Penfolds, Grange, South Australia

Decant for nearly 3 hours then back into the bottle. Half teaspoon of very fine sediment. Slow-ox thereafter another 60 minutes. Tons of funk on the nose upon first opening, and it took nearly 90 minutes for it to blow off. Dark color. No sign of age at the meniscus. Rich and dense dark fruits with some slightly candied raspberry notes as well. But plenty of black pepper. Mint throughout, but also just a touch of stems as well. Tannins …

1997 vintage

A well made wine, very much reminds me of a Bdx blend with a bit more ripeness to it. Good balance, good structure, dark fruit, black licorice, bit of cedar. Not my favorite style of wine but I respect the quality here.

2015 vintage

A monumental wine. Laser focused notes of black fruit, chalk, black licorice, spice box. A bottom note of brown sugar. Endless depth on the palate. Huge energy. Powerful but not brawny in any way. More taught. Everything in perfect balance. Reminds me of a great Lafite. Amazing to me that this is Australian Shiraz. Exciting. Served blind in a comprehensive Syrah tasting from around the world.

2001 vintage

Beautiful, complex and elegant. Again a feast to drink this wine. Still very juicy and not any sign of old age.

1997 vintage

This beautiful bottle of Grange needed a good 2 hours in a decanter. Then it showed a gorgeous silky texture with superb intensity and delicious dark berry fruit. Very finely layered and elegant with a fabulously complex finish that is lifted by wild red spices, graphite and a touch of mint. A really fantastic vintage of Grange at this point with lots of life left.

1997 vintage

Stored in one of my Liebherrs, taken out for a few hours and decanted for 2.5 hours. Wine was medium bodied, very elegant and absolutely enjoyable but seemed to be more mature than expected. Judging from this bottle I don't believe this wine will last for a further decade. Rather I would recommend to drink it sooner than later. In comparison to the 1998 we drank 2 yrs ago the 1998 was clearly better and more spectacular in every respect.

2001 vintage

Eighth time tasted since 2014, fifth time rating it 100. Perfectly mature. Still garnet and almost completely opaque. Pronounced aroma of raspberry, blueberry, mocha and American oak vanilla. Full body, still with outstanding fruit flavors, but by no means a "fruit bomb". Perfectly balanced, lots of elegance and complexity, nice sweet syrah notes. Very long, sweet, round aftertaste, just the right amount of alcohol heat. We still have 10 more of this vintage. I plan to drink one every 4-6 …

2001 vintage

Still so youthful for a 27 year old wine. Ruby in colour. Notes of plum, raspberry, and pepper. Med acidity, med body, slight tannins, and med finish. This wine shows how well Shiraz can age.

1999 vintage

Due to circumstances popped & poured. When it opened partly opened out after a couple of hours showed real depth & concentration. This has breed & class. Long distance runner. May have merited a higher rating.

1997 vintage

Wimps Australia and New Zealand lunch (La Trompette, Chiswick) : This arrived late to the lunch because of delayed trains. Popped and poured and allowed to open in the glass. Still a young wine and certainly needed a longer decant than we were able to give it. Dense red fruit, hint of mint emerges. Bold red fruits but this still drinks like a young wine. There is real richness here and subtle complexities emerge. It did open in the glass …

1997 vintage

Deep, dense ruby in the glass. An evolving bouquet of dark chocolate, dark berries, and savory earth notes. Exceptional depth and length. The wine is perfectly balanced with massive but refined tannins and a core of fruit that persists for minutes on the finish. A benchmark for Australian Shiraz. While the quality is undeniable, the value at $800 remains a question mark to me. Obviously you’re paying for history and branding here.

2017 vintage

From Penfolds Signature Experience. Intense, powerful, but rather precise. Quite brooding, serious, and rugged. Structured tannins, and appropriate acidity. All dark, ripe black fruits, with tons of interesting spices, namely cedar, baking spices, and cinnamon. Oak is decently integrated, with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and some smoke. Epitome of Australian shiraz. When people talk of Aussie shiraz, this is IT. This still requires much more time to properly evolve. As it is, it's far too structured and masculine. I loved …

2018 vintage

100% shiraz in 2000. No cabernet element. Reddish rim opens to a dark ruby colour. The nose has black and dark red fruits, with some blueberries, tobacco leaf, vanilla and cedar/oak. The palate retains good fruit, noticeably shiraz in flavour with pleasant plum sweetness with a note of chocolate, licorice, blackberry and herbs and a hint (not much) of earth/forest floor as a slightly savoury element. Very balanced, smooth tannins, great length.

2000 vintage

Really fantastic. Spicy, meaty, smoky, substantial. Tobacco flavors and rich dark fruit. BBQ sauce vibes. The finish goes on and on. Decanted 1 hr prior to serving, tasted a sip or two every 15 min during decanting. Really opened up and flavors became more legible throughout the decant.

