The following are tasting notes for every Grange vintage to 1995
These notes originally appeared in the 4th edition of The Rewards of Patience, a drinking and cellaring guide to Penfolds wines. While the tasting for the book comprised 30 wines spanning 42 vintages, from 1953 to 1995, interest in Grange is so great that a note has been included on all 45 vintages from 1951 to 1995, the most recent release (May 2000).
Opportunities to taste early vintages are increasingly rare and the notes on older wines rely on collector Anders Josephson's 1994 'Ultimate Grange Experience' tastings, together with wines tasted at the 1998 Penfolds Wine Clinics.
1951
First experimental Grange - extremely rare. Valuable collector's item because of its historical significance. The wine itself is well past its peak: dull, tawny colour; skeletal; little flesh; fading tannins. Curio.
1952
First commercial vintage. Some bottles are holding up well but only if perfectly cellared. More lively and concentrated than 1951, but both tannin and fruit fading, yet a bottle tasted more recently seemed like a fine wine from the 70s rather than the 50s. Another historical and rare collector's item. Curio.
1953
Vibrant brick colour. Complex, sweet, truffly/gamey aromas with touches of leather and spice. Soft, silky and delicately balanced with sweet chocolate/berry, game and cedar fruit, very fine, lacy tannins and excellent length. Still drinking brilliantly well. A great Penfolds wine!
1954
All but extremely fine bottles are well past their peak. Very rare - curio and collector value.
1955
Bright brick red. Mature cedar/gamey/coffee aromas with some earthy spice nuances. Lively and powerful, with plenty of sweet, prune/chocolate fruit layered with coffee-like richness, complex cedar/leather characters and fine, dry tannins. A beautifully focused wine.
1956
Well-cellared bottles may show fully developed fruit and lacy tannins, but most are past. Very rare - curio and collector value.
1957
Variable and well past peak. The first 'hidden' or 'secret' Grange. Very rare - curio and collector value.
1958
Well past its peak. The second 'hidden' Grange. Extremely rare - curio and collector value.
1959
The third and last 'hidden' Grange, made in secret but released commercially after the ban was lifted. Well-cellared bottles are holding up remarkably well.
1960
Grange production officially resumed with this vintage. Becoming rare. Well-cellared bottles can be in good condition, showing concentration and fruit.
1961
Becoming rare. The best examples show developed, mushroomy, sweet fruit and soft tannins.
1962
Becoming rare. Often considered a classic Grange vintage. Can be quite cedary with plenty of sweet fruit and finely grained tannins. Bottles with good levels and appearance are invariably drinking well.
1963
Medium-full brick red. Concentrated, sweet, plum/liquorice aromas with touches of cedar and leather/spice. Palate is rich, ripe and silken, with sweet, seductive, plum/chocolate/berry fruit, underlying earthiness, loose-knit tannins and long finish. A beautifully proportioned wine and a classic Grange.
1964
Beginning to dry out. Quite leathery with some mushroomy notes. Becoming lean and austere.
1965
Medium brick red. Developed, gamey, sweet fruit aromas with hints of leather. Developed, sweet, molasses/gamey fruit on palate, pronounced tannins and good length. Finishes dry. At peak of development.
1966
Medium-full brick red. Opulent, coffee/gamey aromas with some chocolate and cedar. Sweet and rich palate with ripe, gamey/chocolate fruit, some truffly undertones, chewy tannins and excellent length. Finishes a touch dry. Beginning to wind down.
1967
Medium brick red. Sweet, complex and intense stocky/truffle-like aromas. Developed palate with ripe, concentrated, meaty/chocolate-like flavours, silky tannin structure and long finish. Well balanced, but drink soon.
1968
Medium brick red. Very developed, leathery/prune-like aromas. Palate beginning to dry out, with fading prune/leather-like fruit flavours, fine but slightly green-edged tannins and dry finish. Well past its best.
