Today, for the second time, I tasted the 2000 vintage of Penfolds Grange, the wine that virtually without challenge still occupies the position of Australia’s most prestigious wine label and brand. The first time I tasted it was at the most recent Rewards of Patience tasting, when perhaps for the last time ever, Penfolds staged a complete vertical tasting of the wine. I walked away from the event with the firm conviction that while Grange fully deserved its status, the 2000 vintage didn’t deserve to be called Grange. I don’t remember being asked to comment on the 2000 wine, but I couldn’t help myself. Paraphrased, my remarks to the assembled litany of illustrious former Penfolds winemakers, the current team, invited overseas panel guests and distinguished Australian wine critics were that not only was the 2000 Grange well short of the expected standard, but that the wine should never be released under that label. The response from the Penfolds side was very much a collected and united one. Grange is always released, year after year. That way its consumers can experience the difference between vintages. And besides, it has never missed a year since its debut 1952 vintage. The notion that the very tasting which preceded these remarks suggested that some lesser vintages might have indeed been themselves fortuituously culled, was entirely missed by the group. My comment was that as a wine critic my role is to inform and protect the consumer, and in the event of the release of this wine, I would have no alternative but to be extremely critical about it. The broad reaction to this was that for whatever reason only a small quantity was being released, which from the Penfolds perspective would minimise any problem involved. What the collective who accepted this view had entirely failed to grasp was that history shows that the smallest releases of Grange – which are typically amongst the least of the vintages – today attract the highest prices in the marketplace. People need them to complete their sets. So, one of the worst Granges ever made is being set on a course by its makers to ensure that it will become one of the most expensive. What this will do to the credibility of the label and for Australian wine in general is anyone’s guess. I still hope that commonsense will prevail at Southcorp, and instead of releasing a painfully inadequate wine bearing Australia’s most sought-after label at stratospheric prices, that the powers in control will change their minds. By doing so they would add considerable strength and credibility to the names of Grange and Penfolds, each of which are otherwise squarely destined for serious re-evaluation. Personally, I’d find nothing other than admiration for Penfolds if they said that despite five decades of tradition, they’re prepared to make a 100% commitment to delivering genuine quality to their buyers. What I would say, had I spent nearly $400 post-tax dollars on a bottle, would not make for G-rated listening. So, what does it taste like? Cooked, meaty and green-rimmed soupy shiraz is reliant on the best American oak money can buy for its palate sweetness and length. It has already dried out somewhat in the time since I last tasted it. The tannins are heavily worked, beefed up and blocky, well beyond the fruit’s ability to provide balance and harmony. I would be very surprised indeed if it lasted any more than another three to five years in the bottle. Today it rated 16.2, drink 2005-2008+. A very experienced winemaker who tasted it (blind) with me said I was being generous. Southcorp has done much of late that has restored its reputation as a maker of cutting-edge Australian wine. Its efforts with the Seppelt brand are nothing less than spectacular. Perhaps it’s asking too much, but couldn’t it just wait for the 2001 Grange, which easily handles the label’s expectations and reputation? Link to tasting note for 2000 Grange
