Penfolds Bin 95 Grange 2020 (Gift Box)

Vintage Conditions: South Australia experienced its second successive winter marked by drought, with the Barossa Valley recording its driest year on record and the Clare Valley experiencing its driest winter in over a century. These arid conditions persisted into spring, leading to delayed flowering and fruit set, underscoring irrigation’s crucial role due to below-average root zone moisture levels. Both the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley regions were touched by September frosts, though losses were alleviated through frost fans. Summer commenced with an intense heatwave across the state, resulting in 26 days above 35°C in the Barossa Valley alone. However, a reprieve came with cooler weather in January and February. McLaren Vale was more fortunate, benefiting from higher-than-average rainfall in February which bolstered vine health for the rest of the growing season. Lower bunch weights and berry counts were recorded across all regions leading to significantly reduced yields. However, these testing conditions often culminate in exceptional quality fruit. Indeed, 2020 saw some remarkable Shiraz crops that have contributed to an opulent expression of Grange."  Penfolds 

Expert reviews

"Elegant and delicate, yet complex and very aromatically expressive and engaging. Yet at the same time it feels intimate and intense, drawing you in. Bulby. Bloomy. A lovely note of Iris. Assorted parfumier’s essences. Blood orange. Chocolate ganache Plush and plump and very dynamic in and through the mid-palate. Delicate and refined despite the considerable power, compactness and concentration. Ethereal. Substantial on the finish and very gathered – you don’t notice the power until the finish. What a crescendo."  Colin Hay, The Drinks Business - 98+ points

"A blend of 97/3% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon; matured for 20 months in 100% new American oak. As Peter Gago says, "Penfolds' 180th anniversary year, following a series of stellar Grange vintages in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 ... No pressure." He needn't have worried. The 2020 release is stunning. Its heady concentration and initial rush of formic herald its arrival. There's a singularity of aroma and flavour in strong Grange releases and that is certainly the case here. Deep-set blackberry, black plum and black cherry fruits of great intensity. Hints of brandied fruits, blackforest cake, dark chocolate, licorice, graphite, roasting meats, fruitcake spice, sandalwood, oak spice and turned earth. Densely packed and strong of character with a cascade of fine tannin and plenty of muscular swagger as the wine slowly tapers off with a vapour trail of black fruits, baking spices and earth. A great Grange release. Drink by 2060." Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points

"If MC Escher made wines, they would be like this, an intricate puzzle of almost infinite dimensions. Panforte and boysenberry, pencil lead and sage. Dutch licorice, mace, five spice. Thurible smoke and cassis. Focus and precision. Sculpted muscle, beautiful definition. Unwavering line and astounding length. You couldn’t knock this off its line with a wrecking ball."  Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australian - 98 points

"Deep crimson. Fresh and complex with classical blackberry, dark chocolate, panforte aromas with hints of ginger and underlying mocha/ roasted chestnut/ hint bourbon notes. Generously concentrated and inky deep with ample blackberry dark chocolate/ praline flavours, fine chocolaty tannins and ample roasted chestnut, marzipan notes. Finishes chocolaty firm, crisp and minerally with a hint of aniseed. A classic Grange with the structure and balance to last for the long haul. McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley provenance. 97% Shiraz 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink 2028 – 2050 14.5% alc"  Andrew Caillard MW - 98 points

"An interesting wine given the fact that there was no Bin 707 or Bin 169 – both cabernets – made in 2020. Clearly, shiraz figured better across South Australia in that heat wave year in which the Barossa recorded its driest year on record. The Barossa Valley joins McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley in the 2020 Grange, which is 97% shiraz with a 3% smidge of cabernet. It saw 20 months in new American hogsheads. A warm-hearted Grange to be sure, rich and full of drive as might be expected, but with the warmth of 2020 comes some lovely, gentle aromatics which brings that touch of finesse. You could say 2020 is more opulent and slightly less muscular for Grange. Deep aromas of ripe dark, blue berries with plum cake, spice, dark chocolate, sweet oak spice, dried orange peel and mahogany with attractive, lifted star anise, sage, bay leaf. Combines the basic mechanics of plush, velvety tannins and vanillin, warm oak support, but the palate explores further the depth of some gorgeous fruits and spice, textures, layers and budding complexity. It’s all ready to go and will keep building over the years ahead. Maybe not a classic Grange, but one not to be under-estimated."  Jeni Port, Wine Pilot – 98 points

