TN: Penfolds Grange Vertical 97 - 90 (Reposted)

[MartinC]

<b>A Tribute to the creator:</b>

"I''d like to believe that the wines with which I have been associated are descended from one old ancestor vineyard established many years ago, marrying with another, and another, and even another if you like, thus creating and establishing a dynasty of wines. These may differ in character year by year, but all ... bear an unmistakable resemblance and relationship to each other and to the original ancestral starter member of the dynasty... This whole approach and concept has been of great assistance to me, not only in the technical sphere, but as a means of stimulating my imaginative powers as far as winemaking is concerned. All winemakers should possess a good fertile imagination if they are to be successful in their craft.It''s so essential that a winemaker give some of his personality to his wine. His personality is part and parcel of the wine itself. The greatest wines have implanted in them the ideas of the winemaker as to what they should be. His character is part of the wine". Max Schubert - 1915 - 1994.

<b>The Torch Bearer (ex)</b>

People used ask me, ''Now that you''re in charge of Grange how are you going to change it?'' You''d have to be a brave man to change it. I would refer to the job as a fine-tuning process rather than tinkering with the style. I tend to look at the elements that are responsible for ultimate quality, trying to understand what leads to quality and trying to source the best grapes that we can. I am working on, and fine-tuning the elements that are responsible for quality, rather than doing something like changing American oak to French oak.- John Duval, the winemaker.

<b>Preface</b>

Penfolds multi-region, multi-vineyard blending policy enables winemakers to reduce the impact of vintage variation to the point where critics the world over considered Grange to be among the most consistent of the world''s great wines. It is much greater in weight, depth and concentration than all of the ‘pretenders’. The high quality, very ripe fruit provides the base of the wine. The super ripeness never crosses the line to over ripeness. However, against what went into the original Granges, the fruit today must be much, much riper. The degree of extraction is another feature of Grange. In today’s search for elegance, it is too much. Oak treatment is at the maximum, somewhat against today’s aims for oak balance and subtlety. But then Grange did not begin in today’s world, and may never change, in spite of the signs of becoming more refined. Wines such as Grange are a law unto themselves and need not conform to the standards set in recent times. Grange is outside the envelope for the norm, and wonderfully so.As with most of the world’s great wines, it is a rare occurrence to taste more than one bottle of Penfolds Grange at the same time. On their own, single bottles invariably look very good if not exceptional and judgement of relative quality is exceedingly difficult. Vertical tastings offer a unique perspective to the understanding of a label. Vintage variations can become quite apparent in most vertical line-ups and the evolution and development of the style of the wine can be seen clearly. And here lies the negative aspect of vertical tastings – the brilliance and individuality of each wine can seem dulled and reduced, especially if there are shining stars…..

<b>The Event:</b>

The vertical were bought from a private collector from SOLD.com.au. and the event was held in LasCarretas Restaurant with a 3 course dinner.We started off with Seared pan-fried Foie-Gras followed by Creame of leek & lentils served with croutons to pair with the1st Flight.The 2nd Flight we had Roasted Iowa corn-fed RibEye(400grms) "jus naturel" As the wines were being poured, I was feeling nervous, deep down in my mind I wondered what happened if any of the bottles were corked? It was such a relief when all the wines were certified fine.All wines were decanted for two hour prior serving.It was also a coincidence to have Mr.James Whittle (ex-winemaker with Peter Lehmann turned "Raytheon" corporate honcho) to participated in this event.
We tasted it in 2 separate flights - Young before Old & Light before Full.

<b>The Excellent Flight</b>

<b>1997</b> - A medium to full bodied wine, attractive, ripe fruit and less structured.In spite of the good, ripe, pruney flavours and finish with firm/dry dusty tannins.

<b>1995</b> - Softer, more open and accessible with very attractive liquorice aromas and spices on the palate.Very youthful, classic berry flavours, high extract, freshness from excellent acidity, vigour and power. A wine with a long life ahead of it.The sleeper of the vintage and my favourite of this flight.

<b>1993</b> - Accessible, fruit cake flavours, beautifully perfumed with violet notes, great refinement and superb textures showing some intregration.My 2nd favourite wine of this flight.

<b>1992</b> - This had a lovely lifted fruit character. Liquorice, pepper and eucalypt along with some bottle age notes/well integrated, soft and a smaller scale wine without the depth/power of the "Grange"s pedigree.The weakest of the entire lineup.

<b>The Exceptional Flight</b>

<b>1996</b> - This wine was the departure from the normal Grange style that required patience.Outstanding refinement with superb textures, yet concentrated.A huge wine of great extraction with extreme richness of ripe fruits and spices. A complete wine in many respects.

<b>1994</b> - A wine of immense concentration. This is a hugely extracted and robust wine.Fruits were not as rich as the 1996, it''s massive, backward, complexed with tar notes predominate.Multi-layered with grippy tannins Massively structured and the lenght is persistent. A standout wine drinking at full bloom.

<b>1991</b> - A little shy on the nose but well compensated by excellent intregration in the palate.The tongue coating tannins were powdery/chalky gainning momentum that extent to a long and sustainable finish. All this wine needed is time.

<b>1990</b> - A wine of great reputation,.imortalised in Grange''s doctrines along with the 1955, 1971, 1986 as the classic Granges.Still inky black in color, very youthful with amazing freshness.I saw it as a balanced wine, restraint, complexed, with subtlety and all components being harmonious.ItÂ’s combination of balance and finesse that will see it age gracefully and and long life ahead of it.

<b>The Verdict</b>

My favourite wine in order of preference was the 1994(1996), 1996(1990), 1990(1994), 1991(1991) with very little to separate in between, some not drinking at it''s best.The Group favourites were in brackets.
Followed by 1995(1995), 1993(1993), 1997(1992) & 1992(1997)
It''s showed it''s harder to rate the Exceptional vintages, it''s up to each individual preferences but on the weaker years the result were more prevalent.

The impression from this vertical tasting is that Penfolds Grange maintains its extreme nature and character, whilst the vintage variations and evolutionary trends are noticeable. There are Granges that are exceptional as there are Granges that are weak. But Grange is still Grange, and long may that remain! Within the parameters of the Grange style, there were different expressions based on the conditions of the vintage. Size, body and weight certainly differed. Warmer vintages resulted in bigger wines with more extraction. Fruit flavours were also warmer and riper with the more complex savoury, meaty and earthier notes.Another observation made was the refinement and improvement of the Grange style over time. The 1996 were more fine-grained, refined and accessible. These wines also possessed fruit with aromatics prevalent. While the textures of the more recent wines were finer, the degree of extraction was no less than in earlier vintages.The earlier vintages were tighter and more structure and Grange in the riper vintages are better suited to their robust structures. And as Grange has evolved over the decades, the label has become more consistent in every way.

Tasted: AUG 2002




Last month I'd the <b>Grange 1998</b> Surreal concentation, endless depth of flavours, knockout intensity and the lenght that never quit. This IS probrably the best wine I've ever tasted in my entire life and my new benchmark for all wines to measured upon. A tough act to follow...can the preceeding vintages be better? <i>"real doubtful"</i>


Thank-you for reading.

Rgds, Martin.