Penfold's Grange is Australia's most revered wine, and its creation represents a distillation of Max Schubert's ambition for Australian wine. Schubert joined Penfolds as a messenger boy in 1931 and by 1948, he became Penfolds' first Chief Winemaker. In the latter part of 1950, Schubert was sent to Europe to investigate winemaking practices in Spain and Portugal. On a side trip to Bordeaux, Schubert was inspired and impressed by the French cellared-style wines and dreamed of making 'something different and lasting' of his own. Combining traditional Australian techniques, inspiration from Europe and precision winemaking practices developed at Penfolds, Schubert made his first experimental wine in 1951. In 1957, Schubert was asked to show his efforts in Sydney to top management, invited wine identities and personal friends of the board. To his horror, the Grange experiment was universally disliked and Schubert was ordered to shut down the project. Max continued to craft his Grange vintages in secret, hiding three vintages '57, '58 and '59, in the depths of the cellars. Eventually, the Penfolds board ordered production of Grange to restart, just in time for the 1960 vintage. From then on, international acknowledgment and awards were bestowed on Grange, including the 1990 vintage of Grange, which was named Wine Spectator's Red Wine of the Year in 1995. Today, Grange's reputation as one of the world's most celebrated wines continues to grow. On its 50th birthday in 2001, Grange was listed as a South Australian heritage icon, while the 2008 Grange vintage achieved a perfect score of 100 points by two of the world's most influential wine magazines. With every new generation of Penfolds winemakers, Max Schubert's remarkable vision is nurtured and strengthened.
Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 2013 is a wine that represents the original and 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 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. 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. The vintage conditions for the Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 2013 saw the majority of South Australia having a dry winter reminiscent of 2006, with vines in water deficit at the beginning of spring and becoming accustomed to dry conditions quite early. The exception was McLaren Vale, where revitalizing winter rainfall exceeded the long-term average. Early budburst was noticeable across many regions. Dry and warm spring conditions explained canopy growth and yields, becoming typical of the 2013 growing season. Warm days were dispersed throughout October, November and in early January, contributing to an early start to the 2013 harvest and a condensed vintage. Dry and warm conditions, coupled with lower than average yields, resulted in fruit showing strong, structural tannins and wines of great intensity and encouraging flavour. The Magill Estate fruit was harvested in pristine condition, hand-picked on February 14th and 15th, 2013.
The Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 2013 is a wine that embodies the pinnacle of Australian winemaking. This wine is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the prestigious Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate vineyards in South Australia. The wine has been matured for 20 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads, which has added complexity and depth to the wine. The wine has an opaque black core, with a dark red rim, indicating its depth and intensity. On the nose, the wine is an aromatic eruption of soy, hoisin and balsamic reduction, coiled around a core of kirsch and fresh raspberry. This propulsion is crammed with tell-tale barrel ferment, V.A., and formic Grange markers - all in balance, all respectful of fruit and oak. And yet, so 'classy' - a brightness, a sheen, a gloss, a raciness - belying both age and upbringing (élevage). On the palate, the wine is formidable with no gaps, a densely-packed structural continuum. It is not huge, not massive, yet taut, muscular and feisty. A black palimpsest - black fruits, black liquorice, black pudding, black fig, black cardamom. The Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 2013 is a wine that is sure to impress any wine enthusiast. It represents the epitome of Australian winemaking, with its complex flavours, balanced structure and powerful expression of the South Australian terroir. The wine is characterized by its intense, ripe fruit flavours, with strong, structural tannins and a long, satisfying finish. This is a wine that is sure to age gracefully and is at its peak drinking between 2020 and 2060, indicating that it has a long life ahead of it. This is a must-try wine for anyone who appreciates a truly exceptional wine.
Remember that old Heinz Ketchup “anticipation” ad from the 1970s? The palate of this 2013 Grange does just that. It makes you wait with so much delicious promise being drip fed into the mouth at first—and then it bursts forth and delivers! This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black coloured, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavours, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavours emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes. - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 100 Points
