Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 2005

Grange is both Penfolds and Australia's most famous wine and is officially listed as a heritage icon of South Australia. Grange boasts an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951 and clearly demonstrates the synergy between Shiraz and the soils and climate of South Australia. Penfolds Grange displays fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and textured Shiraz grapes in combination with new American oak. The result is a unique Australian style that is now recognised as the most consistent of the world's great wines. The Grange style is the original and most powerful expression of Penfolds' multivineyard, multi-district blending philosophy.

Penfolds Grange 2005 – it doesn’t come with the hype of the 2004, but it is no slouch. In fact it’s beautiful. Showy vanillin, coffeed, toasty oak is the first impression – as you’d expect of a Grange – though it’s neither syrupy nor malty. The big surprise with this release though is that it doesn’t have the bigness of tannin that some (or most) Grange releases boast. Is this a bad thing? In this case, no – because the balance of this 2005 is brilliant. So too is the dark fruit power motoring through the finish. Grange is renowned for its ‘formula’, but this vintage changes the tune according to the wants of the season – less muscle, more finesse. A vote for the craft of the winemakers involved. It’s persistent and seductive and awash with flavours of sweet, dense, meaty, smoky, leathery blackberry and blackcurrant. It does the Grange name proud. - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 95 Points

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal -  Shiraz 96%, Cabernet 4%
Country - Australia
Region - Barossa Valley
Vintage - 2005
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14.5%