1971 Penfolds Shiraz "Grange Hermitage". > Wine Forums - THE Wine Forum

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Subject: 1971 Penfolds Shiraz "Grange Hermitage".

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JonesWineNo1 User is Offline

Sommelier
Posts:8568

05/20/2006 1:25 PM
1971 Penfolds Shiraz "Grange Hermitage". South Australia, Australia. 12.3% alcohol. $900. 9,560 cases produced. Still deeply colored with a bouquet of saddle leather, a hint of pepper, some roasted earth, forest floor, deep red fruits, and plum. Very powerful in the mouth with great acidity. Shockingly well aged – it reminds me quite a lot of a well aged Northern Rhône – Côte Rôtie to be exact. The 71 has always been considered one of the best Granges ever produced. It was the first Grange that made Grange’s deservedly vaunted reputation. 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet raised for 18 months in new American oak hogsheads prior to bottling. Grapes were sourced from the Barossa Valley (including Kalimna Vineyard), Magill in Adelaide, the Clare Valley, and Coonawarra. While everything remains in place for fascinating consumption its time to drink up. 93 points.

Michael Pollard User is Offline

Grape Picker
Posts:10

09/06/2006 12:54 AM
I'm interested to know where you learned that the 1971 "was the first Grange that made Grange’s deservedly vaunted reputation". I know that it won the Gault-Millau Wine Olympiad in 1979 in Paris and Schubert did note that it "filfilled the ambitions of Grange". It has even been used to judge wine as an investment. But there were previous very successful vintages, like the 1962 which won a host of show gold medals; something like 50. The first vintage of Grange was 20 years before the 1971, and the first commercial release was the 1952 vintage. According to the Rewards of Patience the most decorated Grange is the 1955 vintage. Mike

Bob Bressler User is Offline

Napa Valley

Wine Lover
Posts:4854

09/06/2006 3:43 PM
Although you are asking JWN1, my answer would be that for at least the past decade, the '71 has been the oldest great grange that is still drinking well. Although it is nearing the end of its reliable drinking window, when I last had it about a year ago, it was still fantastic. I think there is a natural tendency for people to limit the window of discussion to wines that are still obtainable/drinkable. Was the 1865 Lafite better than the 1959? I have no clue and will never know. My window for Bordeaux only goes back to the 50s. Coupled with that, I believe that American's awareness of Aussie wines has dramatically increased in the past 10 to 15 years (as well as disposable income), so again it is natural to look at wines that have had huge impact during that period. I've had the good fortune to have tried a lot of Grange wines (including the 1962), and my list of wow vintages really starts with the 1971.

Michael Pollard User is Offline

Grape Picker
Posts:10

09/06/2006 4:49 PM
So the statement may need to be revised along the lines of "the 1971 was the first Grange that made Grange’s deservedly vaunted reputation in the USA" Mike

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