Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz is Australia's most famous wine with a reputation for superb fruit complexity and flavour richness. An exquisitely perfumed, concentrated wine, Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz combines the intensely rich fruit and ripe tannins of Shiraz with the fragrance and complementary nuances of new, fine-grained American oak. A portion of Cabernet Sauvignon is used in some years to enhance the aromatics and palate structure.
Dense red-purple; the typically rich and powerful bouquet has layers of dark berry fruit and integrated and balanced oak. What makes it unusual is the distinct hint of chocolate, which appears again on the silkily powerful palate. Here there is an array of all of the fruit flavours one could possibly expect, but once again that touch of dark Swiss chocolate adding an intriguing note. The oak balance and integration is better than any five-year-old Grange I can remember, the tannins perfectly balanced into the bargain.
97 points, Wine Companion (March 1999)
Very good fruit, dark berries, lovely flavour, deep and true; lots of tannin and structure; a serious Grange with very good length. Deep succulent, sweet fruit, gorgeous flavour. Some black olive. Now to 25 years.
95 points, The Real Review (September 2007)
Full brick-red colour with a pronounced tawny rim. The bouquet is magically complex, with aromas of raisins, licorice, squashed ants, smoked oysters, indeed all sorts of roasted things. A superb old wine, this bottle is fully mature now, and possibly a tad more developed than I would expect of a 24 year-old Grange from a top vintage. Still, it's no obstacle to enjoying the wine on the day.
96 points, The Real Review (August 2018)
A substantial 11% of the 1994 Grange is Cabernet Sauvignon, and it's most clearly apparent on the elegant, leafy, floral nose. On the palate, it's more clearly Grange and Shiraz-like, with plenty of weight and richness along with flavors of dried fruit, roasted meat and mocha, but there's also a sense that it's starting to lighten and become approachable/mature. Drink now or hold up to another 10 years or so.
94 points, Wine Advocate (October 2018)
Still, the palate does come with flights of deep, dense, dark blackberry and crushed ants, and there’s a thick, malty, mentholly hit, particularly on the finish. Again, the striking thing here is the wine’s balance. And with a polished array of supporting flavours: cedar, dark chocolate, Asian-spice and prune, it seems that time could easily do wonders.
93 points, The Wine Front (January 2005)
This is the first vintage where Grange went to a bottle with laser-etched identification numbers to preclude the possibility of fraudulent bottles. The wine, a blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, shows some toasty oak mixed with notes of root vegetables, damp earth, blackberry liqueur, prune, and licorice. The wine is dense, full-bodied, not terribly complex in the mouth, but layered and rich. I would not be surprised to see the rating on this wine improve as this youthful Grange continues to evolve.
91 points, Wine Advocate (February 2002)
A magnificent edifice of a wine, elegant and refined in structure but dripping with flavor--a virtual cascade of plum, black cherry, blackberry, anise, pepper and exotic spices that lingers on the finish; this just doesn't quit.
96 points, Wine Spectator (November 1999)
89% Shiraz, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra blend.
Very dark crimson. Tarry and much more suppressed on the nose than, say, the 1991 even though it is three years younger. Still very taut and chewily textured. Wait!
17.5 points, JancisRobinson.com (October 2008)
South Australia is the driest state on the world’s driest continent. Covering almost 1 million (984 377km) square kilomteres, it represents 12.8% of the Australian land mass. Sweeping plains are intersected by a spine of relatively low lying ranges, the Mount Lofty/Flinders Ranges which extend through the heart of the State. Over 50% of the state is elevated at under 150 metres. The Great Artesian basin covers almost one-third of the State. The major river is the River Murray which lethargically makes its way into the Southern Ocean. This water mass has a moderating effect on climate, particularly in the southern regions of South Australia where most vines are planted.
Summers are generally hot and dry with relatively mild nights. Winters are cool. Rainfall occurs mostly during late autumn/winter (May, June, July, August). Drought and salinity are major concerns.
The principle wine regions in South Australia are; the Adelaide Hills, Barossa (comprising the Barossa and Eden Valleys), Clare Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Coonawarra and the Riverland. Vineyard expansion has also extended to Wrattonbully, Mount Benson, Bordertown, Robe, Southern Fleurieu and the Flinders Ranges.
It is a tradition for many wine companies to make multi-district blends from South Australian fruit – the idea of house style taking precedence over regional definition. Penfolds pioneered this concept. The vagaries of vintage variation can be evened out by fruit selection, ensuring quality at a high level. However there is debate that this concept comes at the expense of the ‘soul’ of the wine. Penfolds Grange is probably the most famous multi-district blend and is an excellent counter-argument.
Andrew Caillard MW, Langton'sPenfolds
Penfolds is probably the most extraordinary of the world’s wine brands with an enviable reputation for quality at every price level. The original Penfold was an English doctor who, in 1844, planted grapes at Magill, now a suburb of Adelaide. However, it was not until the late 1940s that Penfolds began to forge a reputation for red wine.
The Penfolds house style emerged from a fortified wine producing culture and evolved as a winemaking philosophy which has had a profound effect on the entire Australian wine industry. Many of the techniques initially adopted to make Penfolds Grange would become part of the wider Penfolds winemaking culture. The number of techniques employed in the research and development of Penfolds wines is astonishing. Max Schubert and his team pioneered: major advances in yeast technology and paper chromatography; the understanding and use of pH in controlling bacterial spoilage; the use of headed down/submerged cap fermentation and the technique of rack and return; cold fermentation practices; the use of American oak as a maturation vessel and perhaps most critically, partial barrel fermentation. Nowadays, the use of American oak and barrel fermentation for instance is considered traditional Barossa winemaking practice!
Today, Penfolds house style embraces the concept of multi-regional blending, optimum fruit quality, the use of fine-grained American or French oak, barrel fermentation and maturation. Overall, the Penfolds style is about highly-defined fruit aromas, fruit sweetness, ripe tannins, richness, power and concentration. The number of iconic wines that have emerged from the Penfolds stable over the years is remarkable. Bin 389 a Cabernet Shiraz blend released in 1960 is now considered the quintessential Australian wine blend. Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz and Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz released in 1962 pre-empted the contemporary enthusiasm for regional definition by about 25 years. Improved vineyard management, site selection and winemaking brought about subsequent releases of Bin 707 and Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Penfolds Wine Making Philosophy is the accumulation of more than half-a-century of knowledge and winemaking practice initiated by Max Schubert and subsequently refined by Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago. Their collective commitment to multi-regional and vineyard blending contributed to a consistency of style and quality that has cemented Penfolds reputation as the foremost producer of premium age-worthy red wines in Australia.
