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JANUARY 13, 2013 - HONG KONGTasting Note: Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1.5LMAGNUM 1980The 1980 Grange is predominantly Shiraz with a smallamount of Cabernet Sauvignon (4%) from the Kalimna andother Barossa vineyards, the Clare Valley, Magill Estate,McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. A generally good growingseason with fine and warm conditions, was followed by a coolvintage.Considered an outstanding vintage, Tim White said of it at atasting in September 1999,Deep crimson brick red. Intense plum, blackberry/ menthol,mocha /liquorice aromas, confection-like small berries, cherriesand plums has a hint of treacle. Smooth and creamy, withflavours of mulberries, cassis and plums, it’s obviously a coolerseason Grange wrapped around by sweet oak. It opens up aftertime in the glass, the tannins are pronounced but offset by stylish,rich, concentrated dark berry chocolaty fruit. First vintageadopting consistent use of signature red Penfolds capsules.Winemaker Comments by Don Ditter: “Medium red/purple.Intense, fragrant chocolate cherry/prune dried fig aromas.Dense and chewy with generously ripe, prune/ chocolate fruitflavours, pronounced grainy tannins and superb length.”Tasting Note: Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1.5LMAGNUM 1981Winemaker John Duval called the 1981 a big, tannic Grange.A warm to hot, drought-affected summer yielded a powerfullyconcentrated wine with chocolate raisin fruit, earthy nuances,and pleasant oak.Tasting Note: Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1.5LMAGNUM 1979“A blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, fromsuperior vineyards, matured for eighteen months in newAmerican oak hogsheads.Alcohol 13.00% Acidity 5%60g/L pH 3.72Memorable for being the last of all vintages to be bottled in theoriginal off-white foil capsules, and the first vintage to be bottledin magnums, nowadays there are usually six hundred magnumbottled each year.Deep brick red. A complex, aromatic wine with dark chocolatearomas and lifted rum and raisin fruit characters. Developingaromas of raspberries as the wine breathes, plums and vanillaoak, deep briar, blackberry and toast, earth and amber fruit, thebouquets are varied and complex. The palate is bitey and solidwith plenty of fruit sweetness, compounds of earthy chocolatecomplexity and ample (but drying) tannins.”Winemaker Comments by Don Ditter: “Medium red/purple.Complex, developing aromas with plenty of soft, slightly lifted,tobacco/berry/gamey fruit. Highly concentrated with rich,cedar/ blackberry fruit, massive, firm, dry tannins and longflavourful finish. Tannins at the fore for the moment.”The 1981 Grange is a blend of 89 percent Shiraz and 11percent Cabernet Sauvignon from the Kalimna and otherBarossa vineyards, Magill Estate and the Modbury Vineyard inthe Adelaide Plains.Maturation in new American oak hogsheads for eighteenmonths, a muscular Grange, the question being, will it eversoften out? Alcohol 12.70% Acidity 6.20g/L pH 3.58Deep crimson brick red. Liquorice, dried fig, baked red fruitaromas. Coffee chocolate oak precede a plump, juicy andstraightforward palate. The tannins are soupy and dense andbuild up very chalky and dry at the finish.Winemaker Comments by Don Ditter: “Dense purple/red incolour. Smoky meaty/spicy aromas and some toasty oakcharacters, also showing vanilla and coffee overtones. Acombination of rich, fleshy, chocolaty and smoky flavours arebalanced with pronounced tannins and length, resulting in awine of immense concentration and powerful structure”.Tasting Note: Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1.5LMAGNUM 1982A very good vintage with a mild growing season, culminatingin a burst of warm weather.Predominantly Shiraz with a small amount (6%) of CabernetSauvignon from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards,Clare Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury near Adelaide, this isa wine with an open-knit, seductive style. Matured in newAmerican oak hogsheads for eighteen months. Alcohol13.50%Acidity 6.90g/L pH 3.3937