Penfolds - Grange - 1986 - Magnum

A current as well as future legend, this has long been considered by Penfolds' winemaking team as the greatest Grange of the 1980s. And why not? A blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, it tips the scales at nearly 14% alcohol. I have been fortunate to have this wine nearly a dozen times, and I have consistently rated it 96-100. It was virtually perfect in June, exhibiting an opaque purple color and a provocative nose of creme de cassis intermixed with smoke, chocolate, licorice, new saddle leather, and pepper. The wine is fleshy, massively concentrated, multi-dimensional with extraordinary power, beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, that seems to only occur in the greatest vintages. Moreover, the wine is still a baby and ideally in need of another 3-5 years of cellaring. This is a Grange to kill for. 99 Points/Drink 2005-2030 - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate Penfolds Grange Shiraz 1986 was made using a blend of 87 percent shiraz and 13 percent cabernet sauvignon. Grapes for this vintage of Grange were grown in the Barossa Valley (Kalimna Vineyard and others), McLaren Vale, the Clare Valley and on the Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide). It’s a spectacular wine, developed but youthful, with a chord of coffee strung throughout and a great sway of leathery, licoricey flavour. Terrific mouthfeel, balance, finesse, and power. There’s some mint/eucalypt character here too and to be frank, I’d rather that it wasn’t there. But quality is quality, and this wine has it. And then some. 96 Points/Drink 2005-2020 - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front