Grange, Penfolds 2013

Remember that old Heinz Ketchup “anticipation” ad from the 1970s? The palate of this 2013 {corrected} Grange does just that. It makes you wait with so much delicious promise being drip fed into the mouth at first—and then it bursts forth and delivers!
This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black colored, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavors, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavors emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes.

96% shiraz, 4% cabernet sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate, matured for 20 months in new American hogsheads. Gloriously, splendiferously complex. There are so many layers of flavour it's labyrinthine, yet you never lose the thread, the path, of the wine. Austerity is not a term often used with Grange, but it's here, and to the benefit of the wine. 14.5%. Drink by 2053.

An unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951. The majority of South Australia had a dry winter reminiscent of 2006, vines were in water deficit at the beginning of spring and became accustomed to dry conditions quite early. The exception was McLaren Vale, where revitalising winter rainfall exceeded the long-term average. Early budburst was noticeable across many regions. Dry and warm spring conditions explained canopy growth and yields, becoming typical of the 2013 growing season. Warm days were dispersed throughout October, November and in early January, contributing to an early start to the 2013 harvest and a condensed vintage. Dry and warm conditions, coupled with lower than average yields resulted in fruit showing strong, structural tannins and wines of great intensity and encouraging flavour. The Magill Estate fruit was harvested in pristine condition, hand-picked on 14 and 15 February 2013. 96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Magill. TA 6.8 g/l, pH 3.65. 20 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads.

Rich, smooth nose with polished mulberry and real lift on the nose. Masses of sweetness – almost bonbons! – and then great rich depth underneath. Red fruits. Bright red powdered spices somehow. Massive chew and weight with the polished fruit struggling to cover the tannins. Something rather ecclesiastical about this. Incense? Certainly spice cabinet. Dry fresh, neat finish. Real kick. Liquorice and lift. Gago maintains the 2013s have grown in the bottle. Dried spices. Brooding. Drink 2022-2050.