On what occasions do people drink grange? Ive recently purchased a few, but they look too good in the collection to open! What grange do people prefer to buy.... new vintages, or older ones? Ive got a 2000, and a 1981 (my birth year). Is the best place to get them online; ebay, etc?
Thanks, Ben
Penfolds Grange... to drink, or not to drink
Re: Penfolds Grange... to drink, or not to drink
benloz wrote:On what occasions do people drink grange? Ive recently purchased a few, but they look too good in the collection to open! What grange do people prefer to buy.... new vintages, or older ones? Ive got a 2000, and a 1981 (my birth year). Is the best place to get them online; ebay, etc?
Thanks, Ben
Tough luck on the vintages, two of the worst in the last 25 years. How much did you pay for these?
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Re: Penfolds Grange... to drink, or not to drink
benloz wrote:On what occasions do people drink grange? Ive recently purchased a few, but they look too good in the collection to open! What grange do people prefer to buy.... new vintages, or older ones? Ive got a 2000, and a 1981 (my birth year). Is the best place to get them online; ebay, etc?
Thanks, Ben
Sometimes they match the occasion, other times they are the occasion. Don't get too hung up on keeping them. 81's probably ready to drink. Hope you didn't pay the 'market price' for the 2000.
I know you gamble on cellaring buying older wines (and it can be quite a gamble) but there are plenty of 'under-the-radar' vintages that sell for sensible prices at auction - 94 leaps to mind, and possibly 91. Top wines at a relative bargain price.
cheers,
Graeme
Which are the best years of Grange
RB,
That begs the question what would be the best years for Grange, from the last 25 ...i.e. 1981 to 2006?
Cheers and Merry Chrimbo to everyone
MC
That begs the question what would be the best years for Grange, from the last 25 ...i.e. 1981 to 2006?
Cheers and Merry Chrimbo to everyone
MC
"Seek to understand, before being understood" Stephen Covey
Re: Which are the best years of Grange
mkcoleman wrote:RB,
That begs the question what would be the best years for Grange, from the last 25 ...i.e. 1981 to 2006?
Cheers and Merry Chrimbo to everyone
MC
You can check out Penfolds' Rewards of Patience vertical notes direct off their website with Adobe Acrobat reader:
http://www.penfolds.com.au/appreciation/default.asp
The very best vintages over this period would be 1983, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1996 & 1998. There's also a good argument that the undervalued 1994 and 1999 could be included with these, and I've heard the 1984 & 1988 are pretty swish drinking right now too.
Cheers,
Ian
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone.
I have done a quick read of the Grange guide on Langtons, and it seems the top vintages were
2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1991, 1990, 1986, 1980, 1976, 1971, 1966, 1963, 1962, 1955, 1953
Some other commentatary included
The 1990 vintage – acknowledged as a great South Australian vintage – was released with further hefty price increases. The hype surrounding this vintage was extraordinary. Export markets were beginning to take allocations and there was a perceived feeling of short supply. The release price of 1990 Grange had a huge effect on the value of ultra-fine Australian wine. Henschke Hill of Grace was the major beneficiary with an astonishing 150% increase in overall auction values in a single year. It was not until the release of the 1990 vintage that international market perceptions of Grange changed.
In 1995 the highly influential Wine Spectator magazine named the 1990 Penfolds Grange as its wine of the year, for the first time choosing a wine produced outside California and France. In the same year powerful US wine writer Robert Parker Jnr. proclaimed Grange as “the leading candidate for the richest, most concentrated dry red table wine on planet earth.†The confluence of media hype and economic prosperity saw an unprecedented and exponential increase in global demand for Grange.
The wine is now regularly traded at auction around the world. Its price movements are followed with the same level of interest – by collectors – as Bordeaux’s First Growth Chateaux and Burgundy’s Grand Cru. Grange enjoyed strong market demand throughout the 1990’s. Most of the great auction prices for rare Grange collections were achieved during this period. The market also started to unravel vintages in a more meaningful way with prices reflecting vintage reputation, aging potential, and value thresholds. By the end of 1999 the Australian cult wine scene came into prominence and took the spotlight off Grange for a period of about 18-24 months. The crash of the cult wine scene in early 2001 and the release of the highly reputable 1996 Grange alleviated the market malaise and provided stark proof that track record and reputation are key drivers when it comes to a wine’s long term performance at auction.
