Penfolds Grange 1998
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£500.00
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Penfolds Grange 1998
HED0261
75 cl
14.5%
£500.00
Taxes included.
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Sourced from premium vineyards in South Australia, the 1998 vintage is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 18 months in new American oak. In the words of Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker, "The nose is youthful and intense with dark, ripened Satsuma plum fruits rising above a base of liqueured dark chocolate and liquorice. Overtones of malt, toasty barrel ferment and nutty oak meld effortlessly into an exquisitely aromatic offering. The palate displays intense layering of fruit - raspberry, blackcurrant and blackberry - laced with liquorice and oak. The power of the fruit at the
fore is balanced with ripe velvety tannins, offering an alluring even-textured palate with remarkable length".
97 Vinous
Very deep red-ruby. Smoky, deeply concentrated fruit bomb of a nose: blackberry, dark plum, cassis; creamy vanilla and lightly toasty coconutty oak; and ethereal background notes of white pepper, smoked meats, musky spices, tar and licorice. Profoundly concentrated but velvety-smooth and seamless; impressively muscular and thickly coated with oak, and bound by drying, astringent tannins. Without question the most concentrated Grange of all time, utterly steeped in blackberry flavors; a real show pony. It's also the most alcoholic Grange ever made, and at a declared 14.5% does taste warm and spirity - the first Grange to do so. It also ventures to some degree into the realm of currant and prune. No doubt a brilliant wine, but only time will tell if, with its elevated alcohol and its superripe flavors, this 1998 version ranks with the very best Grange vintages. Jeremy Oliver1st July 2003
18 Jancis Robinson
Untold wealth is required to acquire this wine since Robert Parker gave it `99/99+` No one could fail to admire this wine, which in this particular vintage contains about three per cent of the Cabernet Sauvignon Penfolds found most remarkable from the 1998 vintage. It`s extraordinarily concentrated in every way (although it failed to line the glass with purple as young vintage port does – a phenomenon I remember from my first acquaintance with young Grange in the mid-1980s). The colour is as brash as squashed elderberries. The nose is extraordinarily deep, dragging you in to its intensity, and with a strong lifted/volatile element (not to the point of a wine fault but certainly noticeable). Then on the palate there`s a round sweetness that makes it almost unctuous. The level of acidity (7.2 in tartaric apparently; pH 3.5) is quite remarkable – verging on painful – but the considerable tannin charge of this wine is almost abscured by the sheer mass of all that concentrated ripe fruit. I found the finish a little bit hot though the wine is `only` 14.5 per cent alcohol, I`m told. So, yes, like most vintages of Grange, I admire this wine – indeed I admire this particular vintage more than most. But I have to say I would never buy a bottle. Its price relative to the purity of pleasure it gives this particular palate just doesn`t make sense. I relish every chance I get to taste Grange but find myself exhausted rather than delighted by drinking it. (JR)
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Penfolds
The Icon of Australian Wine
Founded in 1844, Penfolds stands as a cornerstone of Australian winemaking, renowned for its rich heritage and innovative approach. Penfolds has distinguished itself with a bold and distinctive style, producing wines that are celebrated for their complexity, intensity, and exceptional aging potential.
Iconic wines such as Grange, introduced by visionary winemaker Max Schubert, have set the benchmark for excellence in the industry. What sets Penfolds apart is their commitment to blending, utilizing grapes from multiple vineyards to craft wines with unparalleled balance and depth. With meticulous vineyard management and state-of-the-art winemaking techniques, Penfolds consistently delivers an exceptional range of wines.
