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Tasting notes
The first vintage to contain any Coonawarra fruit. Bottle 1 : Bright crimson. Shaded rim. A little fragile on the nose. But very recognisably Grange, just a tad dry on the end. Though the flavour goes on and on. Bottle 2 : Rejected by Peter Gago. Bottle 3 : Very deep crimson. Richer than bottle 1 on the nose. Medicinal but actually pretty glorious! Together and rich. No sign of volatile acidity. Tight but fleshy, too. Quite a triumph! Long and rich. Much better than the first bottle. Great vigour. (JR)
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Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Two bottles of the 1971 Bin 95 Grange Hermitage were tasted within a few weeks of each other. Fruit came from the Kalimna Vineyard in Barossa, Magill in Adelaide, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. It has a beautiful, quite seductive bouquet with lush black fruits, eucalyptus, chocolate mint and a touch of crushed violet that gains complexity with each sip. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, layers of maraschino cherries commingling with orange rind, mint and spice. The second bottle displays more backbone than the more fragile first.
Medium brick colored, the 1971 Grange opens with touches of aldehyde / bottle-stink to begin over a core of fruit cake, leather, potpourri, game and sandalwood. With an elegant light to medium-body, the palate blossoms into incredible spice box, anise and mincemeat notes - wonderful multi-layered flavors – supported by a good backbone of remaining fine-grained tannins and lively acid. It’s a classic Grange in terms of construction, though a little atypical considering its pretty rather than powerful nature.
One of the highest proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon: 13% (14% in 1993). Dark blackish ruby. Lots of development. Masses of molasses and smoked meat on the nose. Round and sweet with an edge of dustiness. Old but fresh on the end. Not big and heavy but subtle and sweet and gorgeous. Very glorious. Sweet and balsamic. (JR)
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.