Penfolds "Grange" Shiraz South Australia (Pre-Arrival)
Shiraz/Syrah from Barossa Valley
| Vintage: | 2008 |
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| Description: | 100 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Very deep garnet-purple in color the 2008 Grange reveals a truly decadent nose with tons of spices, fruit cake and black & blue fruit compote notes along with nuances of chocolate and potpourri. The full and rich, multi-layered palate has a little oak still showing, it is going through a little bit of a structural stand-out stage, but it doesn't detract on the long and complex finish. It still needs a good few years to develop, though this very opulent, expressive Grange shows the very best of this vintage and the vineyards it hails from. (lpb) (10/2014) 100 points Wine Spectator. An utterly majestic Shiraz, sleek and seamless, brimming with ripeness on a framework that allows for grace and expressiveness in equal measure. The intensity of fresh blueberry and plum fruit holds attention until the nuances kick in, offering glints of exotic spice, coffee, cocoa, bay leaf and mint. Shows tremendous presence without a lot of weight, the tannins present but not even close to getting in the way. A great wine now, with plenty of room to grow. (hs) (8/2013) 98 points James Halliday. The wine contains 98/2% Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, and spent 19 months in new American oak hogsheads in which it finished its fermentation. Densely coloured, it has an ultra-complex bouquet, with black fruits/anise/licorice, easily dealing with the oak; a remarkable wine in every way. The balance, texture and structure are faultless, so much so that the wine achieves elegance now, many years before you would expect that quality to be commented on. *Gold* (jh) (7/2013) 98 points Wine Enthusiast. This has all the size and weight you've come to expect from Australia's most famous wine. Huge fruit and huge oak combine in a full-bodied, richly textured package that delivers waves of toasted coconut, vanilla and intense dark berries yet remains embryonic more than five years after the harvest. *Cellar Selection* (jc) (2/2014) 97 points Bob Campbell. Very deep red, still with a good purple rim; enormously powerful roasted, hot-year bouquet with coconut from oak intermingled with fruitcake and chocolate. Tremendous power and depth of flavour; the tannins coat the mouth and the wine is robust and massive, with lashings of gripping but smooth/ripe tannins, all of it coming together superbly at the finish and aftertaste. A top-line Grange, and a good example of the more forceful style of Grange. It's a monster, which will seemingly live forever. (hh) (9/2014) 96 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Inky purple. Intensely perfumed, expressive aromas of dark berry preserves, bitter chocolate, fruitcake and smoked meat, with a spicy topnote. Sweet, palate-staining blackberry, vanilla and dark chocolate flavors are sharpened and lifted by juicy acidity and show superb delineation and back-end power. Supple tannins come on late and give grip to a sweet, impressively persistent finish with grace notes of floral pastille and allspice. While this wine will no doubt age with ease, I find it almost shockingly approachable now. (jr) (7/2013) 96 points Wine & Spirits. Glistening with freshness, Grange shows none of the extreme heat that hit the Barossa in early March 2008. Peter Gago and his team harvested enough of their Grange-level fruit early and fully ripe to achieve this multidimensional wine, as deep in color, as dynamic in flavor and as luscious as any top vintage of Grange in its layers of silken red berries, satin-textured blueberries and crushed-rock tannins. The wine is not heavy, just powerful; you can breathe the flavors for minutes after each sip. Perfect ripeness will hold this fresh in the cellar for decades. (10/2013) 95 points James Suckling. A layered and intense red with superb depth and fruit. Full body, wonderful depth and texture with a plush velvety mouthfeel. Flavorful finish. (2/2018) Jancis Robinson. Dense, medicinal aromatic quality on the nose, and absolutely far too young to drink now. Highly strung tannic grip. The fruit is stupendously pure, but there is precious little development yet. No doubt that this is a superb Grange in waiting. Tremendous. 18.5+/20 points (rh) (7/2016). |
| Price: | $ 689.99 |
| Price in original currency: | None |
Available from K&L Wine Merchants
| Address: |
3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 United States |
|---|---|
| Telephone (toll-free): | 877-559-4637 |
| Telephone (regular): | 650-364-8544 |
| Fax: | 650-364-4687 |
First added to 1000 Corks on June 28, 2013.
