The 1989 Grange Hermitage is beginning to show some seriously attractive older maturation characters, developing sooner by comparison to its more robust 1988 and 1990 counterparts. 91% Shiraz 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, as well as the McLaren Vale, it has the typical solid structure and strength of character to produce another classic Grange.

The hallmark of this release is powerful fruit intensity, superb length and typical Grange complexity, showing integrated fruit and oak flavours which are very persistent, reflecting the exceptional quality of the 1988 vintage. An ideal growing season followed by a warm dry vintage, produced an elegant Grange. 94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon from Kalimna and other vineyards in the Barossa, Padthaway and McLaren Vale. A classic Grange, from an outstanding vintage year, the 1988 will develop superbly until 2008 and beyond.

The pinnacle of Australian wines, Grange is always exciting and opulent.

A very great Grange, the mild and relatively dry growing season lead to a very successful vintage. This was the final release crafted by Max Schubert's successor Don Ditter.

The unique and distinctive Grange style is based on ripe Shiraz fruit and stylish American oak in fine harmony. The 1985 Grange is predominantly Shiraz with a small amount (1%) Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Kalimna and other superior vineyards in the Barossa, Clare Valley and Modbury (Adelaide Plains). A cool to mild growing season followed by similarly good conditions at vintage, with late rain delaying picking. An elegantly structured vintage with blackberry black olive plum flavours, and firm savoury tannins.

A meticulous regimen for vineyard selection, coupled with exacting winecraft, ensures each vintage of Grange displays a different character.

The 1983 Grange is one of the grandest ever, an exceptional wine and a standout edition from what was otherwise a disastrous vintage across most of Australia's winegrowing regions. Fires, hail, drought and heat, it all happened in 1983. Somehow Penfolds seemed to rise above the adversities of the vintage and produced monumental flagship wines. This Grange stands muscular, powerfully constructed and robust, one of the finest Granges of all time, a great Australian Shiraz with a claim to being one of the finest ever.

Intensely spicy, raspberried, honeyed wine – incredibly fragrant – with cedar and cranberry scents frollicking throughout. These characteristics work better on the nose than they do in the mouth, yet still it's as long and impressive as a freight train. Some will love this wine's fleshy, warm sweetness, others may find it too oddball – but it's in fine balance.

Winemaker John Duval called the 1981 a big, tannic Grange. It is just that, a very powerful, inky, purple-colored wine that is still almost primary and unevolved in its surprising youthfulness. This formidably endowed, broodingly backward, thick, full-bodied, muscular wine has a boatload of chocolate-infused plum, caramel, and cassis flavors. With high tannin, huge grip, and some propensity toward austerity, this is a monster Grange that may not totally assimilate the high levels of tannin, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about its future.

A fabulous Grange, powerful, seamlessly constructed wine with perfect levels of glycerin and extract. The wine still seems very youthful, made in a very voluptuous, blockbuster Grange style. It is just now reaching its plateau of drinkability.

Memorable for being the last of all vintages to be bottled in the original off-white foil capsules, and the first vintage to be bottled in magnums, nowadays there are usually six hundred magnum bottled each year.

Tastings in September 1999 confirmed that the sheer intensity, power and overall balance of 1976 Grange meant it deserved its place as one of the great vintages of the 1970s.

1975 was the year Max Schubert retired from his post as Chief Winemaker, although he remained a consultant to Penfolds and kept an office at Magill Estate. He was succeeded by Don Ditter, who had worked with Penfolds as a winemaker since 1946. Penfolds 1975 Grange won two Gold and five other medals at Australian wine shows between 1976 and 1981.

Considered a good wine from one of the most difficult vintages in memory for Max Schubert and his winemaking team. Rigorous grape selection saw one of the smallest Grange makes on record 2300 cases. It was future Chief Winemaker John Duval's first vintage with Penfolds and the first Grange to be made at Nuriootpa and fermented in stainless steel. All previous vintages were made in the open concrete fermenters at the Magill winery. Winner of a Trophy, four Gold and three other medals at Australian wine shows from 1976 to 1989.