1969
Medium brick red. Overdeveloped, nutty/leathery fruit with touches of game. Palate slightly bitter and fading, with developed, nutty, leather/briar fruit, drying tannins and moderate length. Drink now or yesterday!
1970
Medium brick red. Complex, mature smoked oyster and truffle aromas with some stocky sweetness. Palate beginning to fade, with some sweet but over-developed fruit and earthy leather characters. Plenty of grip but drying out.
1971
Medium brick red. An astonishing wine with intensely sweet, lifted, complex and perfumed prune/apricot/truffle aromas with hints of violet and fig. Silken, opulent palate with fleshy apricot/prune fruit and truffly, earthy, demi-glace undertones balanced by fine, sweet tannins and an extremely long finish. A superb wine.
1972 Medium brick red. Complex and vibrant, sweet, meaty/truffly fruit with perfumed apricot/marmalade and black fruit notes. Lovely concentrated and textured palate with sweet, briary, apricot-like fruit and touches of star anise. Fine dry tannins and excellent length. A remarkable wine. One of the surprises of the tasting.
1973
Medium brick red. Camomile, citrus peel and chocolate/berry aromas with touches of soft leather. Very big and mouthfilling with sweet, stocky fruit and notes of tar, leather and nutmeg. Firm, gripping tannins and long finish. More structured style but still has a very good core of fruit sweetness.
1974
Medium brick red. Sweet, prune/dried fig/apricot aromas with complex cedar/cigar-box characters. Palate is still fresh, but compact, with dark chocolate/prune flavours, some earthiness and fine gripping tannins. Firm finish. A little disjointed and unlikely to improve, although should hold.
1975
Garnet red. Sweet, leather, spice and meaty aromas with some intense liquorice, almost porty nuances. Rich and concentrated palate with ripe, tobacco/berry fruit and touches of spice and leafiness.Quite extractive and bitter tannins make the wine a very muscular style. Could soften out. A wait and see proposition!
1976
Youthful purple/red. Intense and concentrated liquorice/chocolate/berry/truffle aromas with touches of earthiness. Palate is very powerful with rich plum/chocolate/berry/liquorice fruit flavours, thick velvety tannin structure and excellent length. Should be a very long-lived wine.
1977
Purple/red. Sweet, dark chocolate/briary aromas with hints of tar and roasted meat. Richly flavoured palate with dark chocolate/berry fruit, looseknit but slightly bitter tannins and long finish. Good overall balance but is unlikely to improve. Will hold.
1978
Medium red. Complex, cedar/tobacco/gamey aromas with plenty of sweet fruit. Highly concentrated and beautifully textured wine with lovely, sweet, blackberry/smoky/earthy fruit and liquorice, fine grainy tannins and dry finish. Softening out well, but should continue to develop.
1979
Medium red/purple. Complex, developing aromas with plenty of soft, slightly lifted, tobacco/berry/gamey fruit. Palate is highly concentrated with rich, cedar/blackberry fruit, massive, firm, dry tannins and long flavoury finish. Tannins are too much at the fore at the moment, but could soften out over time.
1980
Medium red/purple. Intense, fragrant chocolate/cherry/prune/dried fig aromas. Dense and chewy with generously ripe, prune/chocolate fruit flavours, pronounced grainy tannins and superb length. Will emerge as a classic Grange.
1981
Medium-full red/purple. Very complex, briary/earthy/cedar aromas. Restrained, structured palate with sweet, cedary/truffly/earthy fruit, marked tannins and underlying oak. An austere vintage that will develop further. At the moment a little disjointed.
1982
Medium red/purple. Christmas cake/blackcurrant essence aromas with touches of raspberry. Sweet and ripe with plum/blackcurrant essence fruit and supple tannins. Atypically flavoured wine. Will hold for many years but unlikely to improve.
1983
Red/purple. Intense, rich, brambly/blackberry fruit with touches of cedar and liquorice. Beautifully concentrated, with abundant blackberry/apricot fruit and plenty of meaty/cedary characters, plush, pronounced tannins and underlying sweet oak. Super wine.
