‘Unquestionably destined for greatness’. Nick Ryan’s verdict on the 2021 Grange
Where does the 2021, a wine from a vintage already established as one of the best in decades, sit in the pantheon of great Grange? Nick Ryan should know: he’s tasted almost every Grange so far.
Tasting wine for critical assessment is a pursuit baffling to those who encounter it and, sometimes, even more so for those who practise it. Trying to be objective about the subjective is like catching a sneeze with chopsticks. The wine writer’s greatest asset, even more than the sensory skills they deploy, is context.
The 2021 Grange released by Penfolds this week is a wine that arrives with anticipation and, thankfully, contextual abundance. For the past year I’ve been part of a team of wine writers working on the latest edition of Rewards of Patience, a book Penfolds produces every five years as a health check on the wines that sit in cellars worldwide. So, with the exception of the curio 1951 and a couple of the late ’50s vintages made in secret defiance of managementdecree, in the past 12 months I’ve tasted every Grange so far. We did most of the highest-rated vintages in London in October, where legends like 1971, 1976, 1982 and 1990 enhanced their status, sleepers like 1991, 1996 and 2006 pushed for elevation into the top tier, and a sublime 1952 reminded us why a tasting like this was happening in the first place.
A month ago in Adelaide, after chief winemaker Peter Gago decided a cherry-picked selection of famed vintages didn’t tell the full story, we tasted the vintages not tasted in London. It was fascinating to see these wines allowed to express themselves without attention being snatched away by more celebrated vintages. The unheralded 1960 shone, 1972 celebrated escaping the shadow of 1971, and the 1959 showed just enough to provide former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell a little solace.
So where does 2021, a wine from a vintage already established as one of the best in decades, sit in this long line? It is unquestionably destined for greatness, and will sit alongside the handful of top-tier Granges. It is the undisputed star of the Penfolds Collection released this week, spanning winemaking across Australia, France, China and the US. Whoever gets my seat at the Rewards of Patience tasting 50 years from now will surely say the same.
BIN 144 ‘YATTARNA’ CHARDONNAY 2023
$220
Refinement, precision, quiet energy. It contains multitudes. White peach, grapefruit, fine white florals, roasted chestnuts and the sea spray from waves hitting chalky cliffs. The faintest spicing from deftly handled French oak. Sustained, unwavering and pure, with a high-tensile, crystalline finish. A seriously world-class chardonnay.
97 points
BIN 128 COONAWARRA SHIRAZ 2023
$75
Some bemoan price rises on these wines, but each year a classic ‘Bin’ wine stands out as the value choice. The 2023 vintage dictates that this year’s comes from Coonawarra. Focused, silky and svelte. Pepper (white and pink), ripe plums, dark chocolate. Soot and smoke; ironstone too. A firm, forged finish.
95 points
BIN 95 ‘GRANGE’ 2021
$1000
No triumphalism or bombast here. Its greatness is evident, with composure and assuredness every step of the way. A staggeringly complex array of aromas: boysenberry, blueberry, mulberry, Dutch licorice, roasted quince, coriander seed; scorched beef fat, ristretto and panforte. Sculpted muscle, vertiginous depth, tannins tightened to travel across decades. A truly great Grange.
99 points
NICK’S TASTING NOTES: PENFOLDS COLLECTION 2025
BIN 51 RIESLING 2025
$45
Jasmine and lime blossom, some pithy edges. A little ginger and galangal spice.
Freshness and drive. Lovely acidity.
94 points
BIN 311 CHARDONNAY 2024
$55
A tropical first impression, like a posh Piña Colada. Dried mango, coconut cream, grilled pineapple, almonds. Slightly waxy, buffed back end.
92 points
RESERVE BIN A CHARDONNAY 2024
$125
The charismatic celebration of Adelaide Hills chardonnay in fine form. Flint and toasted oats, grapefruit pith and melon rind. Preserved lime and fresh popcorn. Precise and energetic palate, a lovely, assured flow, etched with fine, crystalline
acidity.
96 points
BIN 23 PINOT NOIR 2024
$55
Polished and fragrant, ripe raspberry, some red licorice, rose petal. Gently stemmy, some lovely open weave grit. Spice and sinew.
93 points
BIN 21 GRENACHE 2024
$60
A grenache of dark depth and effusive fragrance. Shamelessly seductive. Ripe raspberries from the market stall AND the candy store, pomegranate and quince. Stemmy, sappy grip, crushed rock tannins.