Considered an undistinguished vintage, it won a trophy, five Gold, four Silver and six Bronze medals between 1974 and 1982.

Penfolds Grange 1972 won a Gold and four other medals at Australian wine shows in 1973, 1976 and 1977. Originally described by the winemakers as, medium deep brick red in colour, intense liquoric dark chocolate blackberry violet aromas with hints of vanilla spice. A loose knit palate with herbs and camomile, meaty mocha flavours and fine cedary tannins. A single batch was unintentionally oxidized before bottling, resulting in some bottle variation. Otherwise a lovely elegant wine, and a very good Grange vintage

A good portion of Cabernet Sauvignon for this year, weighing in at 13%. 1971 created a sensation when it won gold and topped its class at the Gault-Millau Wine Olympiad in Paris in 1979, beating the best Rhone Valley wines. It also won a trophy, four gold, four silver and five bronze medals at Australian wine shows between 1971 and 1982.

Despite carrying many different Bin numbers in the early years, Grange was always labelled Bin 95 from the 1970 vintage. This wine is a favourite of Don Ditter, who worked at Penfolds from 1946 and succeeded Max Schubert as Chief Winemaker in 1975. The 1970 Penfolds Grange is a blend of 90 per cent Shiraz and 10 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, from Kalimna, the Barossa and Adelaide's Magill Estate vineyard. Vintage conditions were dry, a growing season with rainfall 40 per cent less than normal.

A wine of extraordinary dimension and power, intensely concentrated and packed with fruit sweetness, Penfolds Grange requires medium to long-term cellaring. With time, it develops into an immensely complex, beguiling wine that seduces the senses. Considered a very successful release from what Max Schubert considered a difficult vintage, 1969 Grange went on to win five Trophies, six Gold, six Silver and two Bronze medals between 1969 and 1975. Bottles from this vintage were labelled with two different Bin numbers 826 and 95.

Grange's aesthetic quality and remarkable aging potential is the stuff of legends” -Andrew Caillard MW. 1967 Grange, labelled very plainly as Penfolds Claret, won the Jimmy Watson for the best one-year-old red in 1968. 1965 Grange had already claimed the same trophy two years previously. The first Grange to use grapes from the Clare Valley, considered at the time to be in a lighter style, Max Schubert considered the 1967 to be underrated and excellent. Individual bottles from the vintage are labelled as Bin 74 or Bin 95.

Bottles labelled Bin numbers 71, 72 and 95.

Grange combines the intensity of superior Shiraz fruit, with the complementary nuances of new fine-grained American oak. The 1965 Grange, plainly labelled as Penfolds Claret won the coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy, awarded to the best one-year-old red, the 1967 Grange won the same trophy two years later. This vintage also won two more Gold and six other medals between 1966 and 1973. Bottles from the 1965 vintage were labelled Bin numbers 69, 70, 71 and 95. A very autumnal style of Grange, with notes of mushrooms, and cedar.

The 1964 Grange claimed a Trophy, four Gold and three other medals in 1968 and 1969. Individual bottles are labelled Bin numbers 95, 395, 66, 67 and 68.

Bottles labelled Bin numbers 59, 95, 456, 59A.

By the early sixties, Penfolds Grange had secured its future. The experimental work carried out by Max Schubert left lasting impressions. Penfolds work in research and development, working hand in hand with new ideas within the constraints of the knowledge of the time, resulted in an emerging Penfolds house style. This is the first Grange to use grapes from the cool-climate Coonawarra district. The wine won two Gold and three Silver medals in Australian wine shows between 1963 and 1968. Bottles labelled Bin numbers 95 and 395.

A significant turning point for Penfolds Grange, bottles were labelled Bin numbers 49 and 95, and are now becoming increasingly rare.

