TN: Grange 1997.

[prester john]

It was with a sense of risk and foreboding that I tried the 1997 Penfolds Grange on a cold and wet Melbourne Saturday night. I decanted it approximately 48 hours prior to consumption to allow it to open up, knowing that 1997 was not a great year and further knowing that a lengthy breathing period – even for a wine of the ilk of a young Grange – will not transform an average wine from an average vintage into an epiphany. Yet, despite this knowledge, I maintained a forlorn residual hope.

However, suffice it to say that it was simply not to be. This is indeed a young Grange, but it does not possess the qualities that I might associate with Grange. During the course of the night I kept comparing it to the 1996 Grange which I had had relatively recently and upon which I had heaped much praise. One might think the comparison unfair, but my reasoning is that if you choose to call it Grange then it must be judged by the standards of Grange: it must stand or fall, be lauded or denigrated, accordingly. Therefore, it was somewhat lugubriously that to my mind this Grange must fall, unequivocally and egregiously. Largely, it did not exhibit the bouquet that I expected, yet at times I felt nuances of it. This only served to irritate and disappoint me. On the palate it felt at times a little thin and lacking body, depth and berry flavour. Yet, again, I could fleetingly sense it was there, just on the cusp of perception but, maddeningly, never to be experienced in it's glorious fullness. With each mouthful the finish was rather short and I felt none of that quiet, self-assured, restrained power or finesse that I recall of the 1996 Grange.

Overall, a disappointment and a mere shadow of what a Grange should be. I have had better wines at the $50 level.

Best,

PJ.

[Adam]

48 hours of decanting!! no wonder!!

[Craig(NZ)]

48 hours of decanting is just stupid IMO

[Josie]

harsh.

[Mike Hawkins]

I've had the 97 twice, and while it'll never be at the top of the Grange tree, its still a pretty smart wine IMO. I gave it about 4 hours decant.

Mike

[Ian S]

Can't say that I've ever given a wine more than a day in a decanter (except maybe where we've decanted, drunk half and popped the top on the decanter and put it somewhere cool for the next day).

Perhaps we need to be clear when we decant, whether we've left it open to the air, or with the decanters lid (what's the proper name for it ) on. I understand it makes less difference than you'd expect, but for extended decanting I suspect it's significant enough.

regards
Ian

[Gary W]

97 is a lovely , under-rated grange, and a (relative) bargain in the Grange world.
48 hours in the decanter? What did you expect....why not just pre-open all your bottles on release before cellaring. Save some time...
GW

[roughred]

I thought the 97 was a pretty smart Grange as a young wine, only a whisker behind the more hyped vintages either side of it - and I know many respected critics thought similarly. Perhaps a little more forward than some years, but not a significantly inferior Grange. I think it may suffer in some people's calculations simply because it is a 97 wine.

I have not tried it since soon after release, but perhaps the wine is an awkward adolescent at present, and needs further time to settle down. Or perhaps as suggested (somewhat harshly) the 48 hours decanting did not help.

LL

[Michael McNally]

the decanters lid (what's the proper name for it )

I believe it is referred to as a "stopper".

[lantana]

Some fairly harsh calls in regard to the length of time this bottle was decanted, I'd like to ask did you check the progress of the wine over that 48 hr period or did you just open it and stick the cork back in the bottle or did you actually put it in a decanter without a stopper for 48hrs? I would have thought a 97 Grange would need a maximum of 4-8 hrs, but what lead you to believe it would need so long?

lantana

[Craig(NZ)]

john

a spade is a spade.

ive done dumb things with wine in my time too so hey. we still all love you. no offense intended

seems an extention of the old sales trick "the longer a wine will cellar the better it is"? ---> "The longer you need to decant it for the better it is?"

i never seem to decant more than an hour before, more likely a few minutes

Id suggest after 2 days it could start take on a pub 'by the glass wine' character - fruit starting to deaden and a slight acetic edge. maybe? maybe not, but not worth the risk.

[Katy]

Does anyone know how you go about selling these.....we invested in 2 bottles of these 10 years ago & sorry to say we have decided to sell them rather than drink them......they don't seem to have appreciated in price much from what we paid for them anyway (near $400 each)
They don't let you sell alcohol on Ebay without a licence nor advertise in any papers incl Trading Post so now trying this forum.....we live on the Gold Coast so it would have to be within driving distance to pick them up though we are visiting NZ in August.....any ideas appreciated.
Thanks, Katy

[Ian S]

Katy
Auction houses are the usual route: Langtons, Mark Wickman, etc.
Storage is key and if you can demonstrate good storage then that will help the price.

Which vintage do you have? (I presume you don't mean 97 as this was only released c. 4 years ago) If you've got a 1990 or 1991 then the prices should be reasonable.

regards

Ian

[Katy]

Thankyou for answering my post.

They are Bin 95 - bottled in 1996 which is supposed to be one of the

better vintage years - we have kept them in a cellar but it was a wrong

assumption on my behalf that it had been 10 years - it is only around

the year 2000 that we bought them.....just seemed a longer time....

I'll ask the auction houses then.... unless there are any takers here....?

Thanks again,
Katy

[Red Bigot]

They are Bin 95 - bottled in 1996 which is supposed to be one of the
better vintage years.

Katy, if your Grange was bottled in 1996 it is probably 1995 or 1994 vintage, definitely not the 1996 vintage.

[Katy]

Thanks .....you're right.......just trying to find a list now of what they might

be worth......probably same as we paid......

[Red Bigot]

If you paid $400 you are in for a shock. Recent Langton's auction prices for 94 and 95 were $269 and $243, less 15% commission to seller, + 15% commission to buyer.
http://www.langtons.com.au/Tools/PriceG ... odId=10315

[Katy]

I just found 'Grangesrus' on Ebay & they have just sold some for $300.....

Hmmmm.....we paid $750 plus a delivery fee for the 2 bottles...oh well..it's

just like trading shares.......sometimes you have a winner &

sometimes you don't....thanks anyway.....appreciate your replies.

[Katy]

Actually just found it is selling on Ebay with same people for a starting bid

of $385 - the other Bin 95 wasn't the same - appears to be some


confusion with all these Bin 95 models.....thanks anyway......adios...

[Red Bigot]

Katy, Grange is Bin 95 each vintage, like the other Penfolds Bin reds that keep the same Bin number year after year.

[Katy]

Whoops - also thought I was looking at the bottled year 1996 on it but will

recheck again.... it's been an education to check what you

actually invest in & thankyou for your time.......

You're probably rolling your eyes .....have found Oddbins wine auctions

in Brisbane too. Thanks.

[Ian S]

Katy
Yes, Oddbins are pretty reputable.
regards
Ian