This is the preamble: Many of my wine drinking friends pooh-pooh Grange: too ripe, too big, too brutal, not sophisticated. A tall poppy syndrome? I must admit that I have tended to enjoy lighter wines over the years. But then, on a special occasion, I like to open a special wine, in this case a 2004 Penfolds Shiraz. This is what happened:
The wine shows a very high shoulder. The cork is clearly tight. Well, it was very tight and started to crumble and disintegrate as I started to pull it. Thankfully, I manage to extract the bottom part in one piece. No cork fell into the bottle.
The wine was astonishing. Yes, it is big and ripe, but also polished, fresh, smooth, with lively acidity. The blue and black fruits are layered, the finish goes on and on. This wine would stand out in any crowd. Can a full-bodied Shiraz be better than this?
Score: 100 points (+++)
Two other points of interest. When is the best time to drink this wine? An older version of Rewards of Patience suggests between 2016-2050. This is not very helpful. This wine still shows primary fruit, but also secondary characteristics. The structure is strong. You do not want to lose all fruit. I suggest a drinking window from here to 2030.
Many people wonder how the current release can be close to $1000 per bottle. I bought this wine in 2009 for $600. This means the increases have been 3% per annum - not too outrageous.
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