Last of the three hidden and secret Granges made by Max Schubert in defiance of a company order to cease production, the wine was released commercially after the ban was lifted. New oak was not used during the three secret vintages. Bottles were labelled Bin numbers 46, 49 and 95. The story of Grange is steeped in the Australian ethos. Max Schubert is an Australian folk hero, a lifelong winemaker who battled against the odds and then succeeded in creating one of the very great wines of the world.

Don Ditter, who succeeded Max Schubert as Chief Winemaker observed that,.

The first of the so-called hidden Grange, the wine was made without the knowledge of Penfolds management, who had ordered Max Schubert to cease production, eventually released as Bin 50 and Bin 113.

Penfolds 1956 Grange is extremely rare - a curio and valuable collector's item. Well cellared bottles may show fully developed fruit and lacy tannins but most are past their best. A lighter Grange which spent less time (about nine months) in oak and was bottled early. Bottles labelled Bin numbers 14 and 53. The 1956 included a small amount (4 per cent) of Cabernet Sauvignon. From humble beginnings in the 1950s, Grange has maintained it's place as Australia's most prestigious red wine, and one of history's most unique.

An exceptionally long-lived Grange, a beautifully focused wine, considered one of the best Granges ever produced. The most decorated of all Granges, winning 12 Trophies and 51 Gold medals over 13 years from 1962. A lighter Grange that spent only nine months in oak, the 1955 Grange was a favourite of Max Schubert's, partly because it was the vintage that vindicated him by winning a Gold medal in the open Claret class at the 1962 Sydney Wine Show. Bottles were labelled Bin numbers 13, 14, 53, 54 and 95.

A Heritage-listed wine, the story of Grange is steeped in the Australian ethos. Penfolds 1954 Grange is extremely rare, a curio and valuable collector's item. All but extremely fine bottles are well past their peak. Internal criticism of Grange led Max Schubert to lighten the style slightly and the 1954 had only about nine months in oak. The criticism fired at Max Schubert's early Granges reflected the conservatism prevalent throughout winemaking circles.

260 cases of this wine were produced. This is the first Grange to incorporate wine from the Kalimna region in the Barossa. This was a revelation. An astonishing, great wine with remarkable vigor and freshness, this wine has a dark garnet color with considerable amber at the edge. A sweet nose of mushrooms, roasted herbs, tar, red and black fruits, and underbrush is followed by a wine with considerable opulence, flesh, and vivacity. The wine has terrific harmony and a long finish. It is an amazing effort that should continue to drink well.

A very hedonistic, almost decadent style of Grange, gorgeously opulent, almost Pomerol-like Grange with an over-ripe characteristic to the fruit. Cherry liqueur intermixed with cranberry and cassis presented in a seductive, full-bodied, very soft, forward style is truly not the classic Grange in the sense of having huge structure and massive concentration, but this wine is loaded, very corpulent, and fleshy. The wine is going to last for up to two decades, but it will be uncommonly succulent and delicious to drink young.

Though retired, Grange creator Max Schubert was proclaimed Man of the Year by UK Decanter Magazine in 1988. The hallmark of Grange 1988 is it's powerful fruit intensity, dominant length and profound complexity, persistent fruit and oak, reflecting the exceptional quality of the 1988 vintage.

No other Australian wine can rival the quality and development pattern of Grange. Always exciting and opulent, the pinnacle of Australian reds, 1987 Grange is an elegant edition, beginning juicy and plummy, culminating in a very firm, dry finish. The growing season and vintage were marked by cool weather, crops in most South Australian regions were reduced by hailstorms in October.

A very great Grange vintage.

Shiraz with a small amount (1%) Cabernet, from the Kalimna and other superior vineyards in the Barossa, Clare Valley and Modbury (Adelaide Plains). A cool to mild growing season followed by similarly good conditions at vintage, with late rain delaying picking. An elegantly structured vintage with blackberry black olive plum flavours, and firm savoury tannins.

