Description
The 2002 Penfolds Grange Bin 95 is an utterly superb Grange. Slightly under rated and under valued by the secondary wine market, the 2002 Penfolds Grange sits alongside the 1996 Penfolds Grange, but just below the top Grange vintages, such as 1990 and 1998. The 2002 Penfolds Grange was rated 97Pts by Jeremy Oliver & 97Pts by James Halliday and it comes from what was regarded as a great vintage for Barossa Valley shiraz. The 2002 Penfolds Grange is made from fruit sourced entirely from vineyards in the Barossa Valley, including Penfolds Kalimna Vineyard.
The 2002 Penfolds Grange is deep crimson – purple in colour. It is a powerful, deeply flavoured and immensely concentrated Grange with inky/blackberry essence/blueberry/liquorice/aniseed aromas with malty/cedar oak. A beautifully poised and silky textured Grange with saturated blackberry/meaty/cedar/mocha/spicy flavours and ripe supple dense tannins. It is a great Grange with energy and volume of fruit and made for the long haul.
The 2002 Penfolds Grange is made from 98.5% shiraz and 1.5% cabernet sauvignon. This tiny amount of cabernet sauvignon does add something to the wine in a structural and flavour sense, but Penfolds Winemakers do not set out to add cabernet sauvignon to each vintage of Grange. Both varieties, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon must fit the Penfolds Grange profile and contain that consistency, that Grange DNA, if the wine does it is added, if the wine doesn’t, it is left out. Wine from a particular vineyard may be included in one vintage of Grange and not the next. Penfolds Winemakers are strict and very well disciplined when blind tasting each wine that is made for possible inclusion into the final Grange blend.
The 2002 vintage was long with a cool summer and occasional rain. This was followed by a warm and dry autumn, it is one of the great vintage’s of the decade. 2002 Barossa Valley shiraz has amazing perfume and concentration.
The 2002 Penfolds Grange Wine Critic points chart – for those of you who love points.
98Pts Jay Miller – for Robert Parker Jnr’s The Wine Advocate (USA)
97Pts Jeremy Oliver
96Pts Campbell Mattinson
