Purple Palate

Wow – what power on the nose, what depth in the glass. The first thing that strikes you when you decant Grange is its power. Whether it be 5, 10, 15 or 20 years old, it has an air of strength about it, and an opaqueness in its colour. I open a lot of Grange – around 300 bottles a year in Corporate Boardrooms all over Australia. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to taste most vintages of Grange, save some of the early 50s. The 2005 vintage is yet again, a cracking wine. The nose is rich, and filling – a smooth combination of dark ripe berries and rhubarb, along with the nutmeg, coconut character of quality American oak. The palate is laced with a royal touch of fruit sweetness, with fine, dense tannins offering years of life ahead. The power of predominantly Kalimna Shiraz shows through, but not in a clunky, chunky, syrupy way. This is an elegant young wine, yet full of power. It is surprisingly easy to enjoy young, which is not the norm for these wines on release. The 05 Grange consists of 95.9% Shiraz, and the remainder Cab Sauv – which is pretty standard, and works very well indeed. The finish is long, and very persistent, as is the aroma in the empty glass. This is my 2nd tasting of this wine in the past month or so, and I predict it will continue to turn heads for many years to come. -DD