Max Schubert's experimental work in the 1950s determined that South Australian Cabernet was unreliable, he recognised that Grange should be based around a spectrum of fruit. One of the great strengths of Grange is, whilst mostly a Shiraz, it does not rely on the performance of a single vineyard. From fruit grown at the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, Magill Estate in Adelaide, and other superior vineyards in the Coonawarra, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley, the 1984 is balanced with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon 5%.

This vintage was seriously affected by drought, and the devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires. Summer rainfall was half the average, following by record rains and flooding in March.

A very good vintage with a mild growing season, culminating in a burst of warm weather.

Winemaker John Duval called the 1981 a big, tannic Grange. A warm to hot, drought-affected summer yielded a powerfully concentrated wine with chocolate raisin fruit, earthy nuances, and pleasant oak.

The 1980 Grange is predominantly Shiraz with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon (4%) from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, the Clare Valley, Magill Estate, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. A generally good growing season with fine and warm conditions, was followed by a cool vintage.

Penfolds Grange has maintained its place as Australia's most prestigious red wine over four decades. An Australian icon, Grange represents a tradition in winemaking that is totally uncompromising. Grange has bypassed the fads and trends of modern winemaking in the sense that it has maintained an integrity of style and remained true to its origins in the mind of Max Schubert. An unusually wet (but hot) growing season, the 1979 was sourced from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, the Clare Valley, Magill Estate and the McLaren Vale.

Australia's greatest wine was developed over the course of a tortuous decade, by a personality who was driven by the consuming aspiration to create... Australia's greatest wine. Much adversity faced Max Schubert, his project was forbidden by Penfolds for a time, due to the expense. Early releases of Grange were disparaged by industry press for its richness and concentration. It has endured to become the new world's most precious red wine, desired as much for its investment value as for its generosity of flavour and long lived endowments.

The late great Max Schubert embarked on an adventure to formulate the first growth of Australian wine in the 1940s. After many years of trials and tribulation, his enduring legacy to the world is the mighty Grange. Essentially a rich, splendid Shiraz wine exhibiting a nonpareil intensity of complex fruit character and inseparable, regal oak. A Heritage Icon of South Australia, Grange remains the nation's most recognizable label in the world of wine. Twenty one months in new oak and three years in bottle, the structural and tactile Grange package.

Exceptional Langtons Classification. A profound and complete offer, akin to a mix of the 2002 and 2004 editions. Vintage 2006 is probably more like the 1986 and 1996 than the 1976. It's fabric is meshed with spices, cinnamon and vanillin pod, nutmeg and black pepper, tempered by teppanyaki sauces, almonds and amaretto. Firm throughout and across the palate, reverent tannins and oak convey and propel flavours of slowly roasting lamb avec jus, dark chocolates, cola and maraschino with a lift of menthol and rosemary to finish.

Grange is a unique Australian style, officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. When the late, great Max Schubert embarked on his odyssey to define the nation's ultimate red wine, his efforts were met by adversity and derision from peers. Today Grange is recognised as one of the world's great wines, each vintage is eagerly awaited round the globe. The small 2005 vintage release makes no quality compromise. A Grange that is balanced, firm and polished. The first sip welcomes, the second sip asserts, the third entreats submission.

The wait for this Grange has indeed been worthwhile, arguably the finest vintage since mother nature's endowment of a number of stellar 1990s vintages. Just how good a vintage only time will tell, but all current indicators auger (very) well. Certainly stylistically in the mould of wonderful vintages.

Grange is Australia's most famous wine and is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. The most powerful expression of Penfolds long and prolific traditions, Grange boasts an unbroken line of vintages from the experimental 1951, and clearly demonstrates the synergy between Shiraz with the soils and climates of South Australia. Grange displays fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and textured Shiraz in combination with splendid oak. A unique Australian style, recognised as one of the most consistent of the world's greate wines.