1991 ««««« Drink now to 2050.
Deep crimson. Intense complex black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate aromas with roasted walnut and liquorice. A dense and spectacularly balanced wine with black cherry and blackberry fruits, apricot notes, plentiful chocolaty tannins, mid-palate generosity and underlying fresh acidity. Finishes chalky firm with superb apricot, vanilla and mocha notes. Classic Grange with all the elements in perfect balance.
95 percent shiraz, 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. A worthy sparring partner to the more famous 1990.
Attractive balsamic aromas with beautifully controlled energy, mid-palate richness/vitality and silky velvety tannins. (NB)
A study in opulence, ambition and deployed power. Raspberry, boysenberry, heady spices, Dutch liquorice and star anise. Vigorously fresh acidity, supple fruit and feathered finesse to the tannins. (NR)
1992 «««« Drink now to 2040.
Deep crimson. Intense blackberry, cherry and mulberry aromas with dark chocolate, vanilla spice, oak and graphite notes. Concentrated blackberry, dark cherry, dark chocolate and grilled nut flavours with malty vanilla oak notes, fine loose-knit chalky tannins, smoky, leafy, fresh tobacco notes and pronounced acidity. Finishes leafy firm and inky. A sturdy Grange with the power and concentration for further cellaring.
90 percent shiraz, 10 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale.
A powerful wine with multiple layers of dark fruits dipped in Belgian dark chocolate. The tannins and oak are on song. (JH)
Poised and assured, plush fruited and generously spiced. A fullness of fruit, a confident structure and lingering length. (NR)
1993 «««« Drink now to 2028.
Deep crimson. Attractive raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, black forest, panforte and dried rose aromas with mocha vanilla notes. Generous, sweet-fruited and hefty with seductive red cherry, raspberry and dark cherry liqueur fruits, fine al dente leafy textures and underlying mocha, vanilla and marzipan oak complexity. Finishes sweet and long with attractive viscosity and dried rose/herb garden sage notes. Not a grand vintage but still Grange.
86 percent shiraz, 14 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley and Coonawarra. The highest percentage of cabernet sauvignon in the history of Grange.
Unyielding wine with exotic spiciness, dried cherry fruits, smoky nutty notes and very firm chewy tannins. The structure is very dominant. (JR)
Strong and powerful with layers of spice, cedar and soy and strong forceful tannins. There is still a mass of sweet fruit within, but palate is broad and chunky. (FW)
1994 ««««« Drink now to 2040.
Deep crimson. Fresh lifted dark cherry, mulberry, blackberry and shellac aromas with mocha/dark chocolate notes. Expressive wine with fleshy mulberry, blackberry, graphite and espresso flavours, fine dense persistent tannins and integrated vanilla, roasted coffee and mocha oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty firm, long and sweet. A classic Grange vintage combining opulence, tannin richness and integrated acidity for further aging.
89 percent shiraz, 11 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra.
Tightly coiled, balanced and concentrated with bitter dark chocolate, wood varnish aroma and an excellent layered creamy structure with underlying grainy tannins. (NB)
Doesn t waste time in establishing its Grange credentials. The purple and black fruits, tannins and oak are perfectly weighted. (JH)
1995 «««« Drink now to 2035.
Deep crimson. Intense graphite, herb garden, mulberry and blackberry fruits with dark chocolate, mocha and liquorice notes. Ample blackberry, mulberry, redcurrant, sage and tobacco flavours, fine plentiful gritty muscular tannins and mocha/dark chocolate oak notes. Finishes brambly/gravelly firm with attractive sweet fruit. Generously concentrated with a balanced framework of oak and tannin.
94 percent shiraz, 6 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley and Magill Estate (Adelaide).
Vibrant and precise with exotic sappy, bitter cherry, redcurrant spice aromas, lovely richness of flavours, fleshy textures and firm tannins. (JR)
Beautifully pitched red fruits, dry roasted spice, expensive leather and some warm earth. Perfectly integrated and proportioned tannins, acid and oak. (NR)
1996 ««««« Drink now to 2050.
Deep crimson. Fresh smoky coffee, mocha, blackberry and graphite aromas with liquorice herb garden/sage complexity. Generous and supple with dark cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, dark plum fruits and fine plentiful chalky tannins, sweet mocha and vanilla oak, superb mid-palate density and salted liquorice/grilled nut complexity. Finishes grainy firm with persistent sweet apricot, mulberry fruit. One of the great vintages of the 1990s.
94 percent shiraz, 6 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Magill Estate (Adelaide). Maturation of Grange temporarily discontinued at Magill.
Gridlock tannins indicate the wine is caught between adolescence and maturity. Leave it for a while. (JH)
Bright and elegant with balsamic blueberry and blackberry fruits and pretty cedar spice notes. Mature palate with attractive richness, fine firm tannins and savoury complexity. (FW)
1997 ««« Drink now to 2035.
Deep crimson. Meaty, leafy, red cherry, redcurrant, graphite, tobacco aromas with herb garden, aniseed and iodine/seaweed/ soy notes. Ample redcurrant, red cherry and mocha flavours with soy, demi-glace and nutty notes, fine lacy al dente and sinewy tannins and underlying coconut and vanilla oak nuances. Finishes sinewy firm dry with soupy demi-glace and meaty soy notes.
96 percent shiraz, 4 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Limestone Coast.
Decadent yet reserved with attractive balsamic red and black fruits. Very close-knit in structure with a cashmere-like quality but lacks a little fruit succulence. (NB)
Quite advanced with beef stock and pan scrapings, black fruits and dark earth. Slightly baked with walnut notes. (NR)
1998 ««««« Drink now to 2055.
Deep crimson. Intense dark plum, mulberry, blackberry, roasted chestnut, tobacco, chinotto and liquorice notes. Inky deep with mulberry, black cherry, blackberry and chinotto fruits, fine loose-knit chalky textures, attractive mid-palate density and dark chocolate and mocha oak complexity. Finishes chocolaty with a long tannin plume. Superbly balanced with sweet ripe fruit, perfectly attuned oak, integrated tannins and acidity. Supple and seamless in structure. A great Grange vintage.
97 percent shiraz, 3 percent cabernet sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide) and Padthaway.
Splendidly rich and full bodied with blackberry fruits and made to measure tannins. Still youthful and exuberant despite its two decades of aging. (JH)
An apogee of the opulent, decadent, all-this-and- more Grange style. A great example of exuberance without excess. (NR)
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