Penfolds Reviews

"Elegant and delicate, yet complex and very aromatically expressive and engaging. Yet at the same time it feels intimate and intense, drawing you in. Bulby. Bloomy. A lovely note of Iris. Assorted parfumier’s essences. Blood orange. Chocolate ganache Plush and plump and very dynamic in and through the mid-palate. Delicate and refined despite the considerable power, compactness and concentration. Ethereal. Substantial on the finish and very gathered – you don’t notice the power until the finish. What a crescendo."  Colin Hay, The Drinks Business - 98+ points

"A blend of 97/3% shiraz/cabernet sauvignon; matured for 20 months in 100% new American oak. As Peter Gago says, "Penfolds' 180th anniversary year, following a series of stellar Grange vintages in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 ... No pressure." He needn't have worried. The 2020 release is stunning. Its heady concentration and initial rush of formic herald its arrival. There's a singularity of aroma and flavour in strong Grange releases and that is certainly the case here. Deep-set blackberry, black plum and black cherry fruits of great intensity. Hints of brandied fruits, blackforest cake, dark chocolate, licorice, graphite, roasting meats, fruitcake spice, sandalwood, oak spice and turned earth. Densely packed and strong of character with a cascade of fine tannin and plenty of muscular swagger as the wine slowly tapers off with a vapour trail of black fruits, baking spices and earth. A great Grange release. Drink by 2060." Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 98 points

"If MC Escher made wines, they would be like this, an intricate puzzle of almost infinite dimensions. Panforte and boysenberry, pencil lead and sage. Dutch licorice, mace, five spice. Thurible smoke and cassis. Focus and precision. Sculpted muscle, beautiful definition. Unwavering line and astounding length. You couldn’t knock this off its line with a wrecking ball."  Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australian - 98 points

"Deep crimson. Fresh and complex with classical blackberry, dark chocolate, panforte aromas with hints of ginger and underlying mocha/ roasted chestnut/ hint bourbon notes. Generously concentrated and inky deep with ample blackberry dark chocolate/ praline flavours, fine chocolaty tannins and ample roasted chestnut, marzipan notes. Finishes chocolaty firm, crisp and minerally with a hint of aniseed. A classic Grange with the structure and balance to last for the long haul. McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley provenance. 97% Shiraz 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink 2028 – 2050 14.5% alc"  Andrew Caillard MW - 98 points

"An interesting wine given the fact that there was no Bin 707 or Bin 169 – both cabernets – made in 2020. Clearly, shiraz figured better across South Australia in that heat wave year in which the Barossa recorded its driest year on record. The Barossa Valley joins McLaren Vale and the Clare Valley in the 2020 Grange, which is 97% shiraz with a 3% smidge of cabernet. It saw 20 months in new American hogsheads. A warm-hearted Grange to be sure, rich and full of drive as might be expected, but with the warmth of 2020 comes some lovely, gentle aromatics which brings that touch of finesse. You could say 2020 is more opulent and slightly less muscular for Grange. Deep aromas of ripe dark, blue berries with plum cake, spice, dark chocolate, sweet oak spice, dried orange peel and mahogany with attractive, lifted star anise, sage, bay leaf. Combines the basic mechanics of plush, velvety tannins and vanillin, warm oak support, but the palate explores further the depth of some gorgeous fruits and spice, textures, layers and budding complexity. It’s all ready to go and will keep building over the years ahead. Maybe not a classic Grange, but one not to be under-estimated."  Jeni Port, Wine Pilot – 98 points

"Mint and crushed ants up front. Saturated plums, meat, woodsmoke, more ants, more crushed woodsy spices, a rusty seaweed character in among the vanilla and cedar. The tannin is a broad, powerful, commanding brush, full throttle, fully integrated. It’s not a heralded vintage necessarily but it turns out to have been a good thing; it’s not a show pony, it’s not a wall of sound, it’s Grange being Grange, authoritative, settled, the ants served crushed, the fruit deep. This release of Penfolds Grange feels true to itself; and as a result it’s seriously good. Drink 2030-2050+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 97 points

"Blackberry, blueberry, graphite and terra cotta aromas. Medium-bodied with clarity, focus and very fine tannins that are polished and caressing. One of the most refined and textural Granges I have had in a long time. The tannins are very resolved. This is mostly Barossa and McLaren Vale with some Claire Valley. 3% cabernet sauvignon. Very drinkable now, but will age beautifully."  JamesSuckling.com – 97 points

"McLaren Vale assumes the lead over the Barossa in the warm and dry 2020 season, creating a Grange of larger-than-life proportions. The depth and concentration of blackberry, blueberry and satsuma plum on display is unique to Grange, carrying all the complexity of coal steam and fresh liquorice, set to the high cocoa dark chocolate and char presence of new American oak. The gravitas of the cascading classification of Penfolds sourcing is declared in a fruit integrity and definition upheld even in such a warm and dry season, a feat that this house achieves today with greater confidence than it did in decades past. This is a show-stopping Grange of impact and muscle. Drink 2040-2050."  Tyson Stelzer - 97 points

"Very deep, dense red-purple colour; aromas of earthy terracotta, dried meats, blackberry/plum jam and mocha/coffee grounds. The wine is massively full-bodied and dense in the mouth, rich and robust, extremely concentrated and the chewy tannins stick the tongue to the roof of the mouth. The finish lingers for a very long time. It's an assault on the senses and demands a lot of cellar time. (McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley & Clare Valley. 20 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads). Drink 2028-2050."  Huon Hooke, The Real review - 97 points

"This is 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet from McLaren Vale, the Barossa and Clare. The colour is typically deep and dense. It leads you into an aroma of pure intensity. Has all the things you expect. The black fruits, dark meaty charcuterie notes, smoke, blackcurrant and blackberry with masses of dark chocolate. Tannins are seamlessly woven into a powerful palate with fine chalky tannins in support. There are slightly more red fruit character in here that previous vintages and it has an effortless lightness of touch that is most appealing. A product of a vintage with challenges, which has turned out pretty well. cellar 30 years."  Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wines – 96 points

"The 2020 Grange comprises 97% Shiraz and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale (48%), Barossa Valley (40%) and Clare Valley (12%), and it matured for 20 months in American oak hogsheads, 100% new. While the metric of regions changes each season and the proportion of Shiraz changes slightly, the élevage and style remain the same. Aromatically, the wine is black and savory, with crushed ant, black peppercorn, blueberry, blackberry and licorice/aniseed. In the mouth, the wine feels lighter than some other vintages on release. There is something like clarity and perhaps a little hole in the mid-palate—it sits like clarity or less density and also features as breathing space. A nice wine, it is lighter than the preceding 2019. Both vintages had their challenges, but this 2020 season has yielded an "easier" feeling wine. Drink 2024-2050."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 95 points