95 points
BIN 138 GSM 2023
$60
Some Rhone-like pepper, some Barossa chocolate, a bit of smoked meat and the
fragrant fabrics of the gamekeeper’s washing basket too. Coffee grounds and quince paste. Sculpted flesh, gently raspy tannins.
94 points
BIN 28 SHIRAZ 2023
$50
Dark and ripe red fruits, boysenberry, dark plum, bitter chocolate and turned dirt.
Some black olive. Broody and layered with dark earth and cocoa. Nicely tightened, more restraint and focus than some recent 28’s.
94 points
BIN 150 MARANANGA SHIRAZ 2023
$100
An emerging star of the collection, continuing the strong run of recent vintages. Snuffed candle and grilled meat, black olive and espresso. Leans into the geology, ironstone, slate, the bloodied lip split by an iron bar. Firm, tight, a little unyielding at this stage but plenty of fuel in the tank for the long journey ahead.
96 points
BIN 407 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2023
$130
Smells like Grandpa’s garden. Violets and lavender, geranium and Geraldton wax. Floral and fragrant. Blackcurrant and some cedar, a faint brackish edge. A cooling mentholated
character. Tight tannins, long lines.
94 points
BIN 389 CABERNET SHIRAZ 2023
$120
Dark and a little broody. Firm and muscular. Dark cherry and blackcurrant, a little ripe plum. Dark chocolate, some paneforte and espresso. Slightly blocky at this stage. Still coming together, but should hit its stride in a few years.
93 points
ST HENRI SHIRAZ 2022
$135
Blue and polished, cool and refined. Blueberry and plum, dark spices, some pan scrapings and cordite. Beautifully coiled. Tightly knit, fine weave tannins. A First Rank St Henri
96 points
MAGILL ESTATE SHIRAZ 2023
$180
The only Penfolds ‘monopole’, revelling in its idiosyncrasies. Brambly fruit, some Dutch licorice and crushed rock, a little wintergreen. Sinewy and supple. Fine crumbly tannins.
95 points
BIN 798 ‘RWT’ SHIRAZ 2023
Choc-coated raspberries, crumbly black dirt, Dutch licorice and juicy plum.
Muscular, firm. A noticeable, but appropriate oak impact.
Firm, ironstone seam. Shaley tannins.
96 points
BIN 707 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2023
$800
An atypical 707, no Coonawarra in 2023, and perhaps just lacking a little poise and
presence as a result. Dark berries, plenty of cedar and spice. Fleshy, waxy, not quite as finely etched as others might be.
93 points
France
FWT 585 CABERNET, PETIT VERDOT, MERLOT 2022
$100
Soft, sweet fleshiness. A slight pudginess. Leafy fruit, some dry red berries. Fine cocoa, a gentle dustiness. A very different beast.
93 points
FWT 543 CABERNET SAUVIGNON SYRAH 2022
Finely sculpted and chiselled, a really successful statement of what Penfolds can do
as a French winemaker. Fine framed cabernet entwined with savoury, sinewy syrah. Dry red fruits, some faint leafiness, a minerally edge.
96 points
China
CWT BIN 521 2023
$150
Dark berries, the smoke from a distant fire, some mulberry leaf and sweet lap
cheong, some milled grain. Slightly different momentum, as if its wheels turn to blocks. A work in progress, but plenty of promise.
92 points
USA
BIN 600 CABERNET SHIRAZ 2022
$90
Plump berries, soft licorice, a squishy summer pudding. Slightly plump through the middle, pulling tight through a firm, grippy finish.
92 points
BIN 704 CABERNET 2022
$125
Large scale cabernet. Mulberry and cassis, some ripe fig and cherry chocolate. The curvy and fleshy end of the cabernet spectrum. Coffee grounds and cordite. Tight, fine grained tannins.
94 points
BIN 149 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022
$275
Plush, polished, balanced. An evident oak impact, but entirely appropriate. The fruit just slurps it up. Mulberry and blackcurrant, a strong sense of cedar. A cabernet of abundance and generosity, but not excess. Proof of Californian concept right here
96 points
QUANTUM CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021
$950
Some violet and leaf, cassis and cedar. A soft waxiness. Dark chocolate, plum, blackberry. Layered, finely etched. Proustian length, Joycean complexity.
97 points
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