Standard - 75cl
ETA: 3-4 months
A blend of 97/3% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon; matured for 20 months in 100% new American oak. As Peter Gago says, "Penfolds' 180th anniversary year, following a series of stellar Grange vintages in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 ... No pressure." He needn't have worried. The 2020 release is stunning. Its heady concentration and initial rush of formic herald its arrival. There's a singularity of aroma and flavour in strong Grange releases and that is certainly the case here. Deep-set blackberry, black plum and black cherry fruits of great intensity. Hints of brandied fruits, blackforest cake, dark chocolate, licorice, graphite, roasting meats, fruitcake spice, sandalwood, oak spice and turned earth. Densely packed and strong of character with a cascade of fine tannin and plenty of muscular swagger as the wine slowly tapers off with a vapour trail of black fruits, baking spices and earth. A great Grange release.
Blackberry, blueberry, graphite and terra cotta aromas. Medium-bodied with clarity, focus and very fine tannins that are polished and caressing. One of the most refined and textural Granges I have had in a long time. The tannins are very resolved. This is mostly Barossa and McLaren Vale with some Claire Valley. 3% cabernet sauvignon. Very drinkable now, but will age beautifully.
This dense and brooding 2020 Shiraz Grange has all the elements for a long life with impressive levels of extract and tannins, but lacking the delicacy of a great vintage. It opens up with waves of tarry, licorice and cola aromas against a backdrop of firm, unyielding oak. Muscular, chalky tannins provide a strong frame to waves of blackberry flavor which build toward a drying finish. A couple more years in the cellar will bring all the pieces together before a two-decade drinking window.
he 2020 Grange comprises 97% Shiraz and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale (48%), Barossa Valley (40%) and Clare Valley (12%), and it matured for 20 months in American oak hogsheads, 100% new. While the metric of regions changes each season and the proportion of Shiraz changes slightly, the élevage and style remain the same. Aromatically, the wine is black and savory, with crushed ant, black peppercorn, blueberry, blackberry and licorice/aniseed. In the mouth, the wine feels lighter than some other vintages on release. There is something like clarity and perhaps a little hole in the mid-palate—it sits like clarity or less density and also features as breathing space. A nice wine, it is lighter than the preceding 2019. Both vintages had their challenges, but this 2020 season has yielded an "easier" feeling wine.