Penfolds Grange 2014

Penfolds Grange 2014

100 pointsDecanter

Hill of Grace’s rival for Shiraz supremacy is surely the fabled Grange from Penfold’s, which, in complete contrast, is and has always been, a multiregional blend. It’s opaque in colour, with dense aromas of plums and fruitcake, cloves, raw meat, and mint cake – truly complex if rather overbearing. The palate is similarly bold and full-bodied, with immense tannins though not overblown. Robust and structured, of course, showing great energy and texture, but essentially monolithic. Very long. (SB)(8/2019)

98 pointsBob Campbell

Deep, dense youthful red/purple colour. The bouquet is a riot of preserved plums, mocha, smoky toasty oak – less obvious than the Granges of yore – with hints of tar and graphite. The wine is full-bodied but it’s not a blockbuster. It’s dense and concentrated, but not overpowering. Indeed, the wine is superbly balanced and has even a touch of elegance. The tannins are certainly abundant, with a touch of traditional Grange firmness, but it’s a very easy Grange to understand and enjoy. Less likely to intimidate! (HH)(8/2018)

98 pointsRobert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Rich, concentrated and intense, the 2014 Grange delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect from this Penfolds icon wine. It’s full-bodied, velvety in feel and loaded with plummy fruit, framed in vanilla and cedar. Dense, powerful and tannic, it should prove to be long lived, even by Grange standards. Gago doesn’t rate the vintage overall that highly, but he says the selection this year for Grange was a bit more stringent and that production levels were just average. There are still over 1,000 cases for the United States. (JC)(10/2018)

98 pointsWine Spectator

At first glance, this is a purely indulgent wine, with gobs of creamy, milk chocolate-laden maraschino cherry, raspberry framboise and Earl Grey tea aromas. Then wave after wave of elements start filling in, with toasted cumin, peppermint oil, Kalamata olive and white pepper notes, combining into an almost overwhelming amount of details. Becomes indulgent again on the long, lush finish. *Collectibles* (MW)(1/2019)

Penfolds was founded in 1844 when Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold and his family arrived in Australia from England. He paid 1200 for 500 acres (200 hectares) of prime land in what was then called Mackgill and is now a part of Adelaide suburbia as Magill. He planted it with cuttings sourced from France, with the intention of making medicinal wine.

By the 1920s, the company accounted for half of all wine sales across the country. Max Schubert was delegated as chief winemaker in 1948 who would eventually propel the company onto the global stage with the inception of Grange in the 1950s. To adjust to consumer demands, this was also the decade that the production of table wines commenced with the release of Bin 389, Bin 707, Bin 28 and Bin 128.