Penfolds - Grange 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "Blackberry, blueberry, graphite and terra cotta aromas. Medium-bodied with clarity, focus and very fine tannins that are polished and caressing. One of the most refined and textural Granges I have had in a long time. The tannins are very resolved. This is mostly Barossa and McLaren Vale with some Claire Valley. 3% cabernet sauvignon. Very drinkable now, but will age beautifully."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Blackish dense purple. Lightly muted nose promising something pretty exciting underneath. Very rich and heady. But lower key than many vintages. Blackcurrant and quite a bit of dry tannin on the end. Still very tight and cough-medicinal. Extremely youthful. Retasted after a couple of days in a stoppered decanter: heady nose recalls creosote and top notes of luscious mulberries. The palate has opened out to something almost fat, finishing with an appetisingly saline edge. Very persistent. After five days in a stoppered decanter: this was a supple pleasure to drink. Aeration recommended for at least the first two decades of this exceptional wine’s life."

FALSTAFF: "Reif in der Nase, Blaubeere, Brombeere, Zwetschge, dazu Lakritz und Gewürze, etwas Sandelholz sowie gedörrte Fruchtnuancen. Am Gaumen weich, aber dennoch elegant mit feinem, reifem Tannin und zurückhaltender, schön integrierter Säure. Sehr dicht, aber dennoch gut antrinkbar. Hallt lange nach und sollte noch einige Jahre im Keller liegen bleiben."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Grange comprises 97% Shiraz and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale (48%), Barossa Valley (40%) and Clare Valley (12%), and it matured for 20 months in American oak hogsheads, 100% new. While the metric of regions changes each season and the proportion of Shiraz changes slightly, the élevage and style remain the same. Aromatically, the wine is black and savory, with crushed ant, black peppercorn, blueberry, blackberry and licorice/aniseed. In the mouth, the wine feels lighter than some other vintages on release. There is something like clarity and perhaps a little hole in the mid-palate—it sits like clarity or less density and also features as breathing space. A nice wine, it is lighter than the preceding 2019. Both vintages had their challenges, but this 2020 season has yielded an "easier" feeling wine."

DECANTER: "The celebrated reputation of Grange places every new release under intense scrutiny, and this passes muster as sturdy and convincing, but without the stellar fireworks of 2019 or the instantaneous drink-now temptation of many from the past decade. Coming from the low-yielding 2020 vintage, a broad net was cast across McLaren Vale, Barossa and Clare to find the right mix of fruit parcels showing both concentration and complexity. With the modest addition of 3% Cabernet Sauvignon (noting that Penfolds did not release its elite Bin 707 and Bin 129 Cabernets from the 2020 vintage), this pulls tight focus on Shiraz’s primary allure – blackberry and black plum rinsed in rich mocha and dark chocolate, piqued by a dusting of cinnamon, pepper and vanilla. This is made to be cellared, and will tell a more exuberant story in another decade."