The release of 1998 Grange was accompanied by spectacular media hype and extraordinary price hikes. After a relatively short period of speculative buying and selling, prices have remained relatively static.
The 1999 vintage, which many believe is of equal stature to 1998, is yet to be recognised by the market and has had a relatively quiet run.
Surprisingly the controversial 2000 vintage has performed beyond expectations. Collector interest in this vintage is remarkable considering the lack lustre reviews by wine critics. Perceptions of scarcity and a genuine enjoyment of the Grange experience are strong factors which drive buyer sentiment.
The 2001 vintage is likely to have a good reputation among wine collectors, but there is no question that the 2002 will re-ignite the Grange flame once again.
2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1991, 1990, 1986, 1980, 1976, 1971, 1966, 1963, 1962, 1955, 1953
Some other commentatary included
The 1990 vintage – acknowledged as a great South Australian vintage – was released with further hefty price increases. The hype surrounding this vintage was extraordinary. Export markets were beginning to take allocations and there was a perceived feeling of short supply. The release price of 1990 Grange had a huge effect on the value of ultra-fine Australian wine. Henschke Hill of Grace was the major beneficiary with an astonishing 150% increase in overall auction values in a single year. It was not until the release of the 1990 vintage that international market perceptions of Grange changed.
In 1995 the highly influential Wine Spectator magazine named the 1990 Penfolds Grange as its wine of the year, for the first time choosing a wine produced outside California and France. In the same year powerful US wine writer Robert Parker Jnr. proclaimed Grange as “the leading candidate for the richest, most concentrated dry red table wine on planet earth.†The confluence of media hype and economic prosperity saw an unprecedented and exponential increase in global demand for Grange.
The wine is now regularly traded at auction around the world. Its price movements are followed with the same level of interest – by collectors – as Bordeaux’s First Growth Chateaux and Burgundy’s Grand Cru. Grange enjoyed strong market demand throughout the 1990’s. Most of the great auction prices for rare Grange collections were achieved during this period. The market also started to unravel vintages in a more meaningful way with prices reflecting vintage reputation, aging potential, and value thresholds. By the end of 1999 the Australian cult wine scene came into prominence and took the spotlight off Grange for a period of about 18-24 months. The crash of the cult wine scene in early 2001 and the release of the highly reputable 1996 Grange alleviated the market malaise and provided stark proof that track record and reputation are key drivers when it comes to a wine’s long term performance at auction.
The release of 1998 Grange was accompanied by spectacular media hype and extraordinary price hikes. After a relatively short period of speculative buying and selling, prices have remained relatively static.
The 1999 vintage, which many believe is of equal stature to 1998, is yet to be recognised by the market and has had a relatively quiet run.
Surprisingly the controversial 2000 vintage has performed beyond expectations. Collector interest in this vintage is remarkable considering the lack lustre reviews by wine critics. Perceptions of scarcity and a genuine enjoyment of the Grange experience are strong factors which drive buyer sentiment.
The 2001 vintage is likely to have a good reputation among wine collectors, but there is no question that the 2002 will re-ignite the Grange flame once again.
"Seek to understand, before being understood" Stephen Covey
benloz,
It is a dangerous slippery slope you are precariously perched on. I recognise that itch well; that awe at a bottle, it's label, and dreams of what treasure lays inside for your senses....My first taste of Grange was fortuitous, a tasting at a VC I was walking past, with a sign outside declaring "Taste the new premium releases from Penfolds including Grange". Surely enough, I entered, and some would say I never returned the same. The Grange was the 95, what many said was the worst in the Barossa for a long time, but to me, it was very fine. Not great, breath-taking or out of control, but the cogs started turning, and I only dreamed of what a great Grange would be like.
The occasion arrived, and the next Grange became the occasion. It was my "last supper", and along with the 86 Leoville las Casses, the 86 Grange were beyond anything that had ever tickled my tastebuds.......
Since then, I have been jollily sliding down that slippery slope with more and more of my disposable income funding the ride. Along the way, 96, 90, 91, 97, then the sublime 76!!! Mind you though, I've been yelling "whoopeee" all the way.