"Mint and crushed ants up front. Saturated plums, meat, woodsmoke, more ants, more crushed woodsy spices, a rusty seaweed character in among the vanilla and cedar. The tannin is a broad, powerful, commanding brush, full throttle, fully integrated. It’s not a heralded vintage necessarily but it turns out to have been a good thing; it’s not a show pony, it’s not a wall of sound, it’s Grange being Grange, authoritative, settled, the ants served crushed, the fruit deep. This release of Penfolds Grange feels true to itself; and as a result it’s seriously good. Drink 2030-2050+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 97 points

"Blackberry, blueberry, graphite and terra cotta aromas. Medium-bodied with clarity, focus and very fine tannins that are polished and caressing. One of the most refined and textural Granges I have had in a long time. The tannins are very resolved. This is mostly Barossa and McLaren Vale with some Claire Valley. 3% cabernet sauvignon. Very drinkable now, but will age beautifully."  JamesSuckling.com – 97 points

"McLaren Vale assumes the lead over the Barossa in the warm and dry 2020 season, creating a Grange of larger-than-life proportions. The depth and concentration of blackberry, blueberry and satsuma plum on display is unique to Grange, carrying all the complexity of coal steam and fresh liquorice, set to the high cocoa dark chocolate and char presence of new American oak. The gravitas of the cascading classification of Penfolds sourcing is declared in a fruit integrity and definition upheld even in such a warm and dry season, a feat that this house achieves today with greater confidence than it did in decades past. This is a show-stopping Grange of impact and muscle. Drink 2040-2050."  Tyson Stelzer - 97 points

"Very deep, dense red-purple colour; aromas of earthy terracotta, dried meats, blackberry/plum jam and mocha/coffee grounds. The wine is massively full-bodied and dense in the mouth, rich and robust, extremely concentrated and the chewy tannins stick the tongue to the roof of the mouth. The finish lingers for a very long time. It's an assault on the senses and demands a lot of cellar time. (McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley & Clare Valley. 20 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads). Drink 2028-2050."  Huon Hooke, The Real review - 97 points

"This is 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet from McLaren Vale, the Barossa and Clare. The colour is typically deep and dense. It leads you into an aroma of pure intensity. Has all the things you expect. The black fruits, dark meaty charcuterie notes, smoke, blackcurrant and blackberry with masses of dark chocolate. Tannins are seamlessly woven into a powerful palate with fine chalky tannins in support. There are slightly more red fruit character in here that previous vintages and it has an effortless lightness of touch that is most appealing. A product of a vintage with challenges, which has turned out pretty well. cellar 30 years."  Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wines – 96 points

"The 2020 Grange comprises 97% Shiraz and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale (48%), Barossa Valley (40%) and Clare Valley (12%), and it matured for 20 months in American oak hogsheads, 100% new. While the metric of regions changes each season and the proportion of Shiraz changes slightly, the élevage and style remain the same. Aromatically, the wine is black and savory, with crushed ant, black peppercorn, blueberry, blackberry and licorice/aniseed. In the mouth, the wine feels lighter than some other vintages on release. There is something like clarity and perhaps a little hole in the mid-palate—it sits like clarity or less density and also features as breathing space. A nice wine, it is lighter than the preceding 2019. Both vintages had their challenges, but this 2020 season has yielded an "easier" feeling wine. Drink 2024-2050."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 95 points

The story of grange

1931
In a sign of Max Schubert's determination to make his mark on Australia's wine industry, he did whatever he could to get his foot in the door at Penfolds, joining the company as a messenger boy in 1931. By 1948, at the age of 33, Max Schubert became Penfolds first Chief Winemaker.

1950
In the latter part of 1950, Schubert was sent to Europe to investigate winemaking practices in Spain & Portugal. On a side trip to Bordeaux, Schubert was inspired and impressed by the French cellared-style wines and dreamed of making 'something different and lasting' of his own.

