| Score: |
99 RP.
"A current as well as future legend, this has long been considered by Penfolds' winemaking team as the greatest Grange of the 1980s. And why not? A blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, it tips the scales at nearly 14% alcohol. I have been fortunate to have this wine nearly a dozen times, and I have consistently rated it 96-100. It was virtually perfect in June, exhibiting an opaque purple color and a provocative nose of creme de cassis intermixed with smoke, chocolate, licorice, new saddle leather, and pepper. The wine is fleshy, massively concentrated, multi-dimensional with extraordinary power, beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, that seems to only occur in the greatest vintages. Moreover, the wine is still a baby and ideally in need of another 3-5 years of cellaring. This is a Grange to kill for." Wine Advocate E2002, Jan 2002 |