Jeremy Oliver - 96 points

"A very ripe, assertive, profoundly structured and traditional warm year Grange whose dark, brooding and brambly fruit and lavish oak are supported by drying, firm and chalky tannin. It's still a bruising young wine, with a surprisingly floral and heady, jasmine-like bouquet and dense layers of blackberries, blueberries, cassis and dark plums backed by smoky, meaty, dark chocolate and cedary influences. As it opens further, nuances of treacle, aniseed and graphite slowly emerge. Firm and dense, its palate simply drips with concentrated flavour, finishing with the length and balance expected of this label." 

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points and Top 100 Wines of 2008

"To be frank, I agonised over the inclusion of this wine, which is not in the same class as the 2002 or the forthcoming '04, '05 and '06 (a brilliant trio). But it is Australia's iconic red wine, and will improve out of sight over the next 20 years. Deep and bright colour; density and structure; the fruit is rich, but not spongy or dead. Ultra careful selection. Drink 2015-2030 (leave it in the cellar)."  

 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com -18/20 points

"Dark crimson. Heady sweetness on the nose and then very cool on the palate – really tight and fairly tough at this stage. Dry finish. No sign of the obvious syrup and alcohol that usually characterises Grange for me at all! Very introvert at this stage. Presumably quite a deliberate attempt to counteract this vintage's reputation for extreme head and alcohol. I remember tasting young Grange in the late 1980s and the brilliant pink/purple would stain the inside of the glass the way that it does with young vintage port. Not so this wine. When I went back to it a second time the wine, admittedly in a pretty empty bottle (see notes on St Henri above) had opened out considerably to show a much more complex bouquet than any of the other wines here. Very, very well integrated oak, mellow notes of roast meat (oh no, sorry, that was the St Henri), wonderfully rich, flattering fruit caresses the front palate and then the tarry notes bite on the finish. There's just the merest hint of heat on the finish. But again, Gago has made this beautifully. Maybe the tannins are a little drying on the finish, and the vintage's reputation is unlikely to make this one of the saleroom classics, but it's difficult to see how a better Grange could have been made in 2003. 14.5%."

Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator - 94 points

"Supple, ripe and generous with its blueberry, plum and mocha flavors,riding easily over finely wrought tannins and extending into the long, expressive finish. Rich, complex and evocative, this has plenty of flavor packed into a beautifully balanced package. Drink now through 2020." 

Gary Walsh - 94+ points

"As with all Grange the aromatics are layered and complex with this vintage offering a whole raft of interesting things to smell. It's showing a touch of char, brown spices, blackberry, coconut, liquorice, aniseed, soy sauce, camphor and fruit cake in and amongst other things. Seek and ye shall find but the overall impression over three days tasting is of a rich darkly fruited wine backed with liberal high class oak that smells terrific. On the palate full bodied and bulging with powerful dark tarry fruit, mince pie, dark chocolate, dry spices, aniseed and plenty of perfumed cedary oak. It maintains a good level of freshness and has layers of open knit very firm chalky tannins that make their presence felt from start to long finish. The tannins receded and softened over three days but still felt a little raw and blocky at the end. Young wine, no doubt, but I'd suggest it will always be a more rustic example of Grange, although a good one. A remarkable wine considering the vintage too."  

Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 93 points

"Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2003 is a blend of 96.5% shiraz, with 3.5% cabernet sauvignon. For the most part it was a hot and/or dry growing season and a hot vintage, though rain in February made a tough vintage even more difficult. As a general rule the 2003 South Australian vintage produced flavoursome wines that tend to develop early/prematurely. There are always exceptions.  Great result for the vintage. Has hot, brandied, salty characters but lots of fleshy, pippy fruit through its core, and enough fruit attachment to the tannins to bear it well. This is a ripping result. Saltbush characters concern me a little but there's so much punchy, grunty fruit here that it's impossible not to admire it. Drink: 2015-2025. rink: 2015-2025."