Grapes: 98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon

The Australian legend. The original and most powerful expression of Penfolds multi-vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy, Grange is crafted utilizing fully-ripe, intensely-flavored and structured shiraz grapes, the result is a unique Australian style that is now recognized as one of the most consistent of the world’s great wines..

The 2014 shows umami expressed primarily via wafts of shiitake mushroom stock, hoisin and XO sauce … enhancing scents of dry-aged beef and game meats. Olive-leaf, cardamom, sage and thyme … “a stroll through a South Australian olive grove” … saltbush, acacia, dried and dusty bracken. Fresh and familial lifted formic and barrel-ferment nuances. Quite simply, an unmistakable youthful ‘Grange’ nose. Awakened primary fruits and stylish oak interlocked and indistinguishable. As expected.

On the palate, the wine is savory, not fruity. Tastes/flavors remind of slow-cooked beef ragout, chicken liver game terrine. Red liquorice also apparent. Poised yet powerful. A balanced, tightly-knit and woven structural ‘tapestry’. A Grange to create new friends – this 2014 offering a subtly different structural mosaic; different tone and timbre.

Decanter: 100 Points