1986 Penfolds Grange Hermitage

Note: Bottle has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scratches on the capsule.

The Monster of Australian Shiraz, with many many years of cellaring in front of it. Totally opaque in colour with black crimson hue. Perfumed nose, slowly evolving, with aroma of violets, vanilla, confectionary and ripe plums. Monumental palate structure and flavour – no way is this wine going to yield all just yet. The depth and concentration is very evident. Plum, spice, liquorice and vanilla are on the surface, but more to evolve over the next decade. Dry tannins, but balanced. Very long aftertaste of plum, spice and vanilla.
Alc/Vol: 14.0% approx

First Tasted:  November 2001

The below tasting notes were made at the 50th Anniversary Dinner of Penfolds Grange at Magill in South Australia on November 26th 2001. They were written in less than ideal tasting conditions. The pomp and ceremony of the occasion and low level lighting, together with the constant chatter on the table, all made a less than perfect tasting environment. I am sure, many of the wines would have scored a point or two higher under perfect tasting conditions and, thus the notes are to be read with this proviso in mind. - Nick Chlebnikowski A baby, and one of the all time Great Granges. Opaque, brick red colour. Powerful nose, with aroma of prune, blackberry, spice and liquorice. Still very youthful with no signs of tertiary aroma at this stage. Mouthfilling palate, a concentrate of Shiraz. Outstanding depth, with flavours of blackberry, cedar and spice dominant. Perfect tannins, followed by very long aftertaste.Cellar 10-12 years (2012-2014)Alc/Vol: 13.7% RATING: 94/100 VALUE: XXXX/5

Notes Sourced from The Rewards of Patience - Fifth Edition (2004):
Drinking Window: Now – 2030+
Deep crimson. Immensely rich and powerful dark chocolate/mocha/cedar/cigar box aromas. The palate is sumptuously concentrated with dark chocolate/blackberry/dried fig fruit, plenty of malty oak, massive sweet, dense, ripe tannins and superb flavour length. A very great Grange vintage.
87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide). A mild, relatively dry growing season and vintage. An important and very successful vintage.

Notes sourced from Southcorp.

Regional sources: Kalimna (Barossa Valley, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale & Modbury (Adelaide Plains)

Grape varieties: 87% Shiraz & 13% Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol: 13.9% Total acids: 7.1 grams per litre. pH: 3.41

Growing season/vintage: Mild, relatively dry conditions throughout both growing season and harvest. A vintage of outstanding quality.

Comments: Considered the best Grange of the 1980s, from an outstanding vintage. Rated 98/100 points by Robert Parker in 1990. Don Ditter retired as Chief Winemaker in 1986, and was succeeded by John Duval, who had joined Penfolds 12 years before, in 1974.

Tasting notes: Immensely powerful and concentrated... Rich and chewy fruit dominates the mid-palate before persistent but fine tannins take over. It is a wine that will pass the year 2000 with contemptuous ease. (James Halliday, Weekend Australian, Dec. 1988)

An extraordinary wine with an intense chocolatey, cherryish flavour and sackloads of spice. It is tannic, but so ripely so that anyone with a taste for infanticide could drink it pleasurably right now. (Robert Joseph, WINE [UK], June 1992)

Magnificent... Australia's premier red wine. Lush and concentrated with cassis and plum, earth, oak and dense texture. (Anthony Dias Blue, Top 10 Red Wines of 1992)

An elegant Grange but quite full-bodied and will undoubtedly be long-lived. Deep red, still with a hint of purple. Lots of coffee and vanilla scents from oak, with perfectly ripened berry fruit. Slightly smoky from barrel fermentation and high-toast oak. Big, strong, toasty, plummy flavour, good balance and firm, fine-grained tannin. Marvellous depth and already quite complex. Should be magic in a decade. Drink 2000-2020. (Huon Hooke, 1993)

Intensely concentrated and "focused" wine with luscious, meaty, dark cherry and plum-like aromas. The palate is richly textured with smoky, dark berry, chocolate and licorice flavours and round, mouthfilling, gripping tannins. A harmonious whole, this wine combines power, structure and concentration. The epitome of Grange. (Rewards of Patience, 3rd ed., 1994)

Sensational. Rich, powerful impact in the mouth and a balance that is more than the harmony of tannin and fruit. Rich, fleshy, dense and firm. Will be long-lived. (Ultimate Grange Experience, Nov. 1994)

"Medium-full purple/red. Superbly intense and balanced, with all the hallmarks of longevity and greatness. Still shows smooth, plum/cherry fruit with touches of fig and liquorice. Immensely concentrated, with deeply-set liquorice/prune fruit and some dried fig characters, lovely fine-grained tannins, underlying spice and long finish. Adolescent, yet close to perfection. Yet to flower fully. Drink 2005 to 2025." (Southcorp Wines, The Rewards of Patience, Fourth Edition, March 2000)