Rhône Theme

Timed Online Auction, 13 - 20 February 2023

Rhône Theme
About the Session

The first sale of the 2023 Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction calendar is an exciting Rhône valley and Rhône-style offering.


Sold for

ZAR 16 415
Lot 99
  • Penfolds; Grange; 1976; 2 (1 x 2); 750ml


Lot Estimate
ZAR 32 000 - 40 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 16 415

About this Item

1976 Grange
2 (1 x 2) 750ml

Penfolds was founded by Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold in 1844, who arrived in Australia with their vine cuttings in hand. They had no prior history in winemaking but set about inventing tonics, brandies, and fortified wines. Mary took charge, blending the wines to her taste and enforcing the winemaking philosophies that Penfolds still follows today. Penfolds Grange was created in the 1950s and holds a high reputation worldwide.

Sublime, voluptuous, beguiling, inviting, opulent, layered. These are some of the words often used to describe Penfolds Grange. Unlike the most expensive wines of Europe, Grange is not a single vineyard production, but rather a carefully blended composition of high-quality grapes harvested from a wide region. The craft and expertise that goes into each vintage gives Penfolds Grange its prestige pedigree.

Provenance

The Coats Family Cellar is arguably the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. It contains a deep collection of the worlds finest, most sought-after wines, spanning over 150 years. Collected over many decades, the cellar was imported from Ireland to South Africa via reefer. Each bottle within the Coats Family Cellar was authenticated by Michael Egan in August 2022 and given an ID number for tracking.

Michael Egan is a world-expert in fine and rare wines with more than thirty five years of experience. He was the principal expert for the plaintiff in the two major wine counterfeiting trials in Koch v. Eric Greenberg and United States v. Rudy Kurniawan, both of which occurred in 2013.

Along with Michael Egan, the Strauss & Co Fine Wine team have tasted extensively through the cellar and are confident of the wine storage and hence quality. The entire collection is currently stored at Wine Cellar. 

Critics Ratings

'Deep crimson. Fresh dark chocolate, liquorice, leather, spice, apricot, orange peel and nutmeg aromas with black olive and kirsch-like notes. Generous dark chocolate, panforte, liquorice, sweet leather, roasted walnut and herb garden notes with fine chalky-firm and sinuous tannins, chocolaty mocha spice nuances and fresh mineral persistent acidity. Finishes chocolaty dry with savoury grilled
nut notes. A classic Grange vintage. Drink now to 2040+'
- Penfolds - The Rewards of Patience, 5* (Sept 2020)

'This 1976 Penfolds Grange was disappointingly closed when first poured but opened-up beautifully after about an hour in the glass. Deep brick in color, it blossomed into aromas of dried mulberries, figs, hazelnuts and coffee over hints of aniseed, vanilla, menthol and, rather curiously, it also smelled a little like coca-cola (but thankfully didn't taste of it!). The palate offers mouth-filling mature, savory and dried fruit flavors with a medium level of very finely grained, silt-like tannins, refreshing acid and a long toasty finish. It's delicious to drink right now.' - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate, 98/100 (May 2012)

89% Shiraz, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide). Thick and sweet and dense – liquorice. . Much ‘thicker’ than the 1971. Very drying finish, almost metallic. There was outrage when this was released apparently because it was released at more than $20!' - Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20 (Oct 2008)

View all Penfolds lots for sale in this auction