Penfolds Grange 2011

Deep and dense dark red color. Instantly Grange – aromatically heralded from glass to nose via trademark formic and barrelferment markers. Majestic. Arguably a less-regal unfolding of sarsaparilla, creamy soda/cola-root beer nuances (how can thisbe?!), synergised with black (not red) liquorice and soy. A 17 month sojourn in 100% new oak is certainly well-hidden – more than a disguise, complete concealment. Archetypal North Barossa fruits extolling every varietal Shiraz variant! Revealingly, what initially appear to be reticent repressed fruits…soon overtly ascend – blackberry blackcurrant, fig, rhubarb, quince.A follow-up emission of black olive, shaved truffle, vanillin, boot polish, cola, ristretto coffee…with oak all but soaked up.Proper, pronounced and peripheral grippy tannins input texturally, endorsing what is already a formidable structure, with impressive length, depth and weight.