Bottom line I guess, if you have the bank-roll, or the self control, why not join us...
Cheers,
monghead
It is a dangerous slippery slope you are precariously perched on. I recognise that itch well; that awe at a bottle, it's label, and dreams of what treasure lays inside for your senses....My first taste of Grange was fortuitous, a tasting at a VC I was walking past, with a sign outside declaring "Taste the new premium releases from Penfolds including Grange". Surely enough, I entered, and some would say I never returned the same. The Grange was the 95, what many said was the worst in the Barossa for a long time, but to me, it was very fine. Not great, breath-taking or out of control, but the cogs started turning, and I only dreamed of what a great Grange would be like.
The occasion arrived, and the next Grange became the occasion. It was my "last supper", and along with the 86 Leoville las Casses, the 86 Grange were beyond anything that had ever tickled my tastebuds.......
Since then, I have been jollily sliding down that slippery slope with more and more of my disposable income funding the ride. Along the way, 96, 90, 91, 97, then the sublime 76!!! Mind you though, I've been yelling "whoopeee" all the way.
Bottom line I guess, if you have the bank-roll, or the self control, why not join us...
Cheers,
monghead
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Ratcatcher
- Posts: 374
- Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:01 pm
- Location: Hobart
Grange is an Australian icon and everyone with an interest in wine should try it at least once. But seriously, does it really make sense to pay $250 plus a bottle when there is so much great wine available at $40 - $60. My local bottleshop has a bottle of 1990 and a bottle of 1996 with pricetags of $900 each. Surely only a collector, not a drinker would pay that amount?
Personally, I would never buy Grange, but I guess it depends on your disposable income.
I certainly wouldn't be fuelling the auction / ebay demand for it.
I've only ever had one, the 1984. Maybe my palate isn't sophisticated enough but I didn't notice a 5 fold superiority to lots of $50 wines I've drunk.
BTW - some of the very good but not great vintage seem to go quite cheaply (by comparison to the standout vintages) at auction.
Personally, I would never buy Grange, but I guess it depends on your disposable income.
I certainly wouldn't be fuelling the auction / ebay demand for it.
I've only ever had one, the 1984. Maybe my palate isn't sophisticated enough but I didn't notice a 5 fold superiority to lots of $50 wines I've drunk.
BTW - some of the very good but not great vintage seem to go quite cheaply (by comparison to the standout vintages) at auction.
Opened a bottle of 1976 Grange the other week as I had purchased it at auction about two years ago, total dissapointment unfortunately. I had bought it to drink on my 30th at the end of January and it had a slightly leaking cork, although the level was still very high shoulder. I had a feeling it was going to possible rooted ( but definitely hoped otherwise ) so just decided to crack it one week night to have with some eye fillet. Totally one dimensional nose and palate of rancid smoked bacon, no TCA at all.......unfortunately !!, and was most unpleasant. The colour was still fantastic which made the experience all the more annoying. I totally accept the risk associated with such a purchase and realise that the 76 Grange in particular is renownd for poor quality corks. Drank it anyway probably just out of stubborness ( if that is actually a word ) but it was terrible.
Just thought I would share the experience. I recon one would be better to buy a more recent vintage and give it a good bit of air time if they were after a good ' grange experience '.
Here is hoping all the Granges people crack over the festive season are of sound quality and if not then may they be rancid with cork taint so adequate replacements are available.
Can't help but think if the exact same wine I opened had been sealed with an alternative closure when bottled what the wine would have tasted like
Just thought I would share the experience. I recon one would be better to buy a more recent vintage and give it a good bit of air time if they were after a good ' grange experience '.
Here is hoping all the Granges people crack over the festive season are of sound quality and if not then may they be rancid with cork taint so adequate replacements are available.
Can't help but think if the exact same wine I opened had been sealed with an alternative closure when bottled what the wine would have tasted like
In a similar vein I opened a 1980 Grange for fathers day a few years ago and seved it "blind" to my father and uncle. Nobody was enthused and I was dissapointed. So put the bottle, and remenants, at the back of the bar intending to have it later that night. Forgot about it and discovered it 3 days later. What a difference, it had blown off some bottle stink and softened tremendously. I still have a couple of bottles left and will definitely decant several hours ahead of consumption. Might decant in the morning and try before lunch, if I think it needs more time I will serve it "blind" with dinner. It is all a learning experience and I have found every wine, and differing vintages of these wines, need a different treatment.