1997 vintage

Deep tawny color. Clean nose of medium intensity. Aromas of prune, dried cherry,nutmeg, earth, minerals and wet leaves. Wine is fully developed. Palate: dry, medium acidity, medium minus tannins, high alcohol with full body and pronounced flavors of dark chocolate, mushrooms, dried meat and dried dark fruit. Finish is pleasant but shorter than I expected. Very good wine, drink now.

1997 vintage

I really loved this wine! Such complex flavours with dominance of pepper and plum. Long delightful finish! Still excellent and great for some more years ahead. So good!

1999 vintage

Notitie consistent met die van 2023. Met één verschil: Deze wijn moet nu heel snel worden gedronken. Aan het einde van de bijna oneindig lange afdronk begint inmiddels een begin van 'hoekigheid' te ontstaan door oxidatie van ethanol en fenolen. Note consistent with that of 2023. With one difference: This wine should now be drunk very quickly. At the end of the almost infinitely long finish, a beginning of 'angularity' begins to appear due to oxidation of ethanol and phenols. …

1997 vintage

For a wine of reputation of being a monster, this is surpassingly elegant. Very restrained in fruit, very good structure, still prominent tannin, a baby, but not a baby monster.

2018 vintage

Drunk over a few hours at lunch. Was decanted. Dark and quite murky with plenty of sediment. On the nose dark red and black fruits, slighty stewed. Also plenty of liquorice and very strong Italian spices and balsamic. Some Bordeaux characteristics. Palate is still very fruity but with some leather and chocolate. Long finish. A slightly confusing wine to place but it grew on me. I would guess this bottle could easily go another 10 years.

2000 vintage

Stewed raspberry drifting with pinewood smoke. Tannins firm, acidity hidden beneath velvet. As it breathed, it reduced itself — darker, thicker, hypnotic. A seductive aroma rose and rose, defying language.

1997 vintage

Fabulous again! Upon opening and decanting, bountiful flaovrs exploded in the air. I knew this would be great...and it didn't disappoint. 2 hour decant, lots of weight on the palate, lingering on the finish. Leaves you wanting MORE. WOTN. Will drink over the next 10-15 years.

2001 vintage

Lovely! Drink up!

2005 vintage

Limited decant time and ready to go. Smokey, bacon fat. Drinking perfectly right now.

2002 vintage

Excellent condition. Long lasting smooth blend of fruit and nose. Time left but drinking really well right now. Wonderful example of a mature grange.

1997 vintage

Dunkles Purpur, fast tintenfarbig noch bis an den nur leicht hellen Rand In der Nase grandios nach schwarzen Johannisbeeren. Sehr runde Nase mit füllendem Geruch und einer leichten Rauchnote. Ganz feine Tannine, äusserst füllendes Bouquet mit tollem Abgang. Ein grandioser Wein. Dekantiert um 14:30 dann nochmals in den Kühlschrank. Letzter Schluck ca 20:30 19.5/20

1997 vintage

If I had tasted it blind I would have confidently declared it was a 1977 port. It has the same vanilla and mellowed-out caramel and ripe bananas and half-cooked red fruits. Knowing it’s Syrah you can taste the vegetal notes a bit, and it’s not quite as sweet as a port (though it comes off closer than you would expect). Very little acidity. Not over the hill, exactly, but not vibrant either. Overall an interesting experience but not one I …

1997 vintage

Loads of primary menthol assails the nose and palate. Gorgeous big peppery ripe rich bramble fruits. There are some lovely tertiary notes beginning to creep in - some leather and forest floor. Long and complex but still young. Gives a lot of pleasure now but will give far more in 10 to 20 years.

1996 vintage

The Grange has been sitting in the cellar for almost a couple of decades. Was very curious to taste what is traditionally considered the pinnacle of classic, big Australian wine. This is priced like a first growth; presumed that therefore it should be at least qualitatively on par. The dominant and overwhelming impression even at 29 years of age is oak. Lots and lots of expensive high toast oak. Despite the 13.5% ABV this feels big and heavy and extracted. …

1996 vintage

Seventh time tasted since 2014, fourth time rating it 100. Perfectly mature. Still garnet and almost completely opaque. Pronounced aroma of raspberry, blueberry, mocha and American oak vanilla. Full body, still with outstanding fruit flavors, but by no means a "fruit bomb". Perfectly balanced, lots of elegance and complexity, nice sweet syrah notes. Very long, sweet, round aftertaste, just the right amount of alcohol heat. We still have 11 more of this vintage. I plan to drink one every 4-6 …

2001 vintage

Good balance and length for a young Grange.

