What’s the latest Grange like? Penfolds unveils new vintages
IS the latest-release Grange any good? Today’s the day the curtain is raised and the points roll in for the latest Penfolds wines. See what our expert, Tony Love, thinks.
TODAY is the day right around the world when wine collectors, retailers, obsessives and industry watchers open up their laptops, mobile phones and newspapers to discover what the experts have said about the latest Penfolds wines.
After months of embargoed international tastings for media and trade, the curtain is raised and the points roll in for the reds and whites that are the leading ambassadors for South Australia’s global wine reputation.
The headlines will focus on Penfolds 2014 Grange, the most famous Australian red wine.
Will it score those elusive 100-point ratings everyone looks for? That’s become the perennial question.
Other critics will look for the next best thing — a Penfolds red that won’t set everyday drinkers back a weekly pay packet. A Bin 389, perhaps, known universally as the “baby Grange”.
And today, there’ll also be another round of chatter about the price, not just of the latest Grange release but many others in the portfolio.
The 2014 Penfolds Grange now costs $900 a bottle, up $50 from last year’s retail setting. Others in the release collection have risen just $5, while the biggest price hike is $100 extra for a bottle of the new Penfolds 2016 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, up to $600.
It’s a moot point, says chief Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago.
“You can’t deny that there will be price rises,” Mr Gago says.
“It’s the way of the world with how these wines benchmark globally and with the supply and demand.
“The prices reflect the globalisation of the wine market at that end of the market.”
International demand for Penfolds products continues unabated, Mr Gago says, and the company simply can’t supply enough of its top-end wines like Grange, and Bins 707, 407 and 389.
In many cases, the wines are snapped up by buyers and collectors before they even hit the shelves of retailers, both here and overseas.
But back to the wines themselves and how they rate.
The collection is as strong as ever and — even taking into account the classic Penfolds full and robust manner of wines, designed to mature over many years — there’s a greater level of diversity in regional and singular styling, more medium bodied design and further recognition that the whites in the collection are demanding equal footing with their more famous reds.
Six of the latest release Penfolds wines — starting from just $50 — are included in The Great SA Drinks Guide.
Take a look at the guide for our reviews before the wines go on sale from October 18.
TONY LOVE ON THE 2014 GRANGE
Penfolds 2014 Grange
$900
98 points
Undeniably Grange in its approach from start to finish, a powerful band of 98 per cent shiraz and 2 per cent cabernet from six SA regions that has spent 20 months in 100 per cent new American oak hogshead barrels. It’s all rich, black fruit flesh seasoned with savoury dark spices and notes of cut down olive bushes and sage in the flavour zone. It’s solid gold Grange in body as well as soul, yet chamfered and measured, even subtly minerally but with no hard edges. It’s a waiting game now like always — drink now in an hour of power or for a special celebration in 10-25 years.
Which Penfolds wines made the Great SA Drinks Guide? Click here to find out.
HOW TO USE THE GUIDE
The intuitive guide can be used in a number of ways. You can simply browse through the full collection, which is presented randomly each time your return to the guide. It works on whatever device you choose — mobile, tablet or desktop.
You can choose just wine, or just beer and ciders, or just spirits. You can choose to see all drinks just from a region, or drill right down to, say, the best grenache from McLaren Vale. You can also set a price bracket.
You can also add the drinks you want to come back to at another time to your favourites list. This list can also be filtered how ever you choose — so for example if you had 50 drinks in your favourites list, you can easily filter it to show just your favourite wines from the Barossa.
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