News
Langton’s annual online Penfolds Grange Auction closes Monday July 26 at 6.00pm AEST. This outstanding sale comprises over 800 lots of every Grange vintage and includes rare vintages, a complete set 1951-1999, magnums and an imperial. The auction will appeal to all Grange enthusiasts from the serious collector and fine wine drinker to the wine trader and bargain hunters.
If you are new to Langton’s you will find buying wine at Langton’s extremely user-friendly. Becoming a member to bid at our auctions is as easy as clicking on the Join button at the top of your screen and following the prompts. Our online auction service has been described as the best wine auction site in the world.
In addition to the online catalogue, Langton’s has published a high quality, complimentary print edition titled “Langton’s Grange Guide”. It comprises current market estimates, tasting notes and vintage reports for the entire Grange sale. These print edition guides, which in past years have been sold and traded by collectors on eBay, can be ordered now free of charge by sending us an email with your contact details to enquiries@langtons.com.au or picked up from Langton’s Sydney or Melbourne offices.
CEO Stewart Langton says, "Penfolds Grange has brought an enormous amount of prestige to Australia and Australian wine over the last forty years. Wine enthusiasts from all walks of life hold Grange in extremely high regard. While this iconic wine is of comparable quality, it does not hold the same elitist cache of 1st Growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy. Our sellers and buyers of Grange come from diverse and unexpected backgrounds. While the media has focused on the celebrity following of Grange, it has a far more grass roots appeal.”
Intertwined within the online Penfolds Grange catalogue are three distinct and comprehensive market offerings – rarities, mint and non-mint condition bottles.
Rarities comprise most of the early Granges and the complete Grange collection. This part of the Grange market is very specialized and is generally followed by well informed wine collectors and traders. Many of the older Granges have distinctive ‘postage stamp’ labels and their own histories. Indeed the heritage value of these Granges should not be underestimated. This market is propelled by speculative buying for the potential returns from vintage aggregation, provenance, ‘clinicing’ and trading opportunities. A premium is often paid for bottles in outstanding condition. The rarities market generally comprises 1951 to 1963 inclusive. The 1964, 1965 and1966 are also becoming increasingly rare.
The highly important mainstream Grange market comprises bottles in mint condition. This market appeals to a wider audience including national and international wine collectors and fine wine buyers. A premium is often paid for recognized vintages – 1971, 1976, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1996 and 1998. Mature vintages including 1968, 1969 and 1970 can represent great value. Birth year vintages such as 1974 and1984 can attract a premium. Grange magnums – which are considered by many to be collectables – are also in this category.
The introduction of the Penfolds Red Wine Clinics re-corking programme coinciding with the emerging Asian market – which pays a premium for Grange in mint condition – irrevocably changed the secondary market for Grange during the 1990s. No longer were buyers prepared to pay top prices for Grange in less than mint condition. The non-mint condition market is followed by drinkers, bargain hunters and wine traders. Bottles with capsule and label damage will attract a discount, but can represent great value especially to drinkers, while bottles with low levels present varying levels of risk to the buyer. Bargain hunters and drinkers can sometimes pick these bottles up at a fraction of mint-condition bottle hammer prices. Notwithstanding the risk, some of these Grange bottles will inevitably be assessed and topped up at the forthcoming Penfolds Red Wine Clinics to be held in September in Australian Capital cities. Prices generally reflect the level of risk. Well cellared, mature bottles with very high shoulder represent the least risk.
Langton’s expects wide interest in our current Grange Auction from both local and international buyers. Max Schubert once described the Penfolds Grange experience as “buoyant, almost ethereal". This pretty well encapsulates the hopes of sellers and the desire of buyers!
About Penfolds Grange
"Penfolds Grange is an Australian icon – a National Trust Heritage-listed wine which captures both a ‘sense of country’ and the essence of Australian agricultural ingenuity and innovation. The story of Grange is steeped in the Australian ethos. Max Schubert, the creator of Grange, is an Australian folk hero – a man who battled against the odds and then succeeded in creating one of the very great wines of the world. Penfolds Grange is totally unique. It is a beautifully seductive, richly concentrated wine which evokes the spirit of the Australian landscape, its natural affinity with Shiraz and Penfolds remarkable winemaking philosophy. Each vintage of Penfolds Grange, each with its own vintage character, continually evolves and surprises. The best vintages can last for 50 years – and perhaps beyond – as this Rewards of Patience tasting proves." from Penfolds The Rewards of Patience 5th edition, 2004 by Andrew Caillard MW
Penfolds Announces Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics for 2004
Penfolds has announced the upcoming dates of its internationally acclaimed Penfolds Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics.
