1976 ««««« Drink now to 2040+.
Deep crimson. Fresh dark chocolate, liquorice, leather, spice, apricot, orange peel and nutmeg aromas with black olive and kirsch-like notes. Generous dark chocolate, panforte, liquorice, sweet leather, roasted walnut and herb garden notes with fine chalky-firm and sinuous tannins, chocolaty mocha spice nuances and fresh mineral persistent acidity. Finishes chocolaty dry with savoury grilled nut notes. A classic Grange vintage.
89 percent shiraz, 11 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide). The 25th anniversary of Grange. The first Australian wine to cross the $20 barrier at release. Robert Parker scores it 100 points. Surviving bottles have levels at base, into the neck or have passed successfully through Penfolds Re-corking Clinics.
High toned and luscious with dried cherry, raspberry liqueur, coffee tobacco varnishy aromas, sweet juicy Chambord-like flavours and velvety round tannins. (JR)
Fully developed with plenty of sandalwood and spice, slightly gamey, leathery flavours. Quite a heft of tannins but still shows richness and layered complexity. (FW)
1977 «« Drink up (now to past).
Now looking overdeveloped. The fruit richness is fading, revealing drying tannins and marked acidity.
91 percent shiraz, 9 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide) and Clare Valley.
1978 ««««« Drink now to 2035.
Deep crimson. Roasted chestnut, apricot, sesame, dark chocolate and tawny ground coffee aromas with leather spice notes. Richly complex wine with ample roasted
chestnut, espresso liquorice, dark fruits, fine plentiful chocolaty tannins, malty vanilla/mocha oak complexity and long mineral acidity. Finishes chalky firm and inky long with espresso/soy demi-glace notes. Lovely mature Grange.
90 percent shiraz, 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. The first vintage-dated Grange Hermitage corks are introduced.
Gently floral spicy aromas and an equally lovely structure. Supple and finely grained with the woven texture of a Holbein sleeve. (NB)
An attractive bouquet full of fruits followed by a long and invigorating palate with fresh elegant tannins. (JH)
1979 ««« Drink now to 2025.
Not a classic Grange, but still showing fresh dark chocolate cedar, dark fruits and fine-grained lacy tannins. Should last for a while longer.
87 percent shiraz, 13 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide) and McLaren Vale. Magnums first released. Last vintage using bottles with off-white foil capsules.
1980 ««« Drink now.
Richly concentrated with dark chocolate, panforte and mint notes, fine persistent powdery tannins. Still has density and richness yet is assuredly starting to enter its twilight years.
96 percent shiraz, 4 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), McLaren Vale and Coonawarra.
1981 ««« Drink now to 2025.
A sturdy Grange with plentiful dark chocolate, dark berry, dried fruits, graphite characters and dense powerful firm tannins. Will continue to hold.
89 percent shiraz, 11 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide), Clare Valley and Coonawarra.
1982 ««««« Drink now to 2030.
Medium-deep crimson. Fresh red cherry, blackberry herb garden aromas with roasted walnut, panforte and chinotto notes. Generous deep-set red cherry, blackberry redcurrant fruits, fine roasted chestnut and vanilla notes and fine chalky tannins. Finishes minerally and long with attractive tannin plume. Still looking fresh with unusual cherry, raspberry and kirsch notes. An atypical Grange but showing very well.
94 percent shiraz, 6 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide) and Clare Valley.
Luscious black fruits with a background of persuasive tannins. Very much moving into a newer Grange era. (JH).
A chunkier atypical Grange with shaded fruit characters, mocha and caramel. Very much a wine of its time. (NR)
1983 ««««« Drink now to 2040.
Medium-deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate, blackberry shellac, hazelnut and herb garden aromas with cola, dust and graphite notes. Inky textured but substantial with developed dark chocolate, blackberry, hazelnut and
crème brûlée flavours and red liquorice notes. Plentiful fine lacy textures, attractive inky complexity and extra-fine acidity. Finishes chalky with apricot and graphite notes.
94 percent shiraz, 6 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide).
Powerful and expressive with smoky dried cherry, blueberry, espresso aromas, superb richness, spicy sweet oak notes and fine persistent tannins. (JR)
Lovely lifted spice nose and a graceful elegant palate with many layers of spice cake, mulberry, coffee and cocoa. (FW)
1984 ««« Drink soon.
Not a classic Grange but still showing dark berry, roasted walnut and mocha aromas, attractive richness and firm persistent tannins.
95 percent shiraz, 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra.
1985 ««« Drink now.
The tannins are now dominating the palate although there is some fruit richness and mocha oak complexity.
99 percent shiraz, 1 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide).
1986 ««««« Drink now to 2045.
Deep crimson. Evolved blackberry and dark chocolate aromas with mocha, roasted chestnut, liquorice notes and herb garden nuances. Richly concentrated, dense and powerful with pronounced dark
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