Vintages in Store: 2011 & 2013. 2013 Notes: Opaque black core, dark red rim. An aromatic eruption of soy, hoisin, balsamic reduction coiled around a core of kirsch and fresh raspberry. The propulsion is crammed with tell-tale barrel ferment, V.A. and formic Grange markers – all in balance, all respectful of fruit and oak. And yet, so 'classy' – a brightness, a sheen, a gloss, a raciness -- belying both age and upbringing. Blend: 96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon Professional Ratings: 100 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Remember that old Heinz Ketchup “anticipation” ad from the 1970s? The palate of this 2013 Grange does just that. It makes you wait with so much delicious promise being drip fed into the mouth at first—and then it bursts forth and delivers! This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black colored, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavors, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavors emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes. 2011 Notes: Deep and dense dark red color. Instantly Grange – aromatically heralded from glass to nose via trademark formic and barrel ferment markers. Majestic. Arguably a less-regal unfolding of sarsaparilla, creamy soda/cola-root beer nuances (how can this be?!), synergised with black (not red) liquorice and soy. A 17-month sojourn in 100% new oak is certainly well-hidden – more than a disguise, complete concealment. Archetypal North Barossa fruits extolling every varietal Shiraz variant! Revealingly, what initially appears to be reticent repressed fruits…soon overtly ascend – blackberry blackcurrant, fig, rhubarb, quince. A follow-up emission of black olive, shaved truffle, vanillin, boot polish, cola, ristretto coffee…with oak all but soaked up. Proper, pronounced and peripheral grippy tannins input texturally, endorsing what is already a formidable structure, with impressive length, depth, and weight. Professional Ratings: 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 2011 was of course a difficult, uncharacteristically rainy vintage in South Australia and particularly Barossa, but thanks to Penfolds’ privileged position with access to some of the region’s best fruit, they have nonetheless been able to blend an impressive Grange. Still sourced mainly from Barossa Valley, there’s a good dollop of McLaren Vale fruit (21%) – a region less affected by the rains in 2011 - contributing to this vintage. Interestingly, it is the 6th vintage ever to consist of 100% Shiraz, mainly because the Cabernet Sauvignon didn't make the grade this year. (Note that no Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 2011.) Deep purple colored, in typical fashion the nose of the 2011 Grange is still closed at this youthful stage with broody tar and pepper laced notes over a core of blackberries, black plums, licorice and loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and muscular with pepper and baking spice flavors supported by firm, grainy tannins. The finish has great length, contributing a refreshing lift.