Penfolds Grange 1994 in magnum, a blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia, aged 18 months in new American oak. Andrew Caillard's guide to Grange calls 1994 a classic vintage, with drinking potential to around 2045.
About This Wine
The 1994 blends fruit from the Kalimna Vineyard and other Barossa Valley sites with McLaren Vale and Coonawarra. In the Barossa the season was drier than average, which cut yields but kept the fruit healthy, and ripening was slow. It was matured for 18 months in new American oak and bottled at 13.5% alcohol; Penfolds gives a peak drinking window to 2030. At 30 years old it shows its age in the savoury, leathery notes, while the fruit and tannin still hold together. A magnum ages more slowly than a standard bottle, so this format should be fresher than a 750mL of the same vintage.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Plum and blackberry, with prune, leather, cedar, truffle and a smoky oak note.
- Palate: Dense and fleshy, with dark fruit, liquorice, mocha and dark chocolate over firm, fine tannins.
- Finish: Sweet-fruited and persistent, with roasted coffee and savoury spice.
Serving & Food
Stand the magnum upright a day ahead, then decant carefully off the sediment an hour or so before serving at 16 to 18°C. Serve with slow-roast lamb shoulder, braised short rib or a hard aged cheddar.
How to Enjoy
A large table or a 1994 celebration where a mature Australian red is wanted.
Product Details
Producer: Penfolds
Wine: Grange
Country: Australia
Region: South Australia (Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra)
Vintage: 1994
Grape Blend: 89% Shiraz, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon
Maturation: 18 months in new American oak hogsheads
ABV: 13.5%
Volume: 1.5L magnum
About the Winery
Grange was first made by Penfolds winemaker Max Schubert in 1951, so the 1994 came more than forty years into the wine's history. It is built as a multi-regional blend, drawing on Shiraz parcels from across South Australia, usually with a little Cabernet Sauvignon, and matured in new American oak. Penfolds' own view is that Grange opens up after 15 to 20 years in bottle, and that stronger vintages keep developing for decades beyond that. The 1994 winemaker notes were written under John Duval.