I feel almost ludicrous writing a description for this wine, unworthy of even attempting to shed some sort of yet to be heard secret about Grange and its remarkable heritage. So I won't, instead I will rely on those with a far more reputable vocabulary of critical zeal- critics who have without hesitation dished out "perfect" marks throughout the decades this glorious wine has graced our shelves. Lisa Perotti-Brown awarded an indisputable 100 points, James Halliday a 99 and then there is Campbell Mattinson who referred to this vintage as reflecting the perfect precision of of "origami". I don't need to tell you of the bottles, now decades old, that are fetching upward of $40,000 at auction and are gifted almost mythical positions in the most prestigious wine list's the world over. This is a rare opportunity to mark out a sacred place in your cellar and own your own prized Grange. It will be a day you will always look back to fondly no doubt.
Penfolds Grange is a wine of extraordinary dimension and power. Richly textured, intensely concentrated and packed with fruit sweetness, these wines, regardless of vintage, require medium to long-term cellaring. They develop into immensely complex, beguiling wines that seduce the senses. From humble beginnings in the 1950s, Grange has maintained its place as Australia's most prestigious red wine over five decades. A pure symphony, years of knowledge & experience played out with Australia's greatest red grape by Australia's greatest wine house.
An Australian icon, Grange represents a tradition in winemaking that is totally uncompromising. Grange has bypassed the fads and trends of modern winemaking in the sense that it has maintained an integrity of style and remained true to its origins in the mind of Max Schubert. Penfolds Grange is the quality standard against which all other Australian red wines are judged. To share a mature Grange, 15 to 20 years old, in fine condition, is one of the great wine experiences.
Awards and Accolades
99 Points - James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion "96% shiraz, 4% cabernet sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate, matured for 20 months in new American hogsheads. Gloriously, splendiferously complex. There are so many layers of flavour it's labyrinthine, yet you never lose the thread, the path, of the wine. Austerity is not a term often used with Grange, but it's here, and to the benefit of the wine."
96 Points - Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front "Served alongside the 2012 and it proved a keen competitor. Indeed it has classic Grange written all over it. Bold and brooding, formic, blackberried, vanillin, smoky. Sheeted with tannin. This is something of a return to the Grange-like tannin of yore. It gives the wine an extra impression of grunt; there’s more iron behind the velvet. Length here does its best to reach into tomorrow. It’s smooth, Grange always is, it’s made as shiraz taken to the nth degree; but there’s some buckle to this release, some swash. Quality put to one side for the moment and personal preference ushered in: I would take this over the 2012. It’s not so gushy, not so plump; it’s a Grange of muscle and rib."
From the Winery
The majority of South Australia had a dry winter reminiscent of 2006, vines were in water deficit at the beginning of spring and became accustomed to dry conditions quite early. The exception was McLaren Vale, where revitalising winter rainfall exceeded the long term average. Early budburst was noticeable across many regions. Dry and warm spring conditions explained canopy growth and yields, becoming typical of the 2013 growing season.
Warm days were dispersed throughout October, November and in early January, contributing to an early start to the 2013 harvest and a condensed vintage. Dry and warm conditions, coupled with lower than average yields resulted in fruit showing strong, structural tannins and wines of great intensity and encouraging flavour. The Magill Estate fruit was harvested in pristine condition, hand-picked on February 14th and 15th 2013.
Colour: Opaque black core, dark red rim
Nose: An aromatic assault / surge / eruption of soy, hoisin, balsamic reduction … coiled around a core of kirsch and fresh raspberry. This propulsion is crammed with tell-tale barrel ferment, V.A. and formic Grange markers – all in balance, all respectful of fruit and oak. And yet, so ‘classy’ – a brightness, a sheen, a gloss, a raciness – belying both age and upbringing (élevage).
Palate: Formidable. No gaps, a densely-packed structural continuum. Not huge, not massive, yet taut, muscular, feisty. A black palimpsest - black fruits, black liquorice, black pudding, black fig, black cardamom.... Granitic chewy tannins linger and coat; oak all but fully concealed, submerged beneath a tannin/oak/acid/flavour tsunami. Fruits? Where to start in this entanglement? Time please
Don't Pay: $850.00
WBW Rating: 99/100
Closure: Cork
Region: South Australia
Winemaker: Peter Gago
Drink now until: 2050
Alc/Vol: 14.5 %
