Australia

Rating

94+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Jun 2009

Source

183, The Wine Advocate

The 1990 performed well in the tasting, but, along with the 1980, was the least impressive of these Granges. The 1990 is loosely knit, seems to border on overripeness with its jammy character, and has a slightly more aggressive style of tannin ... or are the acids more pronounced? It is certainly outstanding, displaying full body along with a classic smoky, blackberry, cassis, pepper, and forest floor-scented bouquet. Of all these wines, it appears to be the most evolved. Grange, Penfolds’ flagship wine, is, by many accounts, the most renowned and world-famous wine produced in Australia, and these six vintages from my cellar all acquitted themselves well. These wines are almost always Shiraz, but many vintages include less than 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and there are cross-appellations blends from vineyards in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.

Rating:

94

Price ($)

$78

Drink Date

2002 - 2018

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2002

Source

143, The Wine Advocate

It's a no-brainer with respect to the dense purple-colored 1998 Shiraz Stonewell. The wine is inky/purple-colored, with oodles of blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with hints of honeysuckle, wood, earth, and pepper. This full-throttle, majestic offering is super-concentrated and rich, with a wealth of glycerin, fruit, and extract. There is plenty of tannin lurking under the surface, but it is nearly obscured by the wine's exceptional depth. Anticipated maturity: now-2018.   

Rating

96+

Release Price

$300

Drink Date

2006 - 2026

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

26th Dec 2006

Source

168, The Wine Advocate

A wine of extraordinary intensity, richness, and extract (yields were .5 tons of fruit per acre), the 2004 Shiraz Duck Muck is a totally dry red that tips the scales at 17.5% alcohol. While it pushes the limits of civilized drinking, it is neither pruny nor hot, and should be tasted with an open mind and no hidden agenda (not as easy as one might expect, especially for Eurocentric palates). Inky/purple to the rim with a glorious perfume of crushed rocks, acacia flowers, blueberries, blackberries, creosote, and vanilla, it was aged in 100% new, heavily toasted French and American barrels for two years prior to bottling. It is nearly off the charts in terms of richness and extract. Although not for everybody, for those who are not reactionary in their tastes, it is an amazing wine that will be fascinating to follow over the next two decades.   

Rating

(94 - 96)

Release Price

$100

Drink Date

2013 - 2031

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 2006

Source

167, The Wine Advocate

Magpie’s luxury cuvee (which was last produced in 1999), the 2005 Shiraz Malcolm, spent 12 months in new American oak and 12 months in new French 500 liter pungeons. This is the ultimate 200% new oak wine. Nevertheless, it holds it well, which gives you an idea of just how concentrated this beast is. An inky/blue/purple color is followed by notes of creosote, blueberry liqueur, violets, and a hint of camphor. Super-rich, powerful, and opulent, with a formidable level of tannin, it should hit its peak in 7-8 years and last for 25 or more.  

Rating

98

Release Price

$110

Drink Date

2016 - 2041

Reviewed by

Jay S Miller

Issue Date

25th Feb 2009

Source

181, The Wine Advocate

The flagship of Kilikanoon is the 2006 Attunga 1865 Shiraz. Thick and rich, it coats the glass with glycerin. It gives up a brooding bouquet of wood smoke, game, truffle, espresso, leather, blueberry, and blackberry leading to a massive, masculine, full-bore Shiraz with dense, spicy fruit, a splendid integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, and a 60-second finish. It merits a decade of cellaring and will reward those with discipline with 25 years of pleasurable drinking from 2016 to 2041.   

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2008 Bin 620 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz (a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz) is a little restrained on the nose, presenting earthy, black truffle, moss covered bark and loam aromas over gentle notes of cassis, crushed blackberries, chocolate mint and pencil shavings, plus a fragrant whiff of cloves. Medium to full bodied, very ripe and rich in the mouth, the complex, layered fruit is densely packed and well supported by firm, finely grained tannins and very crisp acid. The finish is very long with a subtle hint of mint interspersed with warm berries, vanilla and baking spices. Consider drinking it 2015 to 2025+. Only about 900 cases were made of this wine.

Score: 98+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (199), February 2012

Deep garnet-purple in color and sporting a very forward and expressive, creme de cassis-led nose with hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and cigar boxes plus a whiff of dried herbs following, the full-bodied 2010 Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, concentrated and classic Barossa Cabernet style shaped by medium to firm, grainy tannins and crisp acid. It finishes very long. Drink now to 2015+.   

Rating

98

Release Price

$850

Drink Date

2025 - 2050

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

4th Oct 2018

Source

October 2018 Penfolds New Releases, The Wine Advocate

Rich, concentrated and intense, the 2014 Grange delivers exactly what we've come to expect from this Penfolds icon wine. It's full-bodied, velvety in feel and loaded with plummy fruit, framed in vanilla and cedar. Dense, powerful and tannic, it should prove to be long lived, even by Grange standards. Gago doesn't rate the vintage overall that highly, but he says the selection this year for Grange was a bit more stringent and that production levels were just average. There are still over 1,000 cases for the United States.