Penfolds 'Grange' South Australia Shiraz 2014

Winery Notes
The original and most powerful expression of Penfolds multi-vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy, Grange is arguably Australia’s most celebrated wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. Crafted utilising fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and structured shiraz grapes, the result is a unique Australian style that is now recognised as one of the most consistent of the world’s great wines. With an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951, Grange clearly demonstrates the synergy between shiraz and the soils and climates of South Australia.

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Tasting Notes
Deep crimson. Fresh elemental elderberry, blackberry, sage and aniseed aromas with roasted chestnut, vanilla oak and herb garden notes. Densely packed with concentrated blackberry cassis and dark cherry fruits, fine plentiful chalky/grainy firm tannins, superb mocha and vanilla oak complexity and fine integrated but crunchy acidity. Finishes smooth and velvety. A substantial and multi-layered wine with extraordinary density and balance. Many decades ahead of it.

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Vintage Notes
Above average winter rainfall equipped the vines across South Australia with healthy soil moisture profiles. Spring in the Barossa Valley was the windiest in 47 years with significant heat records set. Warm conditions prevailed during summer and throughout veraison. However, just as vintage was about to commence an extreme rainfall event occurred in the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley slowing harvest. This extra time allowed grapes to ripen evenly with good flavour and tannin development. By contrast, McLaren Vale had 21% less rain than the long-term average from September to March. September was the wettest of the spring months with a hailstorm and windy conditions prevailing from October through to November, while harvest in McLaren Vale was delayed due to a rain event in mid-February. Wrattonbully and Coonawarra both enjoyed good winter and spring rainfall, with cold and wet conditions carrying well into December. There were heat spikes through summer, with temperatures reaching 43ºC on February 2nd. By mid-autumn the weather had settled down to generally cooler conditions, optimal for slow ripening. Across South Australia, shiraz benefited from the long spell between veraison and harvest, with grapes exhibiting brightness, crisp acid retention and impressive fruit quality overall.

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Vineyard Notes
Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Wrattonbully, Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Magill Estate

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Winemaking Notes