Penfolds - Grange 2017

FALSTAFF: "Nur der 7. Grange, der jemals aus 100% Shiraz hergestellt wurde. Zartbitterschokolade umhüllt reife Blaubeeren, Vanille schwebt darüber, ebenso wie ein Hauch von Rauch und dunkelsten Beeren - und dann taucht die Schokolade neben Muskatnuss wieder auf. Der Gaumen zeigt eine großzügige, reife, saftige Frucht, bevor kühne, straffe, muskulöse, gebogene, feine Tannine die Oberhand gewinnen und sich unerbittlich durchsetzen. Dieser Wein hat so viel Persönlichkeit. Lassen Sie ihn mindestens ein Jahrzehnt reifen und trinken Sie ihn bis 2060."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Memorable, complex, aromatic and explosively deep, with a mix of palo santo, dark chocolate, black olive, espresso and hazelnut butter. The pure fruit at the core is a mix of ripe huckleberry, boysenberry and wild blackberry, with dense but polished tannins. Savory notes of dried rosemary and sage, cigar box, dried apricot and sandalwood linger on the epic finish. Drink now through 2045. 289 cases imported."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Strongly marked—as always—by its 100% American oak elevage, the 2017 Grange backs up the cedar and vanilla notes with ample blackberry and cassis fruit. Full-bodied, ripe and almost decadently creamy in the mouth, it's loaded with substance, concentrated and rich, yet—in the context of Grange—relatively light and elegant-seeming on the finish. Only the seventh-ever Grange to be exclusively Shiraz, it originates from Barossa Valley (86%) and McLaren Vale (14%); Shiraz from other growing regions in South Australia failed to make the grade this year."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This starts with a deeply spicy and brooding nose that packs plenty of (100% new) American oak, some smoked vanilla and ripe dark plums and berries. The palate has a youthful, astringent feel with sinewy oak tannin and deep plum and dark-berry flavors, carrying a big frame of fruit extract. Big, round berries strive towards boldness. A blend of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. 100% shiraz. Drink over the next two decades."

DECANTER: "Surprisingly approachable, the seamless meld of fresh red fruits, mocha and liquorice makes for an especially friendly and agreeable young Grange. A fabulous bouquet immediately draws you in – a meadow of wild herbs amid an orchard of plums – while the long palate shows impressive drive. Some spiky raw notes stick out at the end, along with assertive oak, showing that this vintage is still growing into its sturdy frame."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Vanilla nose and much more candied cherry fruit on the nose than the others. It still smells of the new American oak it was aged in. Such a baby, although dangerously approachable. Front-loaded with desperately intense, sweet fruit – as if it's an essence of itself. But also very tightly sheathed in new oak and white-knuckle-clenched tannins."