Australian Winery - Penfolds Grange
Penfolds Grange began its regal reign as Australia and Penfold’s most prestigious red wine, during the 1950s. Made from super quality grapes from the Barossa Valley, Grange is considered to be Australia’s best wine. The first vintage of this now mythical wine was 1951. For the past four decades, Grange has been holding its own as an internationally respected and collected wine and at the highest rung of Australian wines. This rich textured wine is fruity and complex. It requires medium to long term cellaring to develop its true character. When Grange first came on to the market, it was considered by unsophisticated wine drinkers to be undrinkable (as it was so highly tannic and powerful) and the whole project was almost disregarded. Thankfully, in 1962 after ten years of peaceful aging, Grange came into the spotlight again as the wine had developed into something utterly sublime. Grange was from that point, in all the wine competition circuits and became the darling of wine journalists.
Today, Grange represents an Australian icon of tradition and innovation. It forgoes trends and remains high in quality and integrity standards. It has, in fact, become the Australian standard to aspire to. The 1990 Vintage Grange was name by Wine Spectator as the ‘best red wine in the world.’ It received many more awards such as for its 1955 Grange Hermitage, and for being one of the twentieth century’s top wines. It was the first wine outside California and France to take the wine of the year recognition in 1990. Interestingly as well, on April 3, 2001 Penfolds Grange was made a heritage icon by the National Trust of South Australia.
Grange has proved to be almost unbeatable, whether young or old. It has received 126 gold, 76 silver and 42 bronze medals, as well as 28 trophies and seven championship awards over the past 42 years. Grange has also brought home two Jimmy Watson trophies which usually go to wine of very different styles.
James Halliway, Australia’s most famous wine expert, says this about the 1998 Grange:
“The hype and astronomic auction prices for the Imperial bottles of this great wine are already part of history. Deep purple-red, it oozes blackberry, blackcurrant and licorice from every pore, the palate a sumptuously smooth velvet cushion of small black fruits. It will outlive anyone who can afford to buy it.”
This is going to be one of the legendary Grange offerings that will take its place alongside the 1986, 1976...In the mouth, it is absolute perfection, seamless, with extraordinary sweet tannin, well-integrated acidity, sensational extract, and just layer upon layer of blackberry and cassis fruits that stain the palate and fill the mouth. Its harmony, freshness, and remarkable length (nearly a minute) suggest an all-time classic and another legend.
Other Penfold’s Wines Include:
- Grange - 100% Shiraz, 17 months in oak
- Bin 757 Cabernet Sauvignon - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 months in oak
- Magill Estate Shiraz - 100% Shiraz, 14 months French and American oak
- St Henri Shiraz - 100% Shiraz: 14 months in oak
- Bin 389: Cabernet Shiraz - 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Shiraz- 13 months in oak
- Bin 407: Cabernet Sauvignon - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 12 months in oak
- Bin 138 Old Vine - Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre; 15 months in oak
- Organic Cabernet Merlot Shiraz - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz. 8 months in oak
- Rawson’s Retreat Red - 100% Merlot
Penfold Winery
403 Pacific Highway
Artarmon NSW 2064
Australia
(Tel) + 61 2 9465 1000
(Fax) + 61 2 9465 1181
Web: www.penfolds.com.au
