

98 POINT RATED ANDREW CAILLARD, DAVE BROOKES, BOB CAMPBELL & TYSON STELZER
Vintage: | 2019 |
Source/Region: | Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Clare Valley |
Grape Variety: | Shiraz |
Cellaring: | Drink now or cellar for long term |
Bottle Top: | Foil over cork |
Alcohol Content: | 14.50 |
Standard Drinks: | 8.60 |
Rating: | 98 |
The Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2019 is a remarkable vintage that exemplifies the mastery of South Australia's most celebrated wine. Known for its multi-district blending philosophy, Grange combines fruit from regions such as the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, and Clare Valley, all of which were impacted by variable weather conditions in the 2019 growing season. Despite lower-than-average rainfall in key regions and smaller yields, the vintage delivered excellent quality fruit with firm tannins, intense flavors, and superb color, making it a true standout.
On the nose, the wine reveals a complex and evolving aromatic profile. The formic and glacial higher notes hint at the depth of the wine, while a nutty oak character (hazelnut) recedes to reveal layers of black licorice, anise, and black olive. A shroud of condensed glazed fruits, fresh berries, and stone fruit emerges, followed by subtle notes of boiled beetroot, coffee grind, pan-scrapings, and cold lamb fat. A sprinkle of lavender and exotic spices completes the aromatic complexity, offering an enticing preview of what’s to come.
The palate is fresh, balanced, and full of vigor. Lively blue and black fruits, including blueberry, dominate, showcasing the youthful energy of the wine. The mid-palate is formidable, supported by a dense core and undeniable barrel-ferment characteristics. By contrast, the back-palate is creamy and caressingly smooth, offering a rich and expansive finish that lingers persistently. The chewy, grainy tannins and perfectly integrated acidity add to the wine’s impressive mouthfeel, effortlessly handling its 19 months in 100% new oak.
With 98+ points from Andrew Caillard MW, 98 points from Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion), 98 points from Bob Campbell (The Real Review), and 98 points from Tyson Stelzer, the 2019 Grange is a true collector’s item. Its structure, balance, and remarkable aging potential make it an extraordinary addition to any cellar.
Pair this iconic wine with hearty dishes such as roasted lamb, beef Wellington, or rich venison. Its complexity also makes it a fantastic match for a selection of aged cheeses, such as Comté or Stilton.
98+ Point Rated- Andrew Caillard MW
"Deep crimson. Lifted fresh dark chocolate, mocha dark cherry blackberry, paneforte, mocha aromas with liquorice aniseed notes. Superbly balanced wine with plentiful dark chocolate, blackberry fruits, fine graphite firm tannins, lovely mid plate richness and well-balanced mocha, espresso oak notes. Finishes chocolaty firm and long. Elemental, expressive and expansive with lovely fruit complexity oak integration, density and torque. A brilliant follow up to the 2018 vintage. Drink 2028 – 2060"
98 Point Rated - Dave Brookes Halliday Companion
"97/3% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon; matured in new American oak for 19 months. A quieter release for the 2019 rendition of Penfolds' world-famous icon. A little less of the formic and VA heft of youth in this showing and a bit more approachable as a result. Deep crimson in the glass with familiar characters of deep black berry fruits, plum compote and black cherry underscored with hints of baking spices, Calvados, espresso grounds, black olive tapenade, roasting meats, creamy oak, purple flowers and earth. Weighty and concentrated with classic Grange density of fruit and tannin; persistent, texturally flexing and long of finish. As per usual will cellar like a dream, but I think it will hit its drinking window a bit earlier than usual."
98 Point Rated - Bob Campbell The Real Review
"Deep-tinted, rich, almost chewy red that initially overwhelms the senses with cacao powder, liquorice, charcuterie, blackberry compote, new leather, mixed spices, and toasted hazelnut. Initially slightly closed but after 30 minutes in the glass the wine revealed great complexity and, although still intense, was a delight to taste. Clearly a long-distance runner."
98 Point Rated - Tyson Stelzer
“ All the layers of dark chocolate, liquorice and dark fruit cake that we love of Grange are here in bountiful exuberance, filling a palate with a sense of perfect polish and full completeness from start to long finish. For all of its structural confidence, there is a intricately crafted, fine-grained seamlessness to the tannins that carries a tail of uninterrupted drive and carry. This is a brilliant Grange which makes a tremendous declaration of the power of blending in carefully singling out the very finest sites to produce a wine of incredible poise and purity even in a season as hot and dry as this.”
97 Point Rated - Huon Hooke The Real Review
"Very deep, dense, saturated red-purple colour that stains the glass, with a classic Grange nose of espresso coffee, tar, blackberry, dark chocolate and dried cranberry. Quite complex already with notes of various spices, dried herbs and underbrush. The wine is full-bodied and firm, with abundant tannins but not as formidably dense, thick and tannic as some vintages. Very intense and long. A very solid Grange, if not a great one. (3% cabernet sauvignon. Barossa, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra & Clare)"
96 Point Rated – Campbell Mattinson The Wine Front
"97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. 19 months in 100% new American oak. For reviews of every Penfolds Grange ever made, click here. Grapes for the 2019 release were sourced from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Clare Valley regions. This has its customary fruit, oak, tannin and length but I was struck by the ease of this release, the comfort. It does, I hasten to add, not lack power, or impact. Mocha, saturated plum and blackcurrant characters make sure of that. Indeed there’s some booziness to the fruit, despite its ease, but the wealth and spread of the tannin, in lockstep with excellent fruit/oak flavour, makes this release another sensation to behold."
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