Grange Hermitage 1971 Penfolds

Latest Pro-tasting notes

42 tasting notes

95p by Pekka Nuikki / Editor of the Fine Wine Magazines and Champagne Magazine
99p by Huon Hooke / BWW2024 Finalist
98p by Ken Bratt / Wine Dealer
100p by Achim Becker / Wineterminator.com
96p by Zhao Dao Lee / Wine Importer
19p by Jancis Robinson MW / BWW2024/Best Wine Critic of the World
18.5p by Julia Harding MW / BWW2024 Finalist
100p by Achim Becker / Wineterminator.com

Tasting note

color

Deep, Purple and Dark

ending

Long, Flavorful, Round and Sharp

flavors

Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Toasty, Blackberry, Mint and Coffee

nose

Intense, Generous, Ripe and Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Warming, Medium tannin, Concentrated, Perfectly balanced, Well-structured, Youthful, Full-bodied, Focused, Refined, Powerful, Dry and Silky tannins

Verdict

Masterpiece and Outstanding

Written Notes

This vintage of Grange Bin 95 Shiraz has been highly rated for almost 30 years now after beating the best Rhône wines at the Gault-Millau Wine Olympiad in Paris in 1979. The inventor of Grange and a legendary winemaker, Max Schubert, has said that this is the Grange of his lifetime, a wine, which fulfils the ambitions of Grange. The blend is 87 percent Shiraz and 13 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.

The colour is moderately deep with brick red tones. Very intense nose with ripe dark fruit aromas and vanilla flavours mixed attractively with smoke, bacon and cedar aromas. Full-bodied and intense with refreshing acidity, rich set of ripe meaty tannins and fleshy ripe fruitiness of dark fruits. Mid-palate shows elegance of oak with chocolaty and mocha flavours. Long intense finish. Truly breathtaking wine drinking well now but keeping for a few more years.

- Pekka Nuikki / Editor of the Fine Wine Magazines and Champagne Magazine

The following wine was even greater, but a noticeable left turn to the Delphine. It showed incredibly Rhone-ish-ly this night despite the fact that it was a 1971 Penfolds Grange and got very chocolaty in the glass

- John Kapon / CEO / Ackerr Merrall & Condit

Penfolds Grange 1971 / A superb bottle in every way, living up to its fame 100%. Deep colour, fascinatingly complex bouquet of smoked meats, leather, traces of raisins and squashed ants and all sorts of things. Incredible depth of flavour, concentration and power. Endless length. A very great wine indeed, drinking at its peak. Bottles as good as this will have at least 10 years of life left. This bottle is way better than the last bottle I tasted -- at the 2007 Rewards of Patience. 99 points

- Huon Hooke / BWW2024 Finalist

Atemberaubend, was dann ins Glas kam, Shiraz aus Australien und Syrah von der Rhone, beide vom Allerfeinsten, im Vergleich miteinander. Ich glücklicher durfte den legendären 1971 Penfolds Grange schon häufiger trinken. Vor 22 Jahren auf der Grange Vertikale der Ungers war das noch ein unglaublich dichtes, tanniniges Monster. In den Jahren danach öffnete er sich immer weiter, blieb aber sehr jung. 2013 und in allen Flaschen danach konnte ich ihm dann die WT100 für Perfektion geben. Jetzt hier in dieser Probe war das wieder ein gigantischer, inzwischen perfekt gereifter Grange, immer noch mit gewaltigem Rückgrat, aber inzwischen so fein und elegant mit verführerischer Cassis Frucht, mit reichlich Minze und Eukalyptus, Obstkuchen und dunkler Schokolade. Dazu kam trotz großartiger Struktur eine generöse Süße. Mit dieser irren Finesse war das ein großer Shiraz, der dabei war, sich in einen Burgunder zu verwandeln – WT100.

- Achim Becker / Wineterminator.com

100p

Deep, almost opaque, purple colour. Very intense ripe dark fruity nose with blackcurrants and blueberries, butterscotch and spicy cedary notes. A full-bodied, refined and complex wine with velvety texture. Loads of jammed dark fruit, very refined tannins and a great broad taste with vanilla and coffee tones. A touch of mintiness in long finish.

- Zhao Dao Lee / Wine Importer

87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), Clare Valley, Coonawarra blend.
Brownish rim. Really great mature Australian red. Pure Len Evans on the nose, I wrote, in that this reminded me so clearly of the Australian greats that Australia’s Mr Wine had shared with me. Sweet and luscious and so gorgeous – now we’re kicking in to Grange at its peak! Unspittable. Long, lovely round tannins. Full throttle. Peter Gago said this bottle wasn’t as bright as it should be, but it stood out to me. And look at that alcohol level!

- Jancis Robinson MW / BWW2024/Best Wine Critic of the World

Important wine on secondary market. Much lower alcohol than current releases. 87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet. From Kalimna, Barossa, Magill, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. Max Schubert did not like adding acid, so often had some components picked very early.
Deep brownish garnet. Lifted, sweet and leathery and nutty. Marked VA (2.1 g/l) and lifted fruit. Then coffee and chocolate. Firm dense tannins and powerful and mouthfilling. Heaps of tannin would have been added during fermentation. Moreish, dry and mouthcoating but without astringency.

- Julia Harding MW / BWW2024 Finalist

Medium deep brick red. A classic Penfolds year with an unusually low alcohol of around 12.3%*. An immensely complex and mature wine with lifted smoked meat/ dark chocolate/ mocha/ liquorice aromas. A silky smooth wine with rich dark chocolate/ espresso coffee/ tobacco/ cedar flavours, underlying vanillin nuances and fine lacy satin tannins. Finishes sinuous, long and bitter sweet. 87% Shiraz 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide) Clare Valley, Coonawarra Blend. “If you had to point to a wine which fulfilled the ambitions of Grange it would have to be the 1971.” – Max Schubert, 1993. Topped the Gault-Millau Wine Olympiad in Paris in 1979 – beating some of the best Rhone wines and creating a sensation. A great South Australian vintage; ideal, generally warm conditions throughout the growing season and vintage. * alcohol originally stated 11.5% but records and analysis reveal 12.3% “A Grange that doesn’t seem to tolerate poor storage or travel.”- Peter Gago

- Andrew Caillard MW / BWW2024 Finalist

Good looking normal size bottle, is in a perfect condition and has by the neck level. Colour is ruby red, and looking bright, dark and deep. On the nose it is intense, youthful, refined, fresh and generous. The taste is rich, focused, vigor, refined, with silky tannins, full-bodied, with perfectly balanced, concentrated and complex structure. The finish is long, round, flavorful, pure and spicy. This wine is intelligent, transparent and impressive. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 10-15 years and decant at least 2h before tasting.

- Rytis Jurkenas / Champagne Expert (Tasting note created by Tb's AI)

Bottle with normal size. Looking light, brick red and dark. Open, intense, complex, refined, ripe, generous, rich and charming on the nose. The taste is toasty, harmonious, focused, refined, powerful, high in acidity, well-integrated, perfectly balanced, concentrated, well-structured, complex, youthful, medium tannin, silky tannins and full-bodied. With chocolate, coffee, spice, toasty, blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry and mint flavor. Endless, round, spicy and flavorful. Outstanding, masterpiece and well-rounded. Drink between 2020 and 2030.

- Juha Lihtonen / The Best Scandinavian Sommelier 2003 (Tasting note created by Tb's AI)

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