The benchmark by which exceptional red wines in Australia, and increasingly overseas, are often measured. The reasons for this are many, concentration of flavour, complexity and longevity. Grange blossoms with 15 to 20 years of bottle age, when most other reds have past their best, and better vintages can live to continue developing for decades longer. First produced by Max Schubert in 1951, the 1993 Grange represents over forty years of winemaking excellence. An earlier maturing vintage that's nevertheless rich and concentrated, very scented with apricot/camomile/dark berry/smoky aromas

Medium to full red-purple; ripe blackberry/earthy varietal character on the bouquet, then a palate with great depth and power, supported by controlled, savoury tannins and lingering blackberry fruit. The oak handling throughout cannot be faulted" -James Haliday Nov 2001, "In the mouth, there are abundant quantities of black currant fruit as well as hints of creosote, earth, truffles, and subtle oak. The high acidity compresses the palate and pinches the finish. Nevertheless, this is a very good Cabernet that should drink well for 10-12 years" -eRobertParker.com Dec 2002

Magill Estate Shiraz is a very important Penfolds single vineyard wine. It is of great symbolic importance, from fruit grown to the remaining original vineyard (5.2 ha) and crafted at the original Penfolds winery at Magill, established 1844 in Adelaide's eastern suburbs. First produced in 1983, Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz is an elegant, medium-weight style with velvety texture and fine tannins, matured in both French and American oak. It is a sleek, contemporary wine, yet crafted in the old fashioned way in the 120+ year old winery

The 1996 Bin 707 may well turn out to be one of the best of the last two decades - complex and firm with superb balance and character. "What a massive monster of a wine. What a long way it has to go. Tasted this again in July 2005, and it’s still at least five years from any kind of maturity: gravel, chocolate, flytox, blueberries, and a growling thump of caramel. This is a wicked wine. It’s got dimension and weight and an expansive view of the future: it’s not looking to the next election, it’s looking beyond. It’s intimidating!" -Winefront.com.au

Regardless of vintage, Grange delivers fresh fruit in a delicious, clear and explosive style without any overpowering woodiness or unnecessary complexities. "Penfolds, miraculously, have pulled a rabbit out of a hat with this wine. In what was a pretty ordinary year, this is a spicy, peppery, deliciously aromatic wine that, combined with a tangy, gamey palate, makes it seem entirely Rhonish. At its core is a cruise of plum and a sheen of vanilla, and it all comes ushered on smooth, velvet-padded rails!' -Winefront.com.au