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Grange Hermitage 2008

Penfolds , South Australia, Australia

Penfolds
South Australia Australia
  • 98
    Points
  • The 482 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 24 Pros of
    24 recommend
    this wine
886 98
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    25

  • Producer ranking ?

    10

  • Decanting time

    5h

  • When to drink

    now to 2040

  • Food Pairing

    Plum pudding pork rack

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/ Very deep garnet-purple in color the 2008 Grange reveals a truly decadent nose with tons of spices, fruit cake and black & blue fruit compote notes along with nuances of chocolate and potpourri. The full and rich, multi-layered palate has a little oak still showing, it is going through a little bit of a structural stand-out stage, but it doesn't detract on the long and complex finish. It still needs a good few years to devel...

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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 cons...

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Wine Information

VINTAGE CONDITIONS Declared a vintage of two distinct halves, with well-balanced fruit at optimum baume levels achievable with an early harvest. A seamless growing season with steady, early season growth and healthy canopy development. Cool and dry conditions during the start of summer meant that vines were poised for a textbook harvest and conditions were conducive to excellent flavour, colour and phenolic development. New Year temperatures w...

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Average Bottle Price

2015
452€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Purple and Bright

ending

Long, Vibrant and Flavorful

flavors

Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Chocolate, Toasty, Floral and Perfumed

nose

Intense, Complex, Generous and Rich

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Warming, High tannin, Concentrated, Balanced, Good texture, Youthful, Full-bodied, Firm, Elegant, Vivid, Dry and Silky tannins

Verdict

Impressive and Full-bodied

Written Notes

Australia's most famous wine. Sourced from the Barossa, Clare Valley and Magill Estate. It is 98% Shiraz and 2% Cabernet. 19 months in new American hogsheads. 89% of the Shiraz came from the Barossa; 9% from the Clare and 2% from Magill. This will surely take its place as one of the very best Granges and completely supports Peter Gago's view that this vintage has received some unfair criticism – it all comes back to whether the fruit was harvested prior to the horrendous heatwave that commenced on 8th March. Near opaque, with a dark purple rim. Seriously concentrated, yet it is impeccably balanced. The nose gives the impression of a taut, tight, tense wine but it explodes on the palate. Licorice, dark chocolate, black fruits, plum pudding notes. Kid leather. A joy. This is a rich wine, seamless and supple. There are powerfully structured tannins and it is a very long wine. This has decades ahead. A fabulous Grange.
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  • 97p

Penfolds Grange 2008 / (made from 98% shiraz and 2% cabernet sauvignon, from fruit grown in vineyards in the Barossa Valley, the Magill Estate Vineyard and the Clare Valley; raised in 100% new American oak): Inky purple. Intensely perfumed, expressive aromas of dark berry preserves, bitter chocolate, fruitcake and smoked meat, with a spicy topnote. Sweet, palate-staining blackberry, vanilla and dark chocolate flavors are sharpened and lifted by juicy acidity and show superb delineation and back-end power. Supple tannins come on late and give grip to a sweet, impressively persistent finish with grace notes of floral pastille and allspice. While this wine will no doubt age with ease, I find it almost shockingly approachable now.

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  • 96p

98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Magill Estate. TA 6.6 g/l, pH 3.53. 19 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads. Acidity 7 g/l, pH 3.48. Hot summer, cool harvest.
Dark crimson with quite a mature rim. Camphor and complexity on the nose. Real depth. Hint of white pepper. Lots of broad balsam jam. Really intense and introvert. Hugely layered and complex. Tastes just how I imagine beetle stew would – surprisingly impressive. Pretty glorious. Absolutely typical Grange?

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  • 96p
Impenetrable dark core.Somewhat intimidating? Yes. Brazen? Never. An immediate and powerful lift of cola/soy/hoisin/red licorice, propelled by tea-smoke and ferric influences. Less obvious nut-husk/tan-bark notes align with lush aromas of ripe (jamon-wrapped) figs and a panaforte plushness. With air, blueberry fruits and mocha arise, the oak (100% new!) remaining concealed—too much aromatic background chatter to register! A muscular push/wave/affront across the entire palate—from start to finish. Never oppressive nor ungainly,yet captivatingly forceful. i.e. a vinous lava flow of dark licorice and malt—‘molten’, with a self-saucing chocolate pudding richness and blackberry, elderberry fruits. Pronounced tannins are unleashed, and the Clare component makes its (9%) presence felt, adding to both flavour pool and extract. Power and density naturally respectful of balance and structure.
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Deep ruby. Rich, layered, intense and sweet nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, refreshing even if ripe, long finish. 94
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  • 94p
A vivid and concentrated wine with high concentration of vibrant fruit. Lovely dark cacao flavours. Approachable and promising!
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  • 92p
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Information

Origin

Magill, South Australia

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h

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Reserve Bin A

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Special BIN 111A Shiraz

St Henri Shiraz

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Thienot x Penfolds Blanc de Noirs Lot 3-175

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Inside Information

Released on May the 2nd 2013. Penfolds launched with a controversial RRP at $785, citing high demand in Asia as a reason why they dramatically increased the price just prior to release. Within the year it has been trading at auction between $500 to $650.

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