2006 Grange
Vintage reviews
An iron fist in a velvet glove. All is not as it seems!
Alluringly, a plush satin/cashmere mouth feel compounds the initial confusion – accessible, yet poised to evolve and grow complex over many decades.
Peter Gago, Penfolds chief winemaker
98+/100
Made from fruit coming predominantly from the Barossa Valley this year (97%) and containing 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2006 Grange has been added to my list of favorite recent vintages.
Deep garnet-purple colored, it's still a little youthfully mute, offering notes of warm cherries, black currants, anise, coffee and toast with underlying hints of soy, yeast extract, black olives and Indian spices.
Tight-knit and solidly structured on the medium to full bodied palate, the concentrated fruit is densely coiled around the firm grainy tannins and very crisp acidity at this stage, but promises something very special in the years to come.
It finishes very long, complex and layered with the cedar poking though the fruit purity. Patience is required for this vintage; it should begin opening out around 2016 and drink to 2030+.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, www.erobertparker.com, February 2012
98/100
Harvey Steiman, www.winespectator.com
93/100
James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com, November 2011