The 2014 Penfolds Grange is a highly acclaimed Syrah originating from South Australia. This vintage, produced by Penfolds, is a blend of 98% Shiraz and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 20 months in new American oak hogsheads. It has an alcohol content of 14.5%. The wine has received numerous high scores from well-respected reviewers, reflecting its complexity and quality.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded the 2014 Grange an impressive 98 points, highlighting its "rich, concentrated and intense" character. The review notes that it is "full-bodied, velvety in feel and loaded with plummy fruit, framed in vanilla and cedar," and although the vintage was not rated highly overall, the stringent selection process ensured a quality product with over 1,000 cases available in the United States (JC, 10/4/2018).
Wine Spectator also gave this wine a 98-point score, describing it as "purely indulgent" with "gobs of creamy, milk chocolate–laden maraschino cherry, raspberry framboise and Earl Grey tea aromas." The review emphasizes the wine's complexity, stating it combines "toasted cumin, peppermint oil, Kalamata olive, and white pepper notes" into an almost overwhelming array of details (M.W., 1/23/2019).
Decanter rated the wine at 94 points, noting its opaque color and dense aromas of plums, fruitcake, cloves, raw meat, and mint cake. The palate is described as "bold and full-bodied, with immense tannins though not overblown," showcasing great energy and texture, but essentially monolithic (11/16/2019).
James Suckling gave the wine 96 points, praising its "cooler and more savory style" with "darker, spicy aromas" and undeniable depth of flavor. Suckling highlights the wine's elegance, describing it as "chiseled and contained," with flavors that "hang long into a tight, toasty and spicy finish" (6/26/2019).
Jeb Dunnuck also awarded the wine 97 points, describing it as "deep, rich, fabulously concentrated, and pure on the palate." He emphasizes the wine's structure and balance, noting that it needs "5-6 years to shed some tannin and gain volume" and will keep for two decades (12/13/2018).
Wine Enthusiast echoed this high praise with another 97-point review, calling it "more approachable and elegant than in previous years." The review mentions an array of aromas, including "plum, mocha, coffee, tomato leaf, black olive, ground pepper, cedar, wet tarmac and sage" (4/1/2019).
Wine & Spirits rated the wine at 96 points, highlighting the blend's complex layers of flavor, including "black olive, black currant, and seedy blackberries," with a "restrained, slow-motion mineral explosion" (2/1/2019).
Lastly, Vinous gave the wine 97 points, describing it as "brilliant purple" with a "heady, intensely perfumed bouquet" and flavors of "blueberry, cherry-cola, mocha and violet pastille," concluding with a "mineral- and floral-dominated finish" (12/2/2021).
Overall, the 2014 Penfolds Grange is a robust and complex wine that has garnered exceptional reviews for its depth, balance, and potential for long-term aging.