This is the ninth series and thirteenth year of the Penfolds Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics, the ultimate in after-sales service. Penfolds Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics offer the owners of Penfolds wines which are 15 years and older the opportunity to have their wines assessed by a winemaker, and, if necessary, opened, tasted, topped up and re-capsuled on the spot. As well as a wine ‘health check’ the Penfolds Wine Clinics provide an opportunity for Penfolds wine enthusiasts to get a market appraisal of their wines from Langton's.
This year Penfolds Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics will be held in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Brisbane – Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 September 2004
Sheraton Brisbane Hotel, 249 Turbot Street, Brisbane
Sydney – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 September 2004
Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay, 30 Pitt St, Sydney
Melbourne – Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 September 2004
Crown Towers, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Adelaide – Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 September 2004
Penfolds Magill Estate, 78 Penfold Rd, Magill
Following on from the success of the Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics in London in 2001 and New York and Chicago in 2003, Penfolds is planning to hold another Clinic in London in October 2004, times and venues are yet to be confirmed.
Registrations close two weeks before each Clinic. To register and to receive a copy of the Penfolds Wine Clinic Terms & Conditions please contact –
Penfolds Consumer Relations
PO Box 366
Artarmon NSW 1570
Australia
Phone (Aust) – 1300 651 650
Phone (NZ) – 0800 651 650
Penfolds Grange Auction Wines
(all price estimates are in Australian dollars)
1951 – $40-50,000
The first experimental Grange, it is extremely rare. A valuable collector’s item because of its historic significance. Rare hand blown bottles. The wine itself is past its peak although some bottles still have fruit sweetness and flavour length. The wine has largely a dull, tawny colour and skeletal palate structure with little flesh and fading tannins.
100% Shiraz. Released as Bin 1. 50% Magill Estate, 50% Morphett Vale (Adelaide environs). A hot, very dry growing season. 160 cases/5 hogsheads made.
1952 – $15-22,000
Bin 4. First commercial vintage. Medium deep colour. Intense lifted dark chocolate aromas with some leather spice notes and meaty nuances. A hint of volatility. The palate is still well-concentrated with plenty of chocolate dark berry fruit flavours and fine supple tannins. Acidity slightly at the fore but still heaps of fruit sweetness. A fabulous bottle! Very rare.
100% Shiraz. 50% Magill Estate, 50% Morphett Vale. Average growing season with normal rainfall conditions. Around 100/150 cases made at less than $1 a bottle at release. Some half bottles were also released. Released also as Bin 4A.
1953 – $14-20,000
Bin 2. Medium deep brick red. Beautifully defined and complex mocha/lanolin/liquorice/aniseed aromas. Elegantly proportioned wine with concentrated toasty/mocha/cedar flavours and finely grained tannins finishing a touch grippy. A seriously lovely old wine. Still holding up brilliantly well. Very rare.
87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley). 260 cases made. Some half bottles (375ml) were released. First vintage and from 1953 uninterrupted use of Kalimna fruit hence the term ‘mother vineyard’. Released also as Bins 10, 86C and 145.
1954 – $14-18,000
Bin 11. Medium deep brick red. Very evolved cashew nut/chocolate aromas and some aniseed nuances. Volatile Acidity (VA) pokes through. The palate is slightly dried out with herb garden/toasted nut fruit characters pronounced leafy tannins building up quite firm. Excellent concentration and flavour length. Very rare.
98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate and Kalimna Vineyard. Only nine months in oak. Cool to mild growing season followed by a mild to warm vintage. Released also as Bin 12.
1955 – $2,500-3,500
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. Bright red cherry/black forest aromas with some coffee/leafy characters. An elegant, restrained, but well-balanced wine with concentrated redcurrant/red cherry fruit, some vellum/mocha characters and loose knit leafy tannins. Finishes firm with plenty of flavour length. Increasingly rare.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale, Kalimna Vineyard and McLaren Vale blend. The most decorated Grange, a favourite of Max Schubert’s. Mild to warm growing conditions interrupted by above average rainfall. A warm dry vintage followed. Chosen by the US publication Wine Spectator as a ‘Wine of the Millennium’. Released also as Bins 13, 14, 53, 54 & 148A.
1956 – $14-18,000
Bin 14. Medium brick red. Complex over-developed rusty/leather/parchment/vellum aromas with some hints of dark chocolate. Medium concentrated wine with rusty/mocha/dark chocolate flavours, sweet lacy tannins which firm up towards the finish. Very rare.
96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and Kalimna Vineyard. Only nine months in oak. A cool mild growing season. Released also as Bin 53.
1957 – $15-20,000
Bin 50. Deep brick red. Sweet leather/tobacco aromas with some liquorice/toasted nuts nuances. Plenty of sweet fruit and VA lift. The palate is loose-knit with mature dark chocolate/ herb garden/tobacco/leather characters and supple but drying tannins. Strong acidity on the back palate. Fading. Very rare.
88% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and McLaren Vale. A so-called ‘hidden Grange’ because the wine was made without the knowledge of Penfolds management who had ordered Max Schubert to cease production. Matured in previous year’s Grange barrels. A mild dry growing season. Released also as Bin 113.
1958 – $14-19,000
Bin 46. Deep brick red. Over-developed baked plum/toffee aromas and touches of coffee/spice. Burnt coffee/baked fruit flavours, sinewy/leafy tannins and firm tight finish. Seen better days. Very rare.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale, Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. A ‘hidden Grange’. Mild to warm growing season. Released also as Bins 47, 49 &14.
1959 – $2,500-3,500
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Saline/dark cherry/chocolate aromas with some menthol/barnyardy nuances. The palate is rich and concentrated with dark cherry/barnyardy/liquorice fruit, fine brittle tannins, some malty oak characters, finishing quite firm and dry. Increasingly rare.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and Kalimna Vineyard. Cool to mild growing season followed by a warm dry vintage. Released also as Bins 46 & 49.
1960 – $1,000-1,400
Bin 95. Medium brick red. Fresh perfumed toasty/smoky/redcurrant aromas with some meaty/apricot complexity. An elegant slinky palate with smoky/mocha/coffee flavours, fine lacy tannins, marvellous concentration and flavour length. Lovely wine. Increasingly rare.
92% Shiraz, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and Kalimna Vineyard. A hot dry growing season. Released also as Bin 49.
1961 – $1,100-1,500
Bin 95. Medium brick red. Complex and lifted leather/vellum/mocha aromas with some bitumen notes and underlying vanilla/malt complexity. Fresh leather/vellum/toasted nut flavours and fine tannins but fades towards the finish. Pronounced VA. Increasingly rare.
88% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Morphett Vale, Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide), Kalimna Vineyard and Coonawarra. A hot, dry growing season followed by hot vintage conditions. Released also as Bin 395.
1962 – $800-1,200
Bin 95. Deep red brick. Beautifully intense chocolate coffee/mocha aromas with some molasses/vellum/musky notes. The palate is rich and generous with coffee/mocha fruit flavours and toasty/malty nuances. The tannins are sweet and velvety but finish firm. An incredibly well balanced wine with superb fruit sweetness and flavour length. A classic Grange vintage. Increasingly rare.
87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Kalimna Vineyard and Adelaide Hills. Barossa Valley fruit becomes an ascendant component. An ideal warm (fairly dry) growing season followed by a warm, dry vintage. Released also as Bins 59, 59A and 456.
1963 – $1,100-1,500
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Immensely complex and superbly balanced wine with perfumed dark chocolate/mocha/mineral/wetstone/ aromas and floral/camomile notes. A rich supple, fruit sweet palate with volumes of dark chocolate/mocha/demi-glace flavours and balanced by ripe textured lacy tannins. Lovely sweet-fruit with tremendous concentration and flavour length. A wonderful vintage. Increasingly rare.
100% Shiraz. Kalimna Vineyard, Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and Modbury Vineyard. A warm, dry growing season. Released also as Bin 65.
1964 – $700-1,000
Bin 95. Medium brick red. Coffee, vegetal undergrowth aromas with some liquorice/dark chocolate/aniseed nuances. Restrained but well concentrated wine with developed coffee/leafy/vegetal/earthy flavours and loose-knit tannins. Finishes chalky and dry. Loosing its fruit sweetness. An elegant style with a clean dry finish. Increasingly rare.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Magill Estate, Kalimna Vineyard and Barossa Valley. A wet growing season followed by a fine cool vintage. Released also as Bins 395, 66, 67 and 68.
1965 – $700-1,000
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. Intense menthol/leafy/briary/mushroom aromas and flavours. The palate is still rich and generous with fine slinky tannins finishing quite chalky and tight. Fruit is beginning to fade and acidity pokes out at the finish. Increasingly rare.
95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and McLaren Vale. Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner at the Melbourne Show. A warm dry growing season. Released also as Bins 69, 70 and 71.
1966 – $500-800
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. A classic Grange year. Increasingly rare. Very complex well developed wine with musky/sweet fruit aromas and touches of chocolate/menthol/leather. A ripe supple palate with deep set mocha/liquorice/nougat flavours and fine gravely tannins. Finishes chalky firm. Well balanced lovely wine.
88% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Morphett Vale blend. A dry growing season was followed by an ideal warm vintage.
Released also as Bins 71 and 72.
1967 – $300-500
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Intense cedar/chocolate box/leafy aromas with some undergrowth/earthy notes. The palate is richly flavoured and succulent with sweet dark chocolate/dried plum/tobacco flavours and ripe lacy tannins finishing long and sweet.
94% Shiraz 6%, Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Magill Estate. Won the Jimmy Watson Trophy at the Melbourne Show. A generally dry growing season followed by a warm vintage. Released also as Bin 74.
1968 – $300-500
Bin 95. Medium brick red. Lifted prune/liquorice/baked earth aromas with some vegetal/vegemite nuances. The palate is well concentrated with prune/earthy flavours and pronounced leafy tannins. Tannins build up thick and dry at the finish. Beginning to dry out.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra. A hot dry vintage with only intermittent rains during the growing season. Released also as Bin 826.
1969 – $250-350
Bin 95. Medium brick red. Intense liquorice/earthy/dark chocolate aromas with some leafy menthol notes. Complex well-developed wine with sweet fruit/earthy/liquorice/dark chocolate flavours and fine ripe tannins. Finishes quite firm. A surprise considering the vintage. Just a hint of fruit sweetness.
95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Clare Valley, Morphett Vale and Coonawarra. Mild, wet conditions prevailed during the growing season and vintage. Released also as Bin 826.
1970 – $220-300
Bin 95. Medium brick red. Loose-knit leafy/coffee/briary/sous-bois aromas and hints of menthol/truffles. The palate is quite sinewy and restrained with some truffley/mocha flavours and menthol notes. The tannins are leafy and bitter at the finish although there's still some fruit richness on the mid palate. Beginning to lose fruit.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and Magill Estate. A dry, mild growing season and vintage.
1971 – $550-700
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. Wonderfully complex wine. Intense liquorice/mocha/meaty/smoky bacon aromas with some wet bitumen nuances and camomile notes. Beautifully concentrated and balanced palate with deep-set sweet fruit/mocha/smoky/mushroom flavours and fine loose-knit tannins. Finishes long and sweet. Still holding up well. A great Grange – reminiscent of the 1953.
87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. “If you had to point to a wine which fulfilled the ambitions of Grange it would have to be the 1971.” – Max Schubert, 1993. Topped the Gault-Millau Wine Olympiad in Paris in 1979, creating a sensation. Ideal, generally warm conditions throughout the growing season and vintage.
1972 – $230-330
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. Intense liquorice/dark chocolate/blackberry aromas with some herb garden nuances. The palate is loose-knit with chocolate/herb/camomile flavours and fine, almost sappy green, tannins. Finishes firm and tight with noticeable VA. A lovely elegant wine.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Modbury Vineyard and Coonawarra. A very good Grange vintage. However a single batch was unintentionally oxidized before bottling resulting in significant bottle variation. A mild, dry growing season and vintage.
1973 – $230-330
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. Developed orange marmalade/mushroom aromas and flavours. The palate is medium concentrated and beginning to dry out with orange marmalade/mocha fruit flavours and fine drying/sinewy tannins. Fruit is fading.
98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard. A dry growing season followed by a cool vintage. Last vintage made in open wax-lined concrete fermenters (completed in barrel) at Magill Estate.
1974 – $450-550
Bin 95. Medium deep brick red. Redcurrant/berry/menthol aromas with some mocha/leafy characters. Deep-set mocha/redcurrant flavours and fine chalky/brittle tannins. A little underpowered for Grange but still holding up well.
93% Shiraz, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and Magill Estate. Winemaking transferred to Nuriootpa. Vinification in stainless steel tanks, completed in barrel. A very wet growing season made more difficult by the outbreak of downy mildew just prior to harvest.
1975 – $240-300
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Complex wet bitumen/sweet tar/liquorice aromas with vanilla/leafy notes. A rich powerfully concentrated wine with sweet demi-glace/tar/vanilla flavours and tough/muscular tannins. Finishes firm but plenty of fruit sweetness and flavour length. A dark horse.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and Coonawarra. A cool summer was followed by a mild dry vintage.
1976 – $500-600
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Rich liquorice/aniseed dark chocolate aromas and pane forte/sous bois/demi-glace nuances. Lovely concentrated wine with dark chocolate/pane forte/cedar flavours, fine supple tannins and superb flavour length. Power and finesse. A great Grange vintage.
89% Shiraz, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard. The 25th anniversary of Grange. Max Schubert considered it, “More in the old style: a good vintage”. These days it is regarded as a great vintage. First Australian wine to cross the $20 barrier at release. An ideal warm, dry growing season.
1977 – $240-300
Bin 95. Deep brick red. High pitched menthol/bitumen aromas with touches of leather and spice. Quite forward on the palate with concentrated leather/allspice/bitumen flavours and fine sappy tannins. Finishes chalky and firm but good overall fruit sweetness.
91% Shiraz, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Clare Valley. Cool, mild conditions prevailed during the growing season.
1978 – $280-380
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Sweet prune/chocolate/earthy/tobacco aromas with malty/apricot notes. Rich ripe generously proportioned wine with plenty of sweet fruit/prune/dark chocolate/earthy flavours, fine gravel tannins and malty/savoury/demi-glace complexity. A very good Grange year.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. A warm, dry growing season followed by mild vintage conditions.
1979 – $240-300
Bin 95. Deep brick red. Intense aromas of ripe chocolate/rum/prunes and dried fruits. The palate is rich and generous with deepset dark chocolate/mocha fruit, fine sinewy tannins, lovely concentration and plenty of flavour length.
87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Magill Estate and McLaren Vale. An unusual wet (but hot) growing season. Magnums first released. Last vintage to use off-white foil capsules.
1980 – $230-300
Bin 95. Deep crimson brick red. Intense liquorice/menthol/dark chocolate aromas with some dried apricot/raisin characters. The palate is quite austere with some bitter chocolate/raisin fruit and fine leafy tannins. Fruit tapers off leaving a very chalky firm finish.
96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Magill Estate, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. A fine, warm growing season followed by a cool but late vintage.
1981 – $230-300
Bin 95. Deep crimson brick red. Liquorice/dried fruit/ dark chocolate/ grilled nut aromas with hint of vanilla/rum notes (American Oak). The palate is dense with dark chocolate/rum/raisin fruit, soupy thick tannins finishing firm and chalky. Plenty of concentration and flavour length. Will it ever soften out?
89% Shiraz, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Modbury Vineyard, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. A warm too hot, drought effected summer followed by a warm, dry vintage.
1982 – $220-280
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Intense malty/blackberry confit/cordial aromas with touch of herb garden. Rich ripe blackberry/chocolate/malt flavours and fine grainy tannins. Builds up firm and tight. An oddity – distinctively Grange, but lacks finesse.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Modbury Vineyard and Clare Valley. A mild growing season followed by a hot vintage. Most 1982 Penfolds wines have a particular vintage character, often described as exaggerated ripe fruit!
1983 – $300-400
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Voluptuous/mocha/berry aromas with some liquorice/violet/gardenia notes. The palate is ripe and generously proportioned with mocha/dark berry/chocolate flavours, some apricot/dried fruit nuances, dense fine loose-knit/lacy tannins finishing chalky firm. Ageing beautifully. A superbly concentrated wine. A great Grange vintage.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Modbury Vineyard. A bizarre growing season marked by drought, the Ash Wednesday bushfires and March flooding. A very low yielding vintage resulting in wine of immense concentration.
1984 – $240-300
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Complex meaty/gamey/nougat aromas with some blackberry/chocolate characters. Smooth seductive ripe well-concentrated palate with blackberry/chocolate flavours, underlying malty oak, fine supple long tannins and plenty of flavour length. A really well balanced, delicious wine.
95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. A cool growing season followed by a cool, dry late vintage.
1985 – $220-280
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Intense sweet violet/meaty/camomile/consommé aromas. The palate is elegant/restrained with smoky/meaty/violet/mocha flavours and fine loose-knit plentiful tannins. Finishes long and sweet.
99% Shiraz, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Modbury Vineyard. Cool to mild growing season and vintage punctuated by intermittent rains. Late rains delayed picking.
1986 – $450-550
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Classical Grange with rich chocolate/sweet fruit/liquorice aromas and hints of malty/vanilla oak. A powerfully concentrated but beautifully balanced wine with deepset blackberry/chocolate/liquorice fruit and some developed apricot complexity. The palate is laced with rum/vanilla/malty oak characters and balanced by fine gravel tannins. Finishes long and sweet. Brilliant wine.
87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Modbury Vineyard. A mild, relatively dry growing season and vintage. An important and very successful vintage.
1987 – $230-300
Bin 95. Medium crimson. Soupy/ dark chocolate/herb garden aromas with hints of leather/aniseed. The palate is quite thick and sinewy with dark chocolate/herb garden fruit, underlying oak and leafy/bitter tannins. Finishes very firm and tight. Acidity slightly at the fore. An elegant Grange.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and Mclaren Vale. A cool vintage marked by October hailstorms and variable yields.
1988 – $270-330
Bin 95. Medium crimson. Ethereal/perfumed chocolate/vanilla/sweet fruit aromas. The palate is well structured with plenty of dark chocolate/cedar box flavours, some fairly pronounced rum/malty oak characters and fine grainy slightly chunky tannins. Finishes firm but with plenty of fruit sweetness. An elegant style.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and McLaren Vale. Ideal growing season followed by a warm dry vintage.
1989 – $220-280
Bin 95. Medium crimson purple. Intense chocolate/rum/herb garden aromas and some dark cherry/cordial notes (reminiscent of 1982). The palate is well balanced with sweet chocolate/dark cherry/mocha/developed marmalade fruit, some exaggerated cordial characters, malty/rum American oak and fine long tannins.
91% Shiraz, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Extreme heat and heavy March rains followed an ideal, warm growing season.
1990 – $460-540
Bin 95. Deep crimson. An immensely concentrated wine with deep dark chocolate/rum and raisin/malty aromas and some camomile/redcurrant/violet nuances. The palate is rich and powerful with dark chocolate/prune/pane forte flavours, plenty of malty oak and pronounced but ripe granular tannins. Finishes long and sweet with a slick of tannins. Still very elemental with tremendous finesse and understated power.
95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. Voted ‘Red Wine of the Year’ by Wine Spectator magazine in December 1995. A very great Australian vintage with a perfect warm, dry, growing season and harvest.
1991 – $260-330
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Perfumed dark berry/chocolate/mocha aromas with some floral/violet characters. Exquisitely structured, beautifully balanced and concentrated wine with dark chocolate/demi-glace fruit, savoury/malty oak, some minerally notes and fine grained long tannins. Finishes firm but with superb flavour length. Lies in the shadow - by reputation - but more evolved and interesting than the 1990 at this stage. Another great Grange vintage.
95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. A warm, dry year with even ripening conditions. Vintage started early.
1992 – $220-280
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Intense plummy/red berry/ liquorice/aniseed aromas with some underlying oak. Well rounded palate with ripe plummy/mocha fruit and fine supple tannins. Finishes firm and chalky but good flavour length.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale. A cool to mild growing season marked by intermittent rains.
1993 – $230-280
Bin 95. Deep crimson. An earlier maturing wine from the latest Grange vintage on record. Exotic camomile/apricot/dried plum aromas and some chocolate nuances. The palate is rich and viscous with mocha/apricot fruit flavours and fine grainy tannins finishing firm and long. A really nice wine but not of the blockbuster ilk.
86% Shiraz, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and Coonawarra. A very wet growing season was followed by warm, drier conditions resulting in a very late but sound quality vintage fruit. An Indian Summer in Coonawarra delivered fully ripened fruit.
1994 – $280-330
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Blackberry/raspberry/pane forte aromas with faint menthol notes. The palate is well concentrated and richly flavoured with blackberry/liquorice/pane forte fruit, ripe thick granular tannins and underlying oak. Finishes firm with excellent flavour length.
89% Shiraz 11%, Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Mclaren Vale and Coonawarra. A dry, mild even-ripening vintage in the Barossa. Intermittent rains but mild conditions in McLaren Vale and a warm, dry autumn in Coonawarra delivered a very high quality vintage.
1995 – $200-260
Bin 95. Deep crimson. Rich ripe blackberry/chocolate/herb garden/mint aromas with some cedary complexity. Medium concentrated palate with mulberry/cedar/mocha fruit and leafy fine tannins. Finishes firm and chalky.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley and Magill Estate. A period of drought and September frosts reduced potential yields. Warm, dry conditions prevailed until late March/early April when a cooler weather pattern marked by drizzle set in.
1996 – $280-340
Bin 95. Deep crimson purple. Decadently opulent chocolate/blackberry/currant/camomile aromas and meaty/malty nuances. The palate is restrained power with rich sweet concentrated dark chocolate/plum/cedar flavours and fine grainy/chocolaty tannins. A beautifully balanced wine with underlying savoury oak and plenty of flavour length. Classic Grange.
94% Shiraz, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Magill Estate. After superb winter rainfall soil moistures improved. This was followed by mild weather and dry weather conditions resulting in a vintage of exceptional quality.
1997 – $200-250
Bin 95. Deep opaque crimson. Very fragrant with chocolate/mocha/rum aromas and some herbal notes. The palate is quite thick and soupy with deep set chocolate/blackberry fruit, pronounced rum/tropical oak characters and bitter leafy tannins. Finishes lean and muscular.
96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Bordertown. Late spring rains followed a generally wet winter. Generally dry, cool conditions prevailed during October and November. A hot burst of weather arrived during summer but cooler temperatures and a week of rain during February slowed down ripening. A warm, dry period followed over vintage.
1998 – $450-550
Bin 95. Deep purple crimson. An incredibly lavish wine with juicy rich ripe musky/chocoberry aromas and spicy/malt/apricot nuances. The palate is decadently rich and beautifully concentrated with deepset plummy/musky/chocolate fruit, plenty of underlying malt oak characters, fine slinky tannins and superb flavour length. Still unevolved but wonderfully balanced, sumptuous wine with all the hallmarks of a great long-living Grange.
97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate and Padthaway. A mild, early growing season was followed by very hot, dry weather with virtually all dam water reserves exhausted. An exceptional vintage.
1999 – $350-400
Bin 95. Deep purple crimson. An astonishingly lovely wine with really fragrant plum/prune/tobacco/aniseed aromas, apricot nuances and meaty complexity. The palate is deeply concentrated with curtains of plum apricot fruit, fine supple tannins, beautifully integrated malty oak and superb flavour length. It is certainly a most seductive wine with plenty of cellaring potential. A classic Grange reflecting the sheer class of the 1999 Barossa vintage.
100% Shiraz. Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, McLaren Vale and Padthaway. Dry winter conditions were followed by intermittent rains. Rain fell during November and December but just enough to maintain healthy vines. The Barossa and McLaren Vale experienced heavy rains in March and ripening slowed. Despite this, vineyards with good drainage produced fruit of exceptional quality. Padthaway escaped the burden of March rain and experienced a great vintage.
2000
Deep purple crimson. 50th Vintage. Cedar wood/menthol/raspberry confit aromas with some wet bitumen notes. Cedar wood/raspberry flavours, some malty/savoury oak characters, fine chalky tannins finishing quite firm but good overall flavour length. A touch austere and underpowered for Grange. Will attract some controversy but reflects vintage conditions. Unquestionably should have been made, but not a great vintage. A small Grange vintage.
100% Shiraz. Kalimna Vineyard and Barossa Valley. After a dry, cool spring and a warm, sometimes hot summer, rains fell in late February/March resulting in a difficult year.
For more information please contact us.
Stewart Langton, Andrew Caillard MW & Tamara Grischy
|
|
|
 |
News Archive
Langton's Classification V Set
Len Evans Foundation Auction
Behind Bindi: The Life of a Winemaker
Champagne –all about marketing or worth the hype?
London Launch of Burgundies 2011
The State of New Zealand Pinot Noir
Beauty and Balance the Razor's Edge
Yalumba Tasting – Aussie Rules
Hospices de Beaune Auction 2012
Langton's Classification Auction 2012
Hill of Grace 50th Anniversary Lunch
History of Langton's Classification
Melbourne Private Cellar - An Extraordinary Auction
Dr Ray Beckwith OAM - a Tribute
The Future of the Australian Wine Show System
The Jura's famous yellow wine
Clonakilla - A special Shiraz Viognier Tasting
Key News - September 2012
October Langton's Cellar Club
Single Vendor Flood Damaged Auction
Robert Parker & Jancis Robinson MW
A great Burgundian domaine restored
Seppelt Para Liqueur Vintage Tawny Collection - Special Auction
Vega-Sicilia - A special Single Vendor Auction
Opera Australia Christmas Auction
Out of the Blue Comes a Farm
The competitive Mr. Basset OBE, MW, Best Sommelier in the World
Uncorking Penfolds Clinic
Fruit of the Forest: Wild Fungi
Innovation and Experimentation
The Risk Taking Wine Psychologist
Sydney Single Vendor Auction
Hill of Grace 50th Anniversary Lunch
Australia's Top 100 Auction Wines for 2011
Grenache Day Blogger's Breakfast
A French Sleeping Beauty Awakes
Black Blue & Grey-Wolf Blass Luxury Release
An Enviable Inharitance - Olivier Leflaive
Key News - December Edition
Cross[x]Species Adventures
The China Syndrome: Shanghai International Wine Challenge 2011
Christmas and another great vintage in Alsace
Down in the Woods: Franciacorta and Ca' del Bosco
Foie gras and sweet wine in the Loire
Key News - October Edition
Bordeaux Masterclass & Dinner
Invisible Touch: Benchmark Chardonnay & Pinot Noir
Key News - September Edition
The Unsung Heros of the French Wine Harvest
Penfolds White Winemaking Overview
It's only Natural: Torbreck Natural Wine Project
On Organics, Biodynamics and Sustainable Viticulture
Key News - March 2011 Edition
Langtons is now on Twitter & Facebook
The Nine Network: Burgundy 2009
Key News -February 2011 Edition
2007 Hospices de Beaune Review
Penfolds Rewards of Patience - Decant Guide
The Drinks Interval: Wine & Cricket
Last outpost of the Bristish Empire
Trevor Mast Charity Auction
Shipping for the Festive Season 2010
Keys News - November Edition
From Northern Ireland to New Zealand: Te Mata Coleraine 2006-1991
Charity Lot - 123 Classified Wines
BUY CLASSIFICATION POSTER
Variations on a Theme: Coonawarra Reds 2006-1982
Key News -October Edition
Key News - September Edition
Flaming Ferrari: Yalumba the Signature and Single Site New Releases
Classification V - Coming Soon!
Key News - August Edition
Blood, Sweat & Tears: Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz 1987-2006
Bordeaux 2009 Reflections
A Perfect Ten? Bordeaux 2000 reassessed 10 years on
2005 Grange: Where do the Grapes come from?
Is it a Bird? A Plane? It's 707!
Meet the Winemakers Behind Today's Penfolds Great Reds
Bin Files: Penfolds 389 vs Grange
Treasured Bottles - Yarra Yering
The Evolution of New Zealand Pinot Noir
SINGLE VENDOR AUCTION DEC 2009
Opera Australia Christmas 2009 Auction
Classic Wines of Australia 1961-1970
Parker Review - Tuscany 2006 & 2007
French wine remains the worlds reference point
PINOSOPHY – Brian Croser’s Pinot Noir Manifesto
Penfolds Primary Reds Rise Above Stock Market Blues.
Langton’s Top 500 Australian Wine Prices 2007
The Great Wine Estates of Western Australia “2007 En-Primeur Campaign”
147 Vente Des Vins - Des Hospices de Beaune
LANGTON’S Classic PENFOLDS Wine Auction
Jasper Hill – The life and works of Ron and Elva Laughton
McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon – Hunter Valley
Robert Parker Jr.’s top 180 Wines of the 2006 Vintage + Andrew Caillard's Bordeaux Impressions
Opening Gambit - Andrew Caillard MW en route to Bordeaux
Heritage & Evolution: A Tasting
Certainty! The Claret Drinker's Song
Wine Investment – Swim between the flags
Penfolds Classified Wines
Classic Penfolds Wine Auction
The Siren’s Song – Bass Phillip
Exchange Current Listings
Andrew Caillard MW reviews Bordeaux 2005
Bordeaux 2005 – Does it get any better than this? What the international reviewers are saying
Nicky Riemer – the new Head Chef at Langton’s Restaurant
Langton's Exchange in 2006
Langton’s 2005 Classification IV – International Reception, Predictions and Tastings
Langton’s 2005 Classification IV – International Reception, Predictions and Tastings
LANGTON’S EXCHANGE – BUY NOW and SAVE 15%
Great Wines Estates of WA Live Auction (V) – Open for Bidding Online October 21 to November 12
Langton’s 2005 Classification IV
2005 Classification in Gourmet Traveller WINE
Bordeaux 2004 – A Classic Vintage
Penfolds Grange Auction – Now Open
MCWILLIAMS Celebrity Blend-Off for Charity Wine Auction
Grange Auction Open for Bidding
LANGTON’S EXCHANGE – BUY NOW!
1998: Vintage of the Century
A Vertical Tasting of De Bortoli Noble One
The Story of Grange by Max Schubert (1915–1994)
Penfolds Grange Auction June 13 - July 14, 2003
A Lazy Eye on Pink Cliffs & One Eye
Henschke Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone
Selling at Langton’s in 2003
Australian Wine Exchange offers Giaconda Chardonnay
Large Format Grange Sets Records
The Sensational 2002 Central Otago Pinot Noir Vintage
Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration and Barrel Auction
The John (Jack) W Henderson Collection - Auction Closes February 3, 6pm
Shiraz Australia II Auction
Seppelt Para 100 Year Old Liqueur Vintage Tawny Barossa Valley - Vintages 1878-1903
|