2004 vintage

80th Birthday celebration steak frites dinner... from the cellar... and its been around the world... purchased in London and flown back to NZ 20 odd years ago... lovely after 3 hours in the decanter... the wide array of notes and tones... menthol, vanilla, lanolin, licorice, kalamata olives, cacao, pencil shavings... sun dried tomato... in the mouth, as you would expect from a Grange, big, bolshie, but smooth and caressing at the same time, tannins coating the mouth... a lovely finish …

1996 vintage

My last bottle of this, held back for 6 years since the previous one, and much better for it. It seems to be perfect now, although it will keep. It has concentrated, spicy fruit, excellent balance and great length. Very fine.

1996 vintage

re-corked August 22, 2025 - this was the bottle that was deemed "sub-standard" at the Penfolds Re-corking Clinic, so I figured I'd bring it out and drink it with a couple of Grange lovers. We opened it and decanted it after about 30 minutes, and the nose was definitely still pretty fragrant, with plenty of coconut butter I love so much.

1981 vintage

Refined. Amazing with steaks need to let stand minimum 2 days

2001 vintage

Black cherry, forest floor, red cherry, cassis, lumberyard, herbs, and damp earth on the nose. Red cherries, tart cherries, plums, herbs, sort of bloody meatiness, and light wood on the palate. Nice mouthwatering acidity, grippy tannins, LONG finish. Delicious. This bottle wasn't the most complex, but with such an amazing finish and the sheer drinikability (ie, I can't remember my glass emptying so quickly), this was darn impressive. Although it may need more time to reach peak, assuming your bottle …

1996 vintage

Decanted for only about 30 minutes. Fresh, vibrant and no signs of aging. This has held up superbly for 42 years since its bottling! Notes of chocolate, anise, earth and dark fruits. Very enjoyable.

1981 vintage

Opened this wine 5 hours in advance (double decanted), for sure young one and I agree probably even better 2-3 years later. But the wine was absolute stunning once opened. The aroma of sweet dark plum and full body matching the aroma. Suberb wine. Wish I had the patience otherwise later on will be even better.

2017 vintage

Horribly corked but the American oak and dill still came through notwithstanding that.

1996 vintage

Opened 2 bottles of this vintage at our wedding (along with 94 and 96 bottles). This vintage has a brick red color (lighter in hue than the others). Musty gooseberry nose. Fills mouth with flavor with a slightly musty or barnyard edge. Blue fruits. Long finish.

1993 vintage

Drank 2 bottles at our wedding in late July, along with the '93 (a bit of a musty barnyard sense to that one) and the '94 (a very nice wine drinking well). The '96 stole the show with a very balanced palate that is still drinking at peak. Luckily, 2 bottles went unopened (we had 38 different wines to choose from), which was a pleasant surprise. Hard to rate these "nectar of the gods" wines, but this deserves at least …

1996 vintage

Very youthful, great wine. Great concentration

1999 vintage

Surprising youthful for its age. Complex nose, long finish, absolutely outstanding wine.

1999 vintage

Full of life, with a rich, spicy nose of tobacco, coffee and coconut. Black fruits are muted, floating on rich spice and american oak flavors.

1981 vintage

Consistent with last note, but tasted alongside the 2002 this time. Completely different wines. This was fruit forward and lithe where the '02 was punctuated with leather and cigar box notes. All guests seemed to appreciate this over the '02 though both were thoroughly enjoyed.

2001 vintage

A bit more tertiary than the last time. Tasted alongside the 2002. Completely different wines. This was punctuated with leather and cigar box notes where the '01 was much more fruit forward. All guests seemed to appreciate '01over the '02 though both were thoroughly enjoyed.

2002 vintage

Up against some tough competition, of course the Grange held its own. A little more approachable than the big Napa’s, and always a crowd pleaser, it’s still going strong.

1996 vintage

One of the finest Grange we have enjoyed

2001 vintage

Blow out Blind night (Corkbuzz, Union Square) : Very good. Rich milk chocolate and ripe dark cherry. Some heat? Someone said Creamed vanilla finish and that resonates. I think this could do with more time.

1996 vintage

Blow out Blind night (Corkbuzz, Union Square) : So much expensive oak here. It’s like a vanilla milkshake drenched designer purse. God bless. Shocked this was 1993. When does this wine integrate - year 80?

1993 vintage

Quercus alba (Chicago, IL) : Not as interesting an expression of the wine as the other two poured alongside (1975 and 1983). This was slightly unexpressive on the nose, not particularly giving or interesting, and also had a slight bit more pyrazine relative to the others. On the palate, the tannins and structure are mature and fairly giving, but at the same time the overall palate complexity isn't at the same level.

1981 vintage

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Penfolds, Grange, South Australia

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