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Penfolds Grange 2001
Colour: Deep, dark and dense, retaining bright purple hues.
Nose: The nose is immediately Grange, revealing barrel ferment complexities soaked in dark berried fruits. Vibrant, youthful and lifted,a mix of tightly packed liquorice, freshly tanned leather and dark spices create a poised, controlled and distinctive wine.
Palate: A rich, full-flavoured and concentrated wine with complex rum/raisin dark chocolate,liquorice, quince paste and dried fruit notes. Prominent, well integrated tannins align with oak (all but soaked up by the fruits) to create
a lingering continuum of flavours and tactile persistence. Beautifully balanced, this 100% Barossa wine delivers the expectations demanded of a Grange from this vintage.
Wine Advocate
It is always a treat to taste Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds’ Grange cuvee (the word Hermitage has been dropped because of legal issues). The 2001 Grange is one of the few vintages of this cuvee to be composed of 100% Shiraz (the others being 1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, and 2000). Aged 17 months in 100% American oak, and tipping the scales at 14.5% alcohol, the 2001 is undeniably one of the top examples of this wine. At this stage, it appears to eclipse the 1998 and 1996. Inky/blue/purple to the rim, with a stunning perfume of blueberries, blackberries, chocolate, graphite, and earth, it boasts good acidity, huge tannins, magnificent concentration, and a multilayered, textured mouthfeel. It is a big, but impeccably well-balanced Shiraz that should shed some of its structure and tannin over the next 4-5 years, and be at its best between 2010-2030+.
Score: 98.
—Robert Parker,
October
2006.
Wine Spectator
Deep, rich and concentrated, this has a gamy note sneaking through its rich blackberry, plum and licorice flavors, hinting at coffee, dark chocolate and spice as the finish lingers beautifully. Grippy tannins keep it from taking off. Not as harmonious and complete as other vintages, but a solid Grange. Best after 2009.
Score: 93.
—Harvey Steiman,
September
30,
2006.
Wine Enthusiast
Not great by Grange standards, but still a fabulous wine, the 2001 Grange boasts an intoxicating, heady bouquet of rich chocolate and coconut. It follows that up with deep, plummy fruit that’s full-bodied and lush yet quite tannic, promising decades of ageability. Despite the dark chocolate and plum flavors, the wine is still fresh, with a long finish. Drink 2010–2025.
Score: 93.
—Joe Czerwinski,
December
15,
2006.
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