Provenance

Private Client

Critics Ratings

‘Mid garnet with a ruby, evolved rim. Balsam, herbs, sappy vitality and complexity on the nose. So sweet and charming and the taste of a seriously old Hermitage. Leather and liquorice with a touch of boulangerie. And masses of sweetness. If I were served this at La Beaugravière, I would be swooning. Shows how long you have to wait for a Grange! Maybe not the most persistent finish but awfully impressive in an old-fashioned way.’ – Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18.5/20 (Jun 2023)

‘A very hedonistic, almost decadent style of Grange, this blend of 91% Shiraz and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from three grape sources - Kalimna in the Barossa, Penfolds' other sources in the Barossa, and McLaren Vale - is a gorgeously opulent, almost Pomerol-like Grange with an over-ripe characteristic to the fruit. Cherry liqueur intermixed with cranberry and cassis presented in a seductive, full-bodied, very soft, forward style is truly not the classic Grange in the sense of having huge structure and massive concentration, but this wine is loaded, very corpulent, and fleshy. The wine is going to last for up to two decades, but it will be uncommonly succulent and delicious to drink young, as it was several months ago. Among the young vintages of Grange, this is perhaps the most flattering wine that they have produced over the last 20 years, at least for such a relatively young wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2018.’ – Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 93/100 (Feb 2002)

‘Amazingly ripe and lush, this bubbles with vibrant fruit like a mouthful of cassis syrup, concentrated, elegant and remarkably silky in texture. Blackberry, currant and vanilla flavors ooze over palate, making for a thoroughly hedonistic drink. Wonderful now or wait until it calms down, perhaps by 2003 or 2005.’ - Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 96/100 (Jan 1997)