1984
Medium-full red/purple. Forward but complex wine with sweet, prune/cherry aromas and touches of mint. Very seductive palate with sweet, fleshy, chocolate/berry/truffle fruit flavours balanced by finely grained, slightly gripping tannins. Early drinking but will hold.
1985
Medium-full red/purple. Restrained, with earthy/pruney/meaty aromas and leafy touches of. Tightly structured palate with blackberry, cedar, leafy/herbal flavours and a firm backbone of tannin. Great mouthfeel. May develop further in the bottle.
1986
Medium-full purple/red. Superbly intense and balanced, with all the hallmarks of longevity and greatness. Still shows smooth, plum/cherry fruit with touches of fig and liquorice. Immensely concentrated, with deeply-set liquorice/prune fruit and some dried fig characters, lovely fine-grained tannins, underlying spice and long finish. Adolescent, yet close to perfection. Yet to flower fully.
1987
Medium-full purple/red. Remarkably closed. Restrained, lifted, leafy/briary/earthy aromas with some blackberry/coal characters. Compact, grainy palate with blackberry/earthy flavours, grippy tannins and excellent mid-palate fruit sweetness. Finishes dry. A compressed wine that will open up. One to watch.
1988
Medium red/purple. Scented and exotic wine with lifted raspberry/cherry/gamey fruit and cedar/vanillin/marzipan characters. Elegantly proportioned with fleshy blackberry/cherry fruit and smoky nuances, finely-grained tannins and excellent length. Probably a medium term Grange, but has very seductive texture and structure.
1989
Medium-full red/purple. Cherry/blackcurrant pastille-like fruit aromas. Silky, supple palate with blackcurrant and plum-like fruit, dense, slightly bitter tannins, and firm finish. A little simple for Grange but will hold and may improve.
1990
Medium-full red/purple. Deeply concentrated, with strong, plum/prune/liquorice aromas and touches of aniseed and exotic fruits - all underpinned by well-seasoned oak. Palate is deeply set with spicy, plum/mocha/liquorice fruit, sweet spicy oak, and ripe but fine, velvety tannin structure. Long and flavoury finish. Perfectly tensioned and balanced. May outlive us all!
1991
Medium-full red/purple. Cherry/plum/wild berry aromas with some vanilla and liquorice. Deep, dense and chewy, with ripe plum cherry fruit and spicy liquorice flavours, fine grained tannins, underlying savoury oak and persistent finish. Outstanding follow-up to 1990; more generous in fruit but a looser-knit style.
1992
Medium-full purple/red. Bright and direct blackberry/cherry/cedar aromas with hints of mint and pepper. Palate is lightly textured with sweet, blackberry/raspberry fruit flavours and some spice and pepper, moderate concentration, pronounced, chewy tannins and a dry finish. In the Grange context quite a simple wine although it will develop more complexity with age. Almost certainly an early drinking style.
1993
Medium-full red/purple. Deep, intense blackberry/gamey aromas with touches of camphor. Sweet and ripe with plum/cassis, slightly gamey fruit, loose-knit but gripping tannin structure and good overall length. Probably a medium-term wine.
1994
Medium-full red/purple. Defined, dark plum/cassis fruit interwoven with well-seasoned, toasty, spicy oak. Powerful and dense palate with very seductive sweet, rich, raspberry/prune/liquorice/ginger fruit, massively structured tannins, cedar/spice oak and long, chocolatey finish. Still meshing together but destined to become a classic Grange.
1995
Strong purple/red. Elemental and ethereal wine with rich, ripe, red and black cherry/plum fruit and some aniseed/ginger characters. Sweet, rich and chewy with blackberry jam/plum fruit, strong but balanced oak, gripping tannins and good length. Very youthful and appealing wine. A medium-term Grange.
The following are tasting notes for every Grange vintage to 1995
