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Grange, Penfolds 1990

RegionAustralia
Subregion Australia > South Australia
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz

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Label

Tasting Notes

The 1990 performed well in the tasting, but, along with the 1980, was the least impressive of these Granges. The 1990 is loosely knit, seems to border on overripeness with its jammy character, and has a slightly more aggressive style of tannin ... or are the acids more pronounced? It is certainly outstanding, displaying full body along with a classic smoky, blackberry, cassis, pepper, and forest floor-scented bouquet. Of all these wines, it appears to be the most evolved. Grange, Penfolds' flagship wine, is, by many accounts, the most renowned and world-famous wine produced in Australia, and these six vintages from my cellar all acquitted themselves well. These wines are almost always Shiraz, but many vintages include less than 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and there are cross-appellations blends from vineyards in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.

94+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (183), June 2009

Blend: 95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 1990 is the greatest, most complete and richest Grange since the monumental 1986. It rivals the 1986, 1982, 1981, and 1980 as the finest "young" Grange. The wine's opaque purple color is followed by a sweet nose of jammy black-raspberry and cassis fruit intermingled with scents of minerals, licorice, and toasty oak. Extremely full-bodied, with that layered, multi-dimesional feel that sets a truly prfound Grange apart from just an outstanding one, the wine is fabulously concetrated, unctuous, and with a finish that lasts over 50 seconds. It is oh, so young, and in need of 5-10 years of cellaring. It should last through the first two decades of the 21st century.

Production: 15,920 six bottle cases.

94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (100), August 1995
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.