1997 penfolds, grange, south australia

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Bottle size (ML)

Why We're Buying

The Penfolds Grange wine is not just the flagship wine of Penfolds; it’s the flagship wine of Australia. Grange represents one of the greatest red wines in the world, a marvelous blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. While Australia doesn't have a classification system like France, critics and producers widely consider it a first-growth caliber wine. The iconic blend, which has received six 100-point ratings over the years, retails for more than $600 per bottle.

Critics Scores

Wine Spectator

Not huge, more of a human-scale Grange, with beautiful plum and blueberry fruit that shines right through the long, crisp, fine-grained finish. A lovely wine, though it doesn't quite show the grandeur of great Grange vintages. Drink now through 2010. 10,000 cases made.

Wine Enthusiast

An excellent wine, but not an outstanding vintage for Grange, the 1997 seems a trifle loose-knit and less “packed” when compared to great vintages in the past. Black plums and blackberries are laced with dried spices and vanilla. Give it some time to knit together and drink from 2005–2015.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 1997 Grange (a blend of 96 Shiraz and 4 Cabernet Sauvignon) looks to be a classic Grange, although slightly softer and more forward than the backward 1996. The saturated purple-colored 1997 offers a gorgeously sweet nose of blackberry liqueur, cherries, camphor, chocolate, plums, and mocha. The wine is opulently-textured, extremely soft, layered, and seductive, with Grange's tell-tale personality well-displayed, but in a seamless, seductive style. This is a superb Grange that can hold its own against the more heralded 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2022.