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Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 1993
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Complex with masses of concentrated plum, raspberry and blackberry fruit aromas and hints of leather, dark chocolate and spice. Displaying all the classic hallmarks one would expect of Grange, this is a full-bodied, richly flavoured wine with ripe, dark stewed fruits and mixed spices with seamless, perfectly
integrated oak and chewy tannins.
James Halliday - "Medium to full red-purple; voluminous blackberry, licorice, black cherry and chocolate fruit aromas completely integrated with sweet vanillin oak on the bouquet; has a texture and structure all of its own, not monolithic, yet meltingly smooth. Maintains the great tradition.
Rating 94 Drink 2025 Date Tasted Feb 98 "
A Brief history of Penfolds Grange: Englishman Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold immigrated to Australia in 1844, bringing with him a wife (whose family home was called ‘The Grange’) and vine cuttings from Southern France. The combination of the two would eventually become one of the most famous and excellent wine labels in the world.
Planting them around his stone cottage (named ‘The Grange’ for his wife) in Magill (north-eastern outskirts of Adelaide) the grapes were initially used to produce fortified wines like Sherry and Port, which the doctor prescribed to his patients for their perceived medicinal properties. Ever the entrepreneur, Dr Penfold saw that his wines had even greater properties in the beverage marketplace and his vineyard and production increased accordingly.
Ownership of the company passed down through subsequent generations of the Penfold family and by the 1940’s production shifted to table wines. By now a young employee named Max Schubert, who initially joined the company as a messenger boy, was chief winemaker. After a trip through Bordeaux, France, in 1950, Schubert was inspired to implement winemaking techniques he observed there, and create a red ‘Hermitage’ style wine that rivalled the best France could produce. He called his debut effort Grange Hermitage, in honour of the French, and the stone cottage where the grapes were sourced. Today, bottles of that inaugural 1951 vintage are valued at over $50000.
Popularity and critical acclaim was initially slow in coming, however, and by 1957 Schubert was forbidden by Penfold’s management from wasting any more yield on the commercially dour ‘Grange’. Over the next few years, however, the early vintages aged gracefully under cork and following revised, glowing reviews by critics, Schubert was allowed - in 1960 - to begin production once more. Schubert greeted the news with a rye smile, having persisted in secret all along.
Legend and status has grown over the years, with awards to match the hype. The 1955 vintage is considered a hallmark one (and Schubert’s favourite), collecting over 50 gold medals around the world. The 1971 vintage won first prize in the Shiraz category at the 1979 Wine Olympics in Paris. The 1990 vintage was named ‘Red Wine of the Year’ by Wine Spectator Magazine in 1995; the same magazine also rated the 1998 vintage an almost unheard of 99/100.
Dropping the name ‘Heritage’ since 1990 to appease European traditionalists (not to mention lawmakers); Penfolds Grange continues to represent Australia at the very top of the international fine-wine tree. Corporate buy-outs may have removed some of the mythical lustre from the name (Penfolds winery is now owned by The Fosters Group), but the wine is no less exquisite because of it. Indeed, in an age of hegemony and globalisation, the consistently great and unique quality of Penfolds Grange is a testament to the remarkable skill and vision of Max Schubert, and to South Australia as a world-class wine producing region. Not to mention the vines around ‘The Grange’ on Magill Estate, where it all started, and which still provide a component of most (though not every) vintage of Penfolds Grange.
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| Don't Pay: $499.00
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WBW Rating: 94/100
Closure: Cork
Region: Barossa Valley SA |
Winemaker: Peter Gago
Drink now until: 2025
Alc/Vol: 13.5 %
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