Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2009
Penfolds Grange Shiraz 2009
AU $785 on release, 14.5% alcohol, cork, South Australia.
This was re-tasted in 2023, when it was fourteen years old, and it appeared just about ready to sail into drinking-maturely territory. Old school wisdom is that Grange needs twenty years to sing; this wine will roughly conform to that rule of thumb, though it’s likely that any time from 2026 (inclusive) onwards it’s ready to roll. If you want to read both my original review and my updated note from that tasting in 2023, skip over the talking points and the background and head straight on to the review.
Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2009 has an unusually high proportion of Barossa Valley grapes. It’s more than 80% Barossa Valley. That might not sound high, but Grange is a multi-regional blend. 80% from one region is a lot.
Penfolds Grange 2009 is 98% Shiraz, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Barossa Valley dominates this release but grapes from McLaren Vale, Magill Estate (Adelaide) and the Clare Valley also contribute.
It was matured, as per tradition, in 100% new American oak (hogsheads) for 18 months.
Penfolds Grange 2009 was made by Peter Gago.
2008 and 2010 Penfolds Grange were/are heralded releases. Sandwiched between, this 2009 edition has always struggled for attention.
Most reviewers scored Penfolds Grange 2009 in the 96-97 points range. My review on The Winefront site was/is 94/100. My reviews of Penfolds Grange often go unquoted because they don’t conform. I’m not unhappy about that.
Critic reviews are one thing. How consumers receive the wine, when they open a bottle, are another, as indeed are all comments in general. There have been 102 comments on the original Penfolds Grange 2009 review on The Winefront.
I’ve tasted Penfolds Grange 2009 on three occasions, the most recent occasion in 2023.
General Grange Background: Penfolds Grange Shiraz is listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. It has an unbroken lineage back to 1951. It’s routinely released as a four-year-old, and routinely matured in 100% American oak hogsheads for 18 months. There is a misconception that new American oak maturation is a modern phenomena; the first commercial release of Penfolds Grange Hermitage, the 1952 vintage, was similarly matured for 18 months in new American oak. Penfolds Bin 95 Grange was named Grange Hermitage from 1952 through to 1989 inclusive. It’s been labelled as Penfolds Grange Bin 95 (sans Hermitage) from the 1990 vintage onwards. It’s commonly called, simply, Grange.
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Need to Know: The best guide to Penfolds Grange Shiraz (and to all things Penfolds) is The Winefront.The Winefront has honest, independent reviews of every release of Penfolds Grange from the 1952 through to the current release.
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Review: PENFOLDS GRANGE 2009
My original review, on release, was: “Clear orange peel notes. Intense fruit. A melt of tannin. Oak makes an impression but is tremendously well integrated. Vanilla, soy, orange, saturated plum, licorice and leather. Super seductive. A sweet-fruited delicacy. Indeed for pure or indeed young-ish drinking pleasure I prefer it over the 2008. I like the highlights, the pillowy softness, the remarkable integration of fruit, oak, and tannin. This is a less caricatured Grange, less obvious, less “heavy”, and more approachable as a result.” In 2023 I wrote: “Not quite but just about to enter the drinking zone. Salty-soy notes, leathers, earth and big berried fruits. Tannin has largely tamed. This looks in excellent shape though it’s still in the primary-to-secondary transition phase, and should be left alone a few years.. There’s oodles of substance here.” Drink from 2026 onwards.
94 points.
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Campbell Mattinson has tasted every commercial release of Penfolds Grange from the 1952 Penfolds Grange through to the current release of Penfolds Grange inclusive.
Campbell Mattinson has been a journalist for 40 years, a wine critic for 25 years, is a former chief editor of Halliday Wine Companion and was the founder of The Winefront business. He’s steadfastly independent. He’s published five books on wine, four of them bestsellers. He has no association with Penfolds.
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All reviews of Penfolds Grange on the Mattinson site are available via the Penfolds Grange tag.
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