Campbell Mattinson 94 points!
The hallmark of this wine is its powerful fruit intensity, superb length and typical Grange complexity, showing integrated fruit and oak flavours which are very persistent, reflecting the exceptional quality of the 1988 vintage.
Sourced from premium vineyards in South Australia, the 1988 Penfolds Grange is predominantly Shiraz (Hermitage) with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. A classic Grange, from an outstanding vintage year, the 1988 will develop superbly over the next 20 years.
Matured in new American oak hogsheads for 18 months. Deep plum-red in colour with youthful purple hues. A complex bouquet featuring opulent, ripe Shiraz berry fruit characters, ranging from soft, earthy nuances through to spice, cherry and plum fragrances, combined with traditional new barrel fermentation characters and vanillin American oak complexity.
This is a full bodied, richly flavoured and complex wine, exemplifying the uniqueness of Grange Hermitage. Concentrated, ripe plum and spicy berry fruit Shiraz flavours are complemented by soft fruit and oak tannins, firm astringency and balanced acidity, integrated with distinctive oak - a feature of the style. Alc/Vol: 13.5% . Peak drinking period now until 2015. Notes sourced from Penfolds.
"A blend of 94% Shiraz and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, this was considered to be "an uncharacteristically soft, fruity Grange." Everyone at the tasting agreed with those comments. This wine shows a syrupy creme de cassis, earthy note, some pepper, and caramel. It is somewhat soft and accessible for such a relatively young Grange, but there is plenty of structure and tannin in the finish. It is certainly perfumed and more evolved than some of its siblings that are actually older, chronologically speaking. This wine has sweet, full-bodied, plum, cherry, and cassis flavors, with some distinct truffle and asphalt notes. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016."
eRobertParker Only (Feb 2002)
Campbell Mattinson 94 points!"Sweet hit of fruity blackberry through the palate, bolstered by mint and blackcurrant. Regulation fruit flavour, prettied up by rose-like nuances. Very much like the tannin structure. Apart from the gentle run of mint, I reckon this is a very fine Grange. Elegant, lingering, structured control."
Campbell Mattinson, Wine Front August " October 2007
Country:
Australia
Region:
SA-(Other)
Variety:
Wine Red - Shiraz
Size:
1500mL