1951

Back in Adelaide, in time for the 1951 vintage, Max Schubert set about looking for appropriate 'raw material' and Shiraz was his grape of choice. Combining traditional Australian techniques, inspiration from Europe and precision winemaking practices developed at Penfolds, Schubert made his first experimental wine in 1951.

1957
Max Schubert was asked to show his efforts in Sydney to top management, invited wine identities and personal friends of the board. To his horror the Grange experiment was universally disliked and Schubert was ordered to shut down the project. What might have been enough to bury Grange in another winemaker's hands, only made Max more determined to succeed.

Late 20th Century
Max continued to craft his Grange vintages in secret, hiding three vintages '57, '58 and '59, in depths of the cellars. Eventually the Penfolds board ordered production of Grange to restart, just in time for the 1960 vintage. From then on, international acknowledgment and awards were bestowed on Grange, including the 1990 vintage of Grange which was named Wine Spectator's Red Wine of the Year in 1995.

Today
Grange's reputation as one of the world's most celebrated wines continues to grow today. On its 50th birthday in 2001, Grange was listed as a South Australian heritage icon, while the 2008 Grange vintage achieved a perfect score of 100 points by two of the world's most influential wine magazines. With every new generation of Penfolds winemakers, Max Schubert's remarkable vision is nurtured and strengthened.

The following text is taken from an article by Ken Gargett in Quill & Pad, https://quillandpad.com

Grange is one of the best-known stories in Australian wine, always worth recapping, especially as a bottle of the very first vintage, 1951, sold at auction last month for AUD$157,624. Not bad for a wine that was never released commercially – it was simply considered an experiment at the time and is apparently only just this side of undrinkable these days.

Grange had an unlikely genesis. Penfolds' head winemaker back in the late 1940s was the legendary Max Schubert. In those days, the market was very much focused on fortifieds, with table wines a distant second. Schubert made several visits to Spain and Portugal to study fortified making, but he had a strong interest in table wines and on the way home he ducked up to Bordeaux for a few days.

Schubert was blown away by what he saw there and returned determined to create an Australian "First Growth." Of course, easier said than done.

The first problem was funding it, though his employers were largely supportive of his experiments provided they did not get in the way of his real work – which in those days was very much on various fortifieds rather than table wines. First Growths tend to be heavily Cabernet Sauvignon dominant with varying amounts of other varieties, especially Merlot. Well, in the late 1940s, early 1950s in Australia, good luck finding much of either, especially Merlot, at the level of quality Schubert required. What we did have, in abundance, was Shiraz. At this stage, Shiraz was dominant even in regions that would become so famous for Cabernet such as Coonawarra.

In addition, First Growths spent time maturing in new French oak. At that stage, American was the oak most commonly found in Australia; there was simply not the quantity or quality of French oak available. So new American it was. While First Growths (indeed, all the top Bordeaux) were from single estates, Australia was all about blending, not only vineyards but regions.

So, the result would be a wine made mostly from Shiraz – only a few Granges over the years have been 100 percent Shiraz, most having a small percentage of Cabernet. It would be sourced from a wide range of regions and matured in new American oak. It has ever been thus.

So nothing at all like a First Growth then, but it started a line of wines that have long been generally considered as Australia’s finest. Personal preference might take one elsewhere and there are a number of exceptional contenders. But Grange has the runs on the board.

The first Grange, an experimental wine, was the 1951 and Penfolds has never missed a vintage since then. The first intended for commercial release was the 1952. Schubert’s intention was a wine that could match great Bordeaux in aging ability, so it was into the cellar with the first vintages for as long as he could get away with. After some years, he finally brought them out for a tasting for the Penfolds hierarchy (Penfolds headquarters was situated half a continent away in Sydney so the daily goings-on at Magill were of little interest). But as Schubert said, that hierarchy had become "increasingly aware of the large amount of money lying idle in their underground cellars at Magill."

To say the unveiling was a disaster of near Biblical proportions would be an understatement. The wines were hated, even ridiculed.

