Penfolds Grange South Australia Shiraz 2017 750ml

Syrah/Shiraz from South Australia, Australia

Notes from the Winemaker

An advancing wave of flavors, understated power, and charm. The swell builds and a more persuasive wave follows …and then more, with each sip. The flavours: Laden with shiraz fruits from the Barossa to the North and McLaren to the South - ‘maritime’ and ‘continental’ climatic/varietal diversity. Licorice, soy, and malt, burnt vanilla marshmallow… Dark chocolate, wrapped in a satiny candle-like coating. Supple oak nuances - dexterously integrated, no doubt compliments of barrel ferment. The texture: Creamy/velvety, tannins are tight with a ‘rusty’ edge. Ebullient acidity, whilst lively and racy, is well-managed.

Reviews and Accolades

98 Points/Wine Spectator
Memorable, complex, aromatic and explosively deep, with a mix of palo santo, dark chocolate, black olive, espresso and hazelnut butter. The pure fruit at the core is a mix of ripe huckleberry, boysenberry and wild blackberry, with dense but polished tannins. Savory notes of dried rosemary and sage, cigar box, dried apricot and sandalwood linger on the epic finish. Drink now.

97 Points/Vinous
Opaque, bright-rimmed ruby. Highly pungent, smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of cherry pit, violet candy, cured tobacco, savory herbs, coconut and exotic spices on the kaleidoscopic nose. Shows superb clarity and spicy lift to its spice-laced bitter cherry, cassis, blueberry and floral pastille flavors, which take on black cardamom, menthol and cola nuances as the wine slowly stretches out. Shows superb delineation and spicy thrust on the youthfully tannic finish, which features resonating cherry, blue fruit and floral notes.

96 Points/Decanter
Surprisingly approachable, the seamless meld of fresh red fruits, mocha and liquorice makes for an especially friendly and agreeable young Grange. A fabulous bouquet immediately draws you in – a meadow of wild herbs amid an orchard of plums – while the long palate shows impressive drive. Some spiky raw notes stick out at the end, along with assertive oak, showing that this vintage is still growing into its sturdy frame.

96 Points/James Suckling
This starts with a deeply spicy and brooding nose that packs plenty of (100% new) American oak, some smoked vanilla and ripe dark plums and berries. The palate has a youthful, astringent feel with sinewy oak tannin and deep plum and dark-berry flavors, carrying a big frame of fruit extract. Big, round berries strive towards boldness. A blend of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. 100% shiraz. Drink over the next two decades.

96 Points/Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Strongly marked—as always—by its 100% American oak elevage, the 2017 Grange backs up the cedar and vanilla notes with ample blackberry and cassis fruit. Full-bodied, ripe and almost decadently creamy in the mouth, it's loaded with substance, concentrated and rich, yet—in the context of Grange—relatively light and elegant-seeming on the finish. Only the seventh-ever Grange to be exclusively Shiraz, it originates from Barossa Valley (86%) and McLaren Vale (14%); Shiraz from other growing regions in South Australia failed to make the grade this year.

94 Points/Wine & Spirits
Cinnamon, star anise and five spice mark the oak scents of this latest vintage of Grange. It comes from a season that broke out of the drought with plentiful winter rains and few heat spikes in summer. Though it doesn’t yet show the drama of some of the top vintages of Penfolds’ top wine, it may well with time: After a day open, it begins to show its sleek beauty, the supple fruit battling oak tannins, filling them completely while not yet flipping into the seat of power. A stealth Grange, this needs ten years or more to reveal itself more fully.