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AN EVENING OF EXCEPTIONAL WINESTasting Note: Penfolds Grange 1.5L MAGNUM 1990The 1990 and 1991 Granges are regarded by many asextraordinary wines with incredible power and finesse. JamesHalliday calls this vintage flawlessly supple.In 1990 Grange dropped the Hermitage tag, to align with thename by which it had been known internationally for manyyears. 95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from Kalimna andother Barossa Valley vineyards, Clare Valley and Coonawarra.A very great vintage with a perfect warm, dry growing seasonand harvest, yielded a Grange with solid structure anddominant fruit characters.Regardless of vintage, Grange delivers a unique experience ofShiraz, but history will record 1990 as one of the greatAustralian vintages of a generation. The 1990 PenfoldsGrange was one of the best to date, with the potential to rivalthe classic vintages of 1955, 1962 and 1971. A superblybalanced wine, and a very great Grange vintage withtremendous finesse and understated power.Voted Red Wine of the Year UK Wine Spectator magazine inDecember 1995.A memorable growing season gave us an immenselyconcentrated Grange, beautifully perfumed wine with deep,dark, chocolate/spicy/ mocha/malty aromas Matured in newAmerican oak hogsheads for eighteen months. Alcohol13.50% Acidity 7.1g/L pH 3.41John Duval Tasting Notes: “Deep crimson, medium-fullred/purple colour. Immensely concentrated, beautifullyperfumed wine with deep, dark, chocolate/spicy/ mocha/maltyaromas. Ripe plummy aromas with smoky vanillin oak, a veryrich, ripe, supple palate with deep blackberry/chocolate/liquoricefruit, malt/vanilla oak nuances and satin smooth tannins. Thisvintage is now supremely complex and harmonious, with ripeplum and coffee-like luscious fruit, integrated oak, fine tanninsand excellent length.”Tasting Note: Penfolds Grange 1.5L MAGNUM 1991The 1991 Grange shocked me with its sweet, forward displayof jammy black fruits, smoke, roasted coffee, and copioustoasty oak scents and flavors. This mouthfilling Grange,inevitably becomes more complex and civilized with ten ormore years of cellaring.Another great Grange vintage, the 1991 is one of the finestred wines made in Australia, rivalling the highly acclaimed1990.95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptionalvineyards in the Barossa Valley, including Kalimna, and theMcLaren.A warm, dry year with even ripening conditions, vintagebegan early. Matured in new American oak hogsheads foreighteen months. Alcohol 13.50% Acidity 7.3g/L pH 3.32.Comments by Winemaker John Duval: “A glorious, dark,dense, red purple colour. The rich bouquet shows an incredibledepth of ripe berry spice, tobacco, mocha and green tea aromaswith unmistakable Penfolds oak handling. The palate hasintensely concentrated, mouthfilling fruit flavours showingspicy, rich berry fruit and earthy characters with masses of ripetannins and integrated oak, finishing with excellent length.”Tasting Note: Penfolds Grange 1.5L MAGNUM 1992The pinnacle of Australian reds, Grange represents opulence,vintage 1992 offers great complexity and balance, a powerfuland rich release with mouth-coating tannins. No other redwine in Australia can rival the reputation, consistent quality orproven development pattern of Penfolds Grange. A fullbodiedShiraz wine, fleshed out with a component ofexceptional Cabernet fruit, under magnum, the 1992 wasdestined for a long cellar life. Deep crimson in colour, withsmoky/dark chocolate/blueberry/ plum aromas and flavours,fine grained with slightly leafy tannins, finishing very firm andtight90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley(including the century-old vines of the Kalimna Vineyard)Coonawarra and McLaren Vale. The winemaking processinvolves great attention to detail, from selecting the bestpossible grapes sourced from low-yielding, old Shiraz vines,through to fermentation and fastidious oak maturation. Acool to mild growing season marked by intermittent rains.Matured in new American oak hogsheads for eighteenmonths. As always released as a five-year old wine, thematuration period being a legacy of Max Schubert’s trialsthrough the 1950s, the 1992 Grange magnum has been keptperfectly cellared. Alcohol 13.50% Acidity 7.00g/L pH 3.43.Comments by John Duval. Deep: “Dense, dark brick-red withpurple crimson hues. The bouquet displays all the distinctivehallmarks, abundant, sweet, ripe berried fruit coupled withbalanced integrated oak. As it breathes, the wine revealsalluring tobacco, smoked roasted nuts and concentratedblackcurrant nuances. The palate has intense, sweet, rich fruitwith pronounced yet rounded ripe tannins. Excellent structureand integration of spicy, earthy fruit and firm oak, finishingwith great length of flavour.”Tasting Note: Penfolds Grange 1.5L MAGNUM 1993Penfolds Grange, blossoms with fifteen to twenty years ofbottle age, when most other reds have past their best, andbetter vintages can live and continue developing for decadeslonger. A self-taught, practical winemaker with a naturalinquisitiveness for winemaking theory, creator Max Schubertembraced a romantic view of winemaking. Though he retiredas Chief Winemaker at Penfolds in 1973, Max remainedinvolved as a mentor and Winemaker Emeritus for another 20vintages. 1993 is an earlier maturing vintage under Magnum,kept optimumly cellared.86% Shiraz, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Kalimna andother vineyards in the Barossa Valley, and the Coonawarra.One of Australia’s national treasures, Grange is the benchmarkby which all other reds in this country, vintage 1993 Grangerepresents over forty years of winemaking excellence. To sharea magnum of mature Grange 15 to 20 years old, in finecondition, is one of the great wine experiences. A very wetgrowing season was followed by warm, drier conditions,resulting in a very late but sound quality vintage fruit. AnIndian Summer in the Coonawarra delivered fully ripenedfruit. Matured in 100% new American oak for eighteenmonths. Alcohol 13.50% Acidity 6.00g/L pH 3.6.WWW.SPINK.COM