2019 Penfolds, Grange, Bin 95, Australia

97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Clare Valley. Cool spring with some frost followed by a hot and dry summer resulted in lower-than-average yields in all regions. Aged for 19 months in American oak hogsheads 100% new). TA 7 g/l, pH 3.62.

Very dark purple. Heady and concentrated but too young to be very expressive. Massive! So concentrated it’s almost bursting at the seams of its attempt at a corset. There’s a certain framework that’s desperately trying to contain that exuberant fruit. It’s a marvel that they manage to make the selection but this is pretty impressive and exciting.

Drink 2028 - 2050

The 2019 Grange is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's the pinnacle of the Penfolds release although if you ask me, the Chardonnays are my favorite part) and a wine that takes some understanding prior to scoring. The key to Grange is the old wines; it is a style of wine heavily fortified with oak 100% new, AP Johns American oak), tannin, fruit multi-regional) and everything else.

In the mouth it can be an almost impossible constellation of flavor and texture to wrap the mind around. But in time, yes, in time, this wine shows its capacity for grace and majesty. Ten years is too young to open a bottle. 20 years is about right. 30 and beyond, not a problem. It is a cellaring proposition of the highest order, but in youth it can feel impenetrable. So, this wine in front of me now has toasted coconut, dusted licorice, roasted meat, violets, burnt toffee, pastrami, coffee grounds, crushed ants/formic, roasted pecans ... all of these dark and broody and chunky) things.

2019 was a hot year and one marred by low yields due to some inclement weather during flowering. This has meant that, as a whole, the wines have felt big, dark and compressed. This is no exception. It's a product of the year and the state from whence it has come and in the mold and style of Grange, typical. It will be even better. For now, ne touche pas. 14.5% alcohol sealed under natural cork.

Drink 2033 - 2059

A blend of 97% Shiraz with a 3% splash of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Penfolds Grange was sourced with 82% of the fruit from Barossa Valley and the rest from McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, and Clare Valley. It was aged for 19 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads slightly larger than the classic Bordeaux barriques) and is deep garnet-purple in colour.

It needs a swirl or two to bring out fragrant scents of garrigue, tilled soil, black olives, and fallen leaves, over a core of blackberry preserves, baked plums, and boysenberries, with emerging wafts of cast-iron pan and star anise. The full-bodied palate is super-tight knit with a firm, grainy texture and a crisp backbone supporting the muscular black fruit and savory layers, finishing long and minerally with a touch of star anise.

Drink 2033 - 2070

Dark, dank and immaculate. The oak handling and tannic precision boast ample class. Beneath lurks a latent, molten beauty that will unravel eventually. I like this Grange. I feel that the decadent style, molten and fleshy, is well suited to the drought vintage and its thick grape skin tannic scour.

Mercifully, the tannins are pliant and despite it all, plenty juicy. Firework aromas of raspberry liqueur, camphor and gunpowder, with a smear of black olive, licorella and hung meat wafting across the long finish.

Best from 2030

The bold, expansive 2019 Grange 97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon) spent 19 months in larger new American Oak and is powerful and expressive as it delivers a dense core of coca, blackberry and baked terracotta aromas, all well backed by toasted coconut oak. Mouth-filing, expansive and seriously tannic, it then delivers waves of dark berry flavor laced with touches of spice, leading to a rich, muscular finish. It’s built for the long haul, so don’t even think of opening for at least a decade.

Drink 2035 - 2055

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.

Drink now to 2055