Schubert was devastated. He was inordinately proud of these wines, believing them to be exceptional. The tasting included vintages 1951 to 1956. The wines were treated with contempt. One well-known expert's assessment was, "Schubert, I congratulate you. A very good, dry port, which no one in their right mind will buy, let alone drink." Another compared them to "crushed ants."

Yet another thought he’d take advantage of the situation and offered to take a few dozen off Schubert's hands, but he expected them for free as he thought them not worth any money. One wanted some for use as an aphrodisiac, believing the wine to be like bull’s blood, hence something that would, "raise his blood count to twice the norm when the occasion demanded." A young doctor requested some as an anesthetic for his girlfriend (the mind boggles as to why this was required – and given his position as a doctor, why he did not have access to something more suitable).

It is worth noting that wines like 1952, 1953, and 1955 are now considered to be some of the greatest ever made in Australia. The 1951 is now little more than a curio and I doubt anyone is paying AUD$150,000 for the pleasure of drinking it. It is for collectors only.

After the debacle, the order came from Sydney: "Cease production."

Despite knowing full well that defiance of such instructions would end his career, Schubert was so convinced as to the ultimate quality of these wines that he ignored the directive. From 1957, he made the wines in secret. Of course, this meant that he could not add the usual quantities of new oak to the budget among other things – there is only so much you can hide from bean counters, even long distance. But the wines were made and hidden away in the depths of the cellars under false names and records. This gave us the "hidden Granges" of 1957, 1958, and 1959.

At the time Penfolds still had stocks of the early Granges and little idea what to do with them. Schubert entered them in shows – wine shows are very important to the Australian wine industry. Not surprisingly, they started to not only win medals but to dominate the shows. Naturally, this caught the eye of the hierarchy, and the decision was made to reverse the earlier edict. Schubert was instructed to recommence production. I can find no record of the reaction by the Penfolds board when it discovered that he’d never stopped, but I would love to have been the proverbial fly on the wall.

After the success of early sherries and fortified wines, founders Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold planted the vine cuttings they had carried on their voyage over to Australia. In 1844 the fledging vineyard was officially established as the Penfolds wine company at Magill Estate.

As the company grew, so too did Dr Penfold's medical reputation, leaving much of the running of the winery to Mary Penfold. Early forays into Clarets and Rieslings proved increasingly popular, and on Christopher's death in 1870, Mary assumed total responsibility for the winery. Mary's reign at the helm of Penfolds saw years of determination and endeavour.

By the time Mary Penfold retired in 1884 (ceding management to her daughter, Georgina) Penfolds was producing 1/3 of all South Australia's wine. She'd set an agenda that continues today, experimenting with new methods in wine production. By Mary's death in 1896, the Penfolds legacy was well on its way to fruition. By 1907, Penfolds had become South Australia's largest winery.

In 1948, history was made again as Max Schubert became the company's first Chief Winemaker. A loyal company man and true innovator, Schubert would propel Penfolds onto the global stage with his experimentation of long-lasting wines - the creation of Penfolds Grange in the 1950s.

In 1959 (while Schubert was perfecting his Grange experiment in secret), the tradition of ‘bin wines' began. The first, a Shiraz wine with the grapes of the company's own Barossa Valley vineyards was simply named after the storage area of the cellars where it is aged. And so Kalimna Bin 28 becomes the first official Penfolds Bin number wine.

In 1960, the Penfolds board instructed Max Schubert to officially re-start production on Grange. His determination and the quality of the aged wine had won them over.

Soon, the medals began flowing and Grange quickly became one of the most revered wines around the world. In 1988 Schubert was named Decanter Magazine's Man of the Year, and on the 50th anniversary of its birth, Penfolds Grange was given a heritage listing in South Australia.

Despite great success, Penfolds never rests on its laurels. In 2012 Penfolds released its most innovative project to date - 12 handcrafted ampoules of the rare 2004 Kalimna Block Cabernet Sauvignon.

Two years later, Penfolds celebrated the 170th anniversary – having just picked up a perfect score of 100 for the 2008 Grange in two of the world's most influential wine magazines. Today, Penfolds continues to hold dear the philosophies and legends – ‘1844 to evermore!'.