Penfolds Grange 2001 750ml

Vintage 2001

98 Points Robert Parker. It is always a treat to taste Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds’ Grange cuvee (the word Hermitage has been dropped because of legal issues). The 2001 Grange is one of the few vintages of this cuvee to be composed of 100% Shiraz (the others being 1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, and 2000). Aged 17 months in 100% American oak, and tipping the scales at 14.5% alcohol, the 2001 is undeniably one of the top examples of this wine. At this stage, it appears to eclipse the 1998 and 1996. Inky/blue/purple to the rim, with a stunning perfume of blueberries, blackberries, chocolate, graphite, and earth, it boasts good acidity, huge tannins, magnificent concentration, and a multilayered, textured mouthfeel. It is a big, but impeccably well-balanced Shiraz that should shed some of its structure and tannin over the next 4-5 years, and be at its best between 2010-2030+. Source: Robert Parker (Robert Parker Wine Advocate) by Robert M. Parker, Jr. October, 2006

Deep crimson. Fresh praline, plum, blackcurrant aromas with cedar, herb garden notes. Very tightly structured wine with red plum, blackcurrant, roasted coffee, liquorice flavours, fine dense muscular tannins and plenty of mocha oak. Finishes chalky firm but fruit persists. Generously proportioned with a solid structure. Still needs more time. One of the hottest growing seasons since the 1920s. McLaren Vale had its highest mean January temperature since 1915. 99% Shiraz, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. 50% Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), 50% Barossa Valley. Drinking Window: 2016 - 2035