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  • Country ranking ?

    50
  • Producer ranking ?

    25
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    Now-2025
  • Food Pairing

    Duck Confit with a Merlot Sauce

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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Parker 100 points: Consistently one of the most awesome wines ever made at Grange, this blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon (13.9% alcohol) was the first Australian wine to cost $20 upon release. I have had this wine six separate times, every time rating it between 96 and 100. It had a phenomenal showing at Penfolds' Magill estate. The color is an opaque purple, the wine massive, full-bodied, and to me, the quintessential Grange. Notes of blackberry liqueur intermixed with cassis, charcoal, new saddle leather, and underbrush resonate from the glass. Huge, thick, unctuously textured, with extraordinary concentration but perfect harmony among all of its elements, this is a prodigious Grange that is still not fully mature. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020. A legend for sure!

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The Story

Grange is arguably Australia’s most celebrated wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. Grange boasts an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951 and clearly demonstrates the synergy between Shiraz and the soils and climates of South Australia. Grange utilises fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and textured 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. The Grange style is the original and most powerful expression of Penfolds multi-vineyard, multi-district, blending philosophy.

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Wine Information

The Rewards of Patience tastings in September 1999 confirmed that the sheer intensity, power and overall balance of 1976 Grange meant it deserved its place as one of the great vintages of the 1970s.

‘Spectacular; enormous density of fruit with plenty of chocolate and dried fruits; almost port-like. Tannins are velvety and thick;
so youthful, so monumental, so massively concentrated; amazing!’(Andrea Immer, Rewards of Patience, 4th edition, 2000).

The 1976 Penfolds Grange is a blend of 89 per cent Shiraz and 11 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon.

Grange Vineyard Region Kalimna (Barossa Valley), Magill
(Adelaide), Barossa Valley and Modbury
(Adelaide Plains) in South Australia.

Vintage Conditions Very good with ideal conditions throughout. The warm vintage resulted in big, rich, concentrated wines.

Grape variety Shiraz (Syrah), Cabernet Sauvignon

Maturation Eighteen months in new
American oak hogsheads.

Wine Analysis A lc/Vol: 13.90%
Acidity: 5.10g/L
pH: 3.73


Winemaker comments by
Don Ditter

Colour Youthful purple/red.
Nose Intense and concentrated liquorice/chocolate/berry/truffle aromas with touches of earthiness.

Palate Powerful with rich plum/chocolate/berry/
liquorice fruit flavours, thick velvety tannin
structure and excellent length.
Should be a
very long-lived wine.

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Tasting note

color

Deep and Ruby red

ending

Long and Spicy

flavors

Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Licorice, Mint, Vanilla and Tar

nose

Ripe, Generous, Closed and Intense

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, High tannin, Concentrated, Well-structured, Developing, Medium-bodied, Harmonious, Rich, Vigor, Dry and Drying tannins

Written Notes

It is safe to say the 1976 Grange comes from one of the top three vintages of the 70s. It has taken the test of time very well as is expected from such faultlessly ideal ripening conditions. The vintage was warm and the Grange still shows high extraction and a big structure. The 1976 is 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in new American hogsheads for 18 months. Fine looking bottle with top-shoulder level. Decanted 1.5 hours. Dark, bright, deep red colour. Fragrant nose with hints of over ripeness, rich blackcurrant, minty and vanilla. The palate has a excellent concentration of cherry and black fruits with bags of gentle oak giving a fat, spicy underpinning. The mouthfeel was creamy and it has fine balance. Super intense and long, rich ending. Wonderful to drink now.
  • 98p

Youthful purple/red.Intense and concentrated liquorice/chocolate/ berry/truffle aromas with touches of earthiness.Powerful with rich plum/chocolate/berry/ liquorice fruit flavours, thick velvety tannin structure and excellent length. Should be a very long-lived wine.

Don Ditter /Youthful purple/red. Intense and concentrated liquorice/chocolate/ berry/truffle aromas with touches of earthiness. Powerful with rich plum/chocolate/berry/ liquorice fruit flavours, thick velvety tannin structure and excellent length. Should be a very long-lived wine.

Deep brick red. Intense dark chocolate/ mocha/ liquorice aromas with some roasted/ earthy/ meaty notes. The palate is concentrated and sweet fruited with deep set dark chocolate/ mocha/ prune/ liquorice flavours and fine sinewy firm tannins. Regarded as a great Grange vintage, but bottles are increasingly variable. The best bottles have levels at base or into the neck or have passed successfully through Penfolds Wine Clinics. 89% Shiraz 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide). The 25th Anniversary of Grange. Max Schubert considered it “More in the old style: a good vintage”. The first Australian wine to cross the $20 barrier. An ideal warm dry growing season.
  • 93p
Penfolds Grange 1976 - 100 points. Deep ruby and a 2mm of garnet rim. Tobacco, pepper, syrah as from the very best of Rhone, a complexity you only dream about, it's so intence and huge in complexity, you just can't take it apart and describe it, it's too much, the brain shut's down, and just enjoy, immensely! Acidity is increadible, fresh and lively, exceptional balance, great tannin structure, like falling crisp snow, one of the most complex wines I have had, increadible long finish, my best syrah/shiraz, only startting to show signs of maturation, aftertaste for minutes and minutes, keep at least another 20 years if you're lucky.
  • 100p
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Information

Origin

Magill, South Australia

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Best buy

Investment potential

Very Good

Glass time

1h

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Inside Information

The first Australian wine to be released over $20.

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