Grange 2018 Gift Box
Penfolds
Grange 2018 Gift Box
Overview
Overview
The most powerful expression of Penfolds multi-vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy, Grange is arguably Australia’s most celebrated wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. Crafted utilising fully ripe, intensely flavoured and structured shiraz grapes, the result is a unique Australian style that is now recognised as one of the most consistent of the world’s great wines. With an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951, Grange clearly demonstrates the synergy between shiraz and the soils and climates of South Australia.
| Varietal | Shiraz |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | Multi Region |
| Volume | 750 mL |
| Closure | Cork |
| Alc/Vol | 14.5% |
| Peak Drinking | 2028 – 2068 |
| Winemaker | The Penfolds Team |
Awards and Accolades
Awards and Accolades
| 100 Points | Andrew Caillard MW |
| 100 Points | Tony Love |
| 100 Points | Nick Stock, jamessuckling.com |
| 100 Points | Lisa Perrotti-Brown |
| 100 Points | Ken Gargett, The World of Fine Wine |
| 100 Points | Anders Enquiest, Livets Goda |
| 100 Points | Wilfred Williw Wong, Wine.com |
| 99 Points | Erin Larkin, Robert Parkers Wine Advocate |
| 98 Points | Tyson Stelzer |
| 98 Points | MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator |
| 97 Points | Huon Hooke |
Andrew Caillard | The Vintage Journal
"Deep colour. Beautiful and classic, with intense blackberry, blackcurrant dark chocolate espresso aromas and wax polish, roasted chestnut, malt notes. Superbly concentrated wine with deep-set inky blackberry, blackcurrant, dark plum, dark chocolate mocha flavours, fine chocolaty/ velvety tannins, underlying espresso, malt, oak notes and hints of aniseed. Finishes chocolaty firm with superbly integrated acidity and mineral length. A glorious year for Grange. This will last 50 years at least. Wonderful. One of the greatest vintages of all time, highlighting a superb growing season, marvellous vineyard management, the fidelity of the Penfolds house style, and generations of imagination and effort. 97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. 18 months maturation in 100% new American oak hogsheads. Drink 2030–2060+. 14.5% alc"
Tony Love | Winepilot
"A much-awaited vintage that fulfils expectations and then some. It has all the elements that you come to expect but still you have to sit back and marvel that so much can be going on inside one wine. Firstly, it simply ain’t Grange unless it is wearing its traditional American oak coat, and this iteration isn’t going to shy away from that. But perhaps it is the generosity across the board of South Australia’s 2018 vintage that gathers in 18 months of barrel maturation, puts shape to its broad-shouldered dark fruits, turns oak notes into chocolate and sarsaparilla characters on one side of the brain and beef and mushroom braise in the other. All in all, it is a fabulous balance of inputs: big fruit, classically prominent oak, all its structural tannins and acidity fitting cleverly into one exceptionally complex and engaging being. Palate length is indefinite, perhaps suggesting similar cellaring potential well into the second half of the 21st century. Magnificent. 100 points."
Nick Stock | JamesSuckling.com
“A robust Grange from a lauded vintage, this wields sheer power with such compelling prowess. Uncompromising Grange. There are rich blackberries and plums on offer, together with brazen oak and abundant notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, charcoal, cola and hard brown spices. So fleshy and intense. Dark-chocolate and cocoa-powder aromas and flavors here, too. The tannins are polished and long, extruding deep into the finish and holding endlessly. Dark chocolate, black cherry, dark plum and more. Impressive. Brazen. One of the great Granges that will drink magnificently for decades to come.” – 100 points
Food Pairing
Food Pairing
Beef
Lamb
Duck
Cheese
Cured Meat
Veg
Spicy Food
Taste Description
Taste Description
Nose
Instantly, an assault of piercing V.A., a portal of pulsating formics. Conveying what is then revealed via waves of lingering, layered aromatics: First the fruit - ripe blackberries/blackcurrant reduction, laced with spices – notably fennel and anise. Then a sprinkle of dark chocolate and cocoa-powder. Unabashed scents akin to charcoaled lamb fat, and raw wagyu carpaccio (amid caper berries) arise to authenticate shiraz DNA. Conceded, the presence of an ever-so-subtle yet complexing higher-tone mahogany/piano-polish/ lacquer – no doubt derived from the earth, not oak. A trepidant tension unfolds – youthful fruitiness wrestling an inky and dense powerhouse.
Flavours and Palate
Familial flavours of a deconstructed Black Forest Cake/trifle – chocolate, custard, bright wild raspberry; redcurrant. So many other less-obvious flavour ‘distractions’ - mushroom pâté/duxelles, replete with a beefy accompaniment. Notes of sarsaparilla whirled into the mix. Also, an assortment of fresh red and black liquorice – ‘straight out of the bag’. Mouthcoating - a confluence of tannin/acidity/oak/fruit – all joyously meshed together. A convex mid-palate and a continuum of delight all the way to lingering finish. Truly ‘alive’, Upon sitting and with air, all transforms. A second revised tasting-note, however, can definitely wait. There will be ample opportunity over the next half-century!
Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking
Viticulture Vintage & Winemaking
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Near long-term winter rainfall ensured the vines reached spring with full soil moisture profiles. Elevated spring temperatures, driven by higher than usual lows, indicated an early start to the growing season. Warm and sunny weather prevailed throughout most of spring, providing optimal conditions for flowering and fruit-set. The Barossa Valley experienced a dry summer, only recording 50% of the longterm average rainfall. The region experienced 22 days of temperature greater than 35°C during summer, while to the south, McLaren Vale experienced 17 days greater than 35°C. This warm and dry pattern also prevailed in Clare Valley with only one significant rain event in early December. The hot spells slowed grape phenology, delaying harvest by a couple of weeks. Milder conditions in autumn provided optimal conditions for ripening grapes to their fullest potential. An outstanding vintage.
The Penfolds Team
Key to the success of Penfolds has been a lineage of visionary winemakers. There have only ever been four Chief Winemakers at the helm of Penfolds – Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago, each a custodian of a rich winemaking tradition that goes back for more than 170 years.
Our current Penfolds winemaking team has more than 100 years between them as Penfolds winemakers. They are constantly refining and improving their work, whilst honouring the winemaking techniques of their predecessors.