Penfolds - Grange - 1961

Penfolds Grange Shiraz (Hermitage) 1961 was made using a blend of 88 percent shiraz and 12 percent cabernet sauvignon. Grapes were grown in the Barossa Valley (Kalimna Vineyard and other), Coonawarra, at Morphett Vale (Adelaide), Modbury (Adelaide) and on the Magill Estate vineyard in Adelaide. It was a hot vintage. Great. Sturdy, beefy, a bit macho – a Tarzan of Grange, swinging from flavour to flavour with a Weismuller physique. Great husky tannin, the type that make tannin-lovers gush. Heaps of leathery flavour. Spice and coffee, thoroughly interwoven. I adore it. It must be nearing its run, but the best bottles will still have a fair bit of life left in them. The bottle tasted here showed no signs of drying out and/or fading. 94 Points/Drink 2010-2020 - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front