At $50 a taste (yes, for a taste), one would expect nothing short of excellence from one of Australia’s top producers…
We had the pleasure of tasting the 2014 Penfolds Grange at their Barossa Valley Cellar Door in Nooriupta, South Australia. The experience proved intriguing, to say the least, especially the meticulous presentation and comprehensive description of the wine. The attention to detail proved second to none, right down the tasting glasses reserved exclusively (pardon the pun) for the Grange.
The complexity of this offering stood out for us, as did the jammy, dried fruit notes, especially the prunes, sultana raisins, blueberries, and blackberries we both smelled and tasted. In some respects, the Grange reminded us of a Port, which also took us by surprise. Interestingly, the Grange is aged in 100% American oak, as opposed to French oak, the “gold standard,” so to speak, used in the majority of the world’s most prestigious reds.
This highly complex red offered depth, balance, and a plethora of aromas and flavours. Given the drinking window, we’d lay it down for at least a decade, if not longer.
Rating (from 70 to 100): 95/100 (This wine has received over a half-dozen expert reviews scoring at least 97/100).
Value: 3/5 (For us, it’s hard to justify the $900 price tag, especially based on the characteristics of this particular wine in relation to our tastes and palates. Saying that, if you’ve never tasted the Grange, do yourself a favour and give it a try. Interestingly, we came to learn that Penfolds’ Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, also known in some circles as the “Baby Grange,” comes in about $800 cheaper than the Grange we tasted, making the former an outstanding value in our book).
The Bottle Details…
Name: Penfolds Grange
Vintage: 2014
Producer: Penfolds
Region/Country: Barossa Valley, Australia
Grape Varietal(s): 98% Shiraz and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol Content: 14.5%
Consumed: Tasted it at the Penfolds Barossa Valley Cellar Door in Nurioopta, South Australia.
Cost: $900 AUD
Bottle Presentation: Classic Penfolds label, with distinctive cursive lettering and plenty of tiny font (If you have reading glasses, you might need them here).
The Tasting Details…
Appearance: Deep ruby.
Nose: A pronounced and highly complex nose comprised of prunes, sultana raisins, violets, coffee, charred wood (bordering on burnt toast), leather, vanilla, tobacco, caramel, and a hint of barnyard.
Taste: A dry, medium-full bodied red, with medium-high acidity, and round drying tannins. Vibrant fruit flavours included sultana raisins, blackberries, blueberries, ripe black plums, and prunes. We also enjoyed black pepper, ink, violets, lavender, dark chocolate and earthy notes.
Finish: The notably long finish (probably the longest we have experienced to date) consisted of dark chocolate, prunes, and sultana raisins.
Value: 3/5 (see above)