. Opened and decanted. It just kept opening and evolving. Amazing how young it tastes. Went incredibly well with a grass fed beef course. Beautiful.
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2/13/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Escape from the Cold; 2/12/2016-2/15/2016 (Sunny & Warm Florida (Del Ray Beach, Jupiter)): Well aged Grange deserves a special place in heaven. This was drunk side by side with a '97 SQN Syrah and it was interesting to see some of the similarities (I didn't expect). Both fantastic wines. For some reason having it next to the SQN pulled out more of the meat characteristics for me. Fruit has mellowed. Still nice spices. And that Grange nose that I'd be quite happy if they made a perfume out of. Excellent.
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1/2/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 91 Points
Medium intense nose of mature red and black cherry, juicy blackberry, raspberry, dried cranberry, spicy cinnamon, oregano, and cumin, some cassis, and rare meats. Big and concentrated on the palate with loads of leathery cranberry and pruney plums. Tannins are monstrous and grippy. A bit of red cedar smoke throughout. Some oaky vanilla. Tough to believe this wine is 32 years old - It's a brute. Improved considerably with time - Nose got bigger and palate softened up somewhat. Soily note emerged after 90+ minutes.
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11/27/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Friday after Thanksgiving (FAT) - Part 2 - Penfolds Grange Vertical (Palm Beach Gardens FL): Small taste, brief note. Black dense and meaty with good balance and nicely evolved. Very good, but not as good as I recall from when last tasted a few years back. Or perhaps slightly lost following the amazing 1982 and 1983 just tasted.
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6/14/2015 - jamesg12 Likes this wine:
Unfortunately we pushed the cork through as the ah so Wine bottle opener couldn't get to the cork. Not to worry as the wine was untarnished and tasted great after 3 hours and best after 4 on a single decant. Paired with a slow cooked lamb shoulder followed by mature aged cheddar, quince and dried muskets. Not qualified to provide a rating.
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4/5/2014 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Reddish purple in color. Strong nose. Much more structured and alcoholic than the 1980. What a difference 3 years makes! Full bodied well balanced. Strawberries, raspberries, currant. Opened up after one hour. Excellent.
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3/16/2014 - Cblightman Likes this wine:
All alcohol on the top notes on first tasting, but once decanted and rested for an hour or so came alive. Like a sort of Syrah done by Bordeaux, lovely vegetal flavours but with a cocoa powder feel to it. Great length and still well poised. An experience.
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1/28/2014 - G_H Likes this wine: 94 Points
Vanilla, very dark berries, slightly salty (think of a Pappy as wine) very smooth and velvety, coffee, tobacco, very very nice, needs a lot of time to open up
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8/30/2013 - burgburgburg Likes this wine: 93 Points
It's a privilege to have this mature yet in perfect condition bottle. Zero seepage and in neck. I Bordeaux decant it 2 hours before the meal started and it peaked with around 2 hours more of breathing in bottle. Smooth, elegant, rich texture, respectable structure, albeit a little bit short (just barely 30s) in finish. Coco and eucalyptus overpowered the black fruits. Can keep but I would drink it now if I have more.
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4/7/2012 - mh36 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Sublime
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12/15/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Still a baby, this is still showing lots of black cherry aromas and flavors with hints of chocolate and oak spice. Great black fruit on palate, showing a hint of sweetness in middle that I expect with soften with more time in bottle. really long finish. Another example of incredibly ageworthy Grange.
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10/19/2011 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
Not a whole lot of personality to this, just thick fruit. Some olive-like scents surface in the leftovers the next day.
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9/1/2011 - tcalkins Likes this wine:
Cork disintegrated and had to be pushed in. Still, drinking very well. Extrememly smooth and refined, subtle flavours.
No rating given; lack of rating experience and basis for comparison.
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4/8/2010 - cortoncharlie wrote: 93 Points
A mellower Grange that needs to be drunk up I think
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5/4/2009 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds prior to 2000 (Alio's, Surrey Hills): [cork, 14.2%] 5% Cabernet. 14.2% alcohol on the Penfolds website – the bottle says 13.6%. Either way it’s not noticeable. A big, aging nose of blueberries and Christmas cake. All very lavish. The palate remains dustily tannic, oaky, big and brawny. More visceral than cerebral, that’s for sure. Full bodied and intense, with ripe fruits, but never quite overcomes a blockiness that’s stops it short of being a truly memorable wine. Can’t see it improving, either.
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12/20/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
A wonderful mature grange, showing almost no fading of the color. This was round black and balanced with good structure, but right in the window. Wonderful pepper and black spice notes. Very nice 94-95pts.
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10/31/2008 - jamieirving wrote: 95 Points
Dark purple in colour with brick red rims, this wine still shows surprising youth! The nose shows dense berry fruit, cassis and grated dark chocolate. The palate is lucious and full bodied - still some fruit character and toasty oak, but age has also introduced some nice meaty, vegetal aromas. Smooth and delicious.
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7/20/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 87 Points
Sydney Offline: Birthyear Wines: Nose is fairly simple at this stage with a fair bit of vanilla oak, blueberry and blackberry. Palate shows some youthful richness but it is ultimately too oaky and there is some bitterness on the finish. Based on this bottle I would be giving it more time, but I'm not entirely convinced that it will come into balance.
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9/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
This one had a huge red fruit aroma with really distinct banana notes. I debated for a while whether this was an endearing quality or whether it was to the point of distraction. In the end, I guess it worked as that same banana note made its way to the palate as well. Rich candied black fruit with coffee notes and a long creme de cassis finish. This just kept opening up and gaining complexity with time. My WOTN. 94+ pts. 9/05
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8/2/2005 - Simon wrote: 98 Points
This is a fantastic wine. It tsates exactly as you would expect a Shiraz to taste, yet it is more than 20 years old. It has great finish, is bursting with subtle fruit and is definitely a memorable wine. I am writing this note about 5 months later and I can almost still taste it! The best wine I have ever drunk. Drinking very well now, but this may be its peak. I'd certainly be surprised of if it got very much better. If I could afford it, I would have some more of this to drink in the next couple of years. As it is, I'll have to wait for my 1999 to mature for the next 15 years.
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3/16/2004 - Tom_B wrote: 98 Points
This was a tremendous wine. It was brick red in color, dark intensity and clear to segiment. An immensely full-bodied wine, with a glycerin edge and aromas of earth and cloves.
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6/9/2002 - graemeg wrote:
It always seems to be cheating to write “unmistakeably Grange” when you knew it was, but the nose had that rich meaty spicy, tarry aspect that is so characteristic of the wine. Unbelievable to think it was 18 years old, and from a not particularly well regarded vintage. A long finish, powerful but restrained – a magnificent wine. Can’t imagine what the 86 must be like – one of the few 80s Granges I’ve not tasted.
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