Drink the wine, not the label.
Re: Penfolds Grange... to drink, or not to drink
GraemeG wrote:Sometimes they match the occasion, other times they are the occasion. Don't get too hung up on keeping them.
Agree completely. If you're going to sit around forever waiting for the 'right occasion', you'll end up with a lot of bottles of dead wine. It's a drink, not an ornament. All you need is some good company, and the wine becomes an occasion in itself.
My father used to collect wine a long time ago but never, ever opened anything. By the time I got to it there was a lot of stuff that would have been brilliant 10 years ago but is undrinkable now. By a stroke of absolute blind luck, there were also six bottles of 71 Grange that he bought back when they were released. They all paid a visit to the Penfolds Clinic a couple of months ago and amazingly (given that they spent the past 30 years just sitting under his house), they all passed. So one of them is being cracked open with the family tomorrow for Christmas, and the others will probably go into auction.
But of his entire collection that is probably all that is still drinkable, except maybe a couple of early-70s bottles of Wolf Blass black label if we're lucky.
It was a shame to see all that wine go to waste, but if nothing else it taught me not to be sentimental about the bottles in my own cellar!
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Mahmoud Ali
- Posts: 2954
- Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:00 pm
- Location: Edmonton, Canada
In many ways our Annonymous writer is very lucky. For one thing you can open your 1981 "Birthday Grange" knowing that it is an off vintage but at 25 years of age it is likely to ba fully mature. Drinking this you will get to experience an older, mature Grange.
Secondly, your 2000 Grange, another off year, will not require too many years to reach its peak. Again, not too long a wait. And thirdly, if you like the taste of Grange, either fully mature in the case of the 1981, or young but furthur along as in the 2000, you are young enough to be able to collect, if you want to, the better vintages of Grange and see them through to maturity. The fun begins.
I, on the other hand, have only one bottle of Grange. It is the 1983 (unfortunately not my birth year by half) and I had been thinking about opening it when it was 20 years old but by most accounts it is still years away from its peak. Back in 2001, when I was last in Sydney, I tasted the 1995 Grange in a Jeremy Oliver tutored tasting. The '95 was young, tannic and closed, offering very little drinking pleasure. In contrast, the 1997 Moss Wood was a delight, perhaps not a stellar vintage but drinking beautifully, very Bordeaux-like (heaven) and with some potential. For my money Grange isn't worth the money, and neither is First Growth Bordeaux.
Cheers............Mahmoud
PS: Monkhead, interesting that you mention the 1986 Leoville Las Cases. I have a "problem" with the 1982 Leoville Las Cases as well as the 1983 Grange. Both were wines I thought I would be drinking at 20 years of age but both have turned out to be very backward and requiring many more years of cellaring.
Secondly, your 2000 Grange, another off year, will not require too many years to reach its peak. Again, not too long a wait. And thirdly, if you like the taste of Grange, either fully mature in the case of the 1981, or young but furthur along as in the 2000, you are young enough to be able to collect, if you want to, the better vintages of Grange and see them through to maturity. The fun begins.
I, on the other hand, have only one bottle of Grange. It is the 1983 (unfortunately not my birth year by half) and I had been thinking about opening it when it was 20 years old but by most accounts it is still years away from its peak. Back in 2001, when I was last in Sydney, I tasted the 1995 Grange in a Jeremy Oliver tutored tasting. The '95 was young, tannic and closed, offering very little drinking pleasure. In contrast, the 1997 Moss Wood was a delight, perhaps not a stellar vintage but drinking beautifully, very Bordeaux-like (heaven) and with some potential. For my money Grange isn't worth the money, and neither is First Growth Bordeaux.
Cheers............Mahmoud
PS: Monkhead, interesting that you mention the 1986 Leoville Las Cases. I have a "problem" with the 1982 Leoville Las Cases as well as the 1983 Grange. Both were wines I thought I would be drinking at 20 years of age but both have turned out to be very backward and requiring many more years of cellaring.