Winemaker Notes
Deep, dark and bright appearance. Benchmark aromas. Automatically recognizable - formic and glacial higher notes – not quite as audacious as a fleeting perception of heady spirit (á la Cognac), and yet not just simple V.A. Beneath, a more familial oaked nuttiness (hazelnut?) recedes to reveal aromas of black licorice/anise/black olive. A shroud of condensed glazed fruits surrenders to reveal a fresher disposition... a coulis of berries and stone fruits; boiled beetroot. Unsurprisingly wafts of coffee-grind, pan-scrapings/jus also ascend, hovering over a persistent base of cold lamb fat and marrow. Upon sitting, a sprinkle of lavender and exotic spices almost completes the aromatic package – well, at least for another minute or two. Cohesion, vigor, sheen, poise on the palate – four borders of a frame that structurally binds the lofty palate ambitions of this South Australian blend. Fresh and balanced. Neither exaggerated nor over-ripe – lively blueberry and other youthful blue/black fruits bely the maturation timeline of this alluring blend. Certainly befitting this style, unmistakable barrel-ferment characters are undoubtedly more pronounced on palate than nose. If the mid-palate is somewhat formidable (ably supporting a thick/dense core), by contrast the back-palate is creamy and caressingly endearing. Indeed, expansive and full – washing away all ahead of it. Certainly persistent. Texturally, chewy/grainy tannins and just-right acidity abet succulence and mouthfeel.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is an epic wine that doesn’t quit, opening up with ripe, fleshy flavors of black cherry, maraschino cherry and framboise. But the fruit notes are only the beginning, giving way to date-nut bread, salted bittersweet chocolate, marzipan, dried olive, green peppercorn, French-press coffee and cardamom. The tannins are filling in the mouth, but never get in the way of all the complexity, while the finish just goes on and on. Drink now through 2047.
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Australian Wine Companion
97/3% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon; matured in new American oak for 19 months. A quieter release for the 2019 rendition of Penfolds' world-famous icon. A little less of the formic and VA heft of youth in this showing and a bit more approachable as a result. Deep crimson in the glass with familiar characters of deep black berry fruits, plum compote and black cherry underscored with hints of baking spices, Calvados, espresso grounds, black olive tapenade, roasting meats, creamy oak, purple flowers and earth. Weighty and concentrated with classic Grange density of fruit and tannin; persistent, texturally flexing and long of finish. As per usual will cellar like a dream, but I think it will hit its drinking window a bit earlier than usual.
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Wine Enthusiast
Arguably Australia’s most famous wine, the 2019 vintage of Grange, a multi-regional blend from top vineyards around South Australia, is a dense yet aromatic bottling that unpeels over time in a glass or decanter. Raspberry and blackberry compote, cedar, licorice and winter warming spice are on deck, with seaweed-like umami nuances and a good lick of mocha-like oak. The palate is plush and plump like a favorite armchair, but framed in powerful, beautifully integrated tannins, with enough stuffing to last the ages. It should cellar beautifully until 2050, at least. Treasury Wine Estates
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Grange is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's the pinnacle of the Penfolds release (although if you ask me, the Chardonnays are my favorite part) and a wine that takes some understanding prior to scoring. The key to Grange is the old wines; it is a style of wine heavily fortified with oak (100% new, AP Johns American oak), tannin, fruit (multi-regional) and everything else. In the mouth it can be an almost impossible constellation of flavor and texture to wrap the mind around. But in time, yes, in time, this wine shows its capacity for grace and majesty. Ten years is too young to open a bottle. 20 years is about right. 30 and beyond, not a problem. It is a cellaring proposition of the highest order, but in youth it can feel impenetrable. So, this wine in front of me now has toasted coconut, dusted licorice, roasted meat, violets, burnt toffee, pastrami, coffee grounds, crushed ants/formic, roasted pecans ... all of these dark and broody (and chunky) things. 2019 was a hot year and one marred by low yields due to some inclement weather during flowering. This has meant that, as a whole, the wines have felt big, dark and compressed. This is no exception. It's a product of the year and the state from whence it has come and in the mold and style of Grange, typical. It will be even better. For now, ne touche pas. 14.5% alcohol sealed under natural cork.
Rating: 95+ -
Wine & Spirits
The hot, dry 2019 season in McLaren Vale and Barossa infused this Grange with warm black-fruit density—dark plum and blackberry intensely concentrated, overlying the sweet and equally dark presence of oak. This is a sumptuous wine, packed with savory materia prima, waiting to evolve. The details are hidden, though you can feel the luxury in it, like an Australian wagyu tomahawk steak. If you hold onto this vintage long enough—ten years, if not 20—you may well find your hunger sated on a completely different level.
Since 1844, Penfolds has been grounded in experimentation, curiosity and uncompromising quality. Their success has been driven by a lineage of visionary winemakers. It began with Dr. Christopher and Mary Penfold, the pioneers who dreamed big, inventing tonics, brandies, and fortified wines made from grapes and Australian sunshine. It continued with celebrated winemaking legends including Max Schubert, who pushed the development to extraordinary, bold new heights. It is this pioneering spirit and curiosity that still rings true after nearly two centuries, it is what has helped Penfolds become one of the most celebrated winemakers in the world today.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
South Australia is the historic heart of Australian wine, a great wine capital of the world, and home to some of the most famous regions. It produces more than 80% of Australia’s premium wine from some of the oldest vines in the world. There is an abundance of varieties and wide spectrum of styles to explore. From the rogue to refined, discover Australian wines that are far from ordinary.