-
100
/ 100
James Suckling -
99
/ 100
Jeb Dunnuck -
99
/ 100
James Halliday -
98
/ 100
Wine Advocate -
98
/ 100
Vinous
Red
Classification
Shiraz
Variety
2015
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
South Australia, Barossa Valley
Region
14.5%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
100 / 100"Much anticipated vintage for Grange and it is a powerhouse of concentration and complexity. Aromas of orange and lemon peel to start, then graphite, blackberries, plum paste, black cherries, boundless sweet oak spice, fresh cedar, tar, mahogany, roasted coffee and chocolate - the list goes on. Such complexity. Classic Grange, offering such deep, dark intensity. The palate has immense richness and depth with a super succulent and very long, fleshy, deeply weighted array of dense, velvet-wrapped tannins that run so long. The fruit flavors sit in the blackberry, blood-plum and blueberry zone with succulent, long and assertive structure, carrying through in an utterly seamless mode. The finish is tightly wrenched, in spectacularly powerful style, locking this wine in for a very long haul. Best from 2030."
- James Suckling
99 / 100
"The flagship 2015 Grange is a monster of wine and one of those rare wines that blends power and elegance perfectly. Revealing a saturated purple color, it’s seemingly more forward and seductive than past great vintages, which I suspect is due to the incredible purity of fruit as well as the wine’s flawless balance than any change in winemaking or stylistic shifts. I also think the acidity is healthy, and the 2015 tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol, which is certainly in the sweet spot, if not tame, for beautifully ripe Syrah these days. A blend of 98% Shiraz and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 20 months in new American oak hogsheads, it offers an extraordinary perfume of sweet crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, camphor, Asian spices, licorice, and wildflowers. This is followed by a full-bodied, powerful yet incredibly seamless and elegant Shiraz that has no hard edges, a big, dense mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Coming close to rivaling the 1986, which has always been a benchmark vintage of Grange for me, the 2015 offers a more polished, elegant, approachable style. Vintage comparisons aside, this is a legendary example of Grange in the making. The savvy wine lovers out there will give this 7-8 years of bottle age (I’ll probably be out of bottles by then) and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades."
- Jeb Dunnuck
99 / 100
"Bang. The first whiff cries Grange. A lifted, fragrant, harmonious blend of fruit, oak (American, of course) and finely pitched tannins. Faultless. It's all relative, but this is starting to relax its grip. And the length is very, very special."
- James Halliday
98 / 100
"The nose of the 2015 Grange features the wine's characteristic lifted aromas, joined by pronounced American oak influence and bold blackberry fruit, plus hints of red meat, raspberries, asphalt and vanilla. It's dense and concentrated on the palate, full-bodied yet balanced and firm, with a rich, velvety texture and long, plush finish. Don't expect great complexity at this stage - it's much too young to show much more than the primary fruit and oak elements - but this is a Grange that should easily go three or four decades."
- Wine Advocate
98 / 100
"Saturated ruby. Deeply pitched, spice-accented aromas of cassis, smoky minerals, incense and dark chocolate. Large-scaled and broad in the mouth, offering intense blackcurrant, cherry-vanilla, mocha and candied violet flavors that are supported by a core of juicy acidity. Shows superb density and vivacity as well, with no rough edges. Finishes extremely long and precise, with building tannins and resonating bitter chocolate, exotic spice and floral notes."
- Vinous
Tasting Notes
The original and most powerful expression of Penfolds multi vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy, Grange is arguably Australia’s most celebrated wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia, and Australia's most collectable wine.
Crafted utilising fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and structured Shiraz grapes, the result is a unique Australian style that is now recognised as one of the most consistent of the world’s great wines. With an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951, Grange clearly demonstrates the synergy between Shiraz and the soils and climates of South Australia.
Grange was recently recognised as a First Growth in Liv-ex’s recreation of the Bordeaux 1855 classification.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity