Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 1989

Penfold's Grange is Australia's most revered wine, and its creation represents a distillation of Max Schubert's ambition for Australian wine. Schubert joined Penfolds as a messenger boy in 1931 and by 1948, he became Penfolds' first Chief Winemaker. In the latter part of 1950, Schubert was sent to Europe to investigate winemaking practices in Spain and 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. Combining traditional Australian techniques, inspiration from Europe and precision winemaking practices developed at Penfolds, Schubert made his first experimental wine in 1951. In 1957, 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. Max continued to craft his Grange vintages in secret, hiding three vintages '57, '58 and '59, in the 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. 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 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz 1989 is a medium crimson wine that exudes French plum and musky tea-like aromas, with a dash of liquorice. This lovely anytime drinking Grange offers redcurrant confit and blackcurrant pastille flavors that explode with fruity sweetness, complemented by underlying vanilla oak and chocolate. The dry silky tannins provide a perfect balance to the flavors, making this wine a truly exquisite experience. As Australia's most famous wine, Penfolds Bin 95 Grange Shiraz is known for its superb fruit complexity and flavor richness. This exquisitely perfumed and concentrated wine combines the intensely rich fruit and ripe tannins of Shiraz with the fragrance and complementary nuances of new, fine-grained American oak. In some years, a portion of Cabernet Sauvignon is added to enhance the aromatics and palate structure. The 1989 vintage marks the last vintage labelled as Grange Hermitage, with future vintages released as "Grange". This wine is at its peak drinking now until 2030. On the palate, this wine offers fresh dark chocolate, dark cherry, plum and panforte aromas with herb garden and sage notes. The well-concentrated, luscious wine has deep-set fleshy raspberry, dark plum and dark cherry fruits, beautiful fine chocolaty/vigorous tannins, mocha coconut oak complexity notes, attractive sweet fruit viscosity and soft but persistent acidity. The wine finishes chocolaty firm with blackcurrant pastille leafy notes, out-performing its vintage reputation considerably.