Penfolds Grange 2019 is a South Australian, multi-regional red built on Shiraz (97%) with a small Cabernet Sauvignon component (3%), drawing fruit from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, and Clare Valley. It sits squarely in the long-running Grange tradition: a flagship wine with an unbroken line of vintages since 1951 and the only wine heritage-listed by the South Australian National Trust. As ever, it is not a single-vineyard statement, but a blend assembled across regions to hit a consistent house style.
Technically, 2019 is set up for power with control. It comes in at 14.5% ABV with a reported pH of 3.62, and it spent 19 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads. Penfolds describes it as “full-bodied, powerful and balanced,” built from “fully-ripe, intensely-flavoured and structured shiraz grapes,” and notes “unmistakable barrel-ferment characters” alongside “chewy/grainy tannins and just-right acidity” (Penfolds).
Critical reception is excellent and clustered at the very top of the scale. James Suckling awarded 98 points and framed the wine in plush, polished terms, calling it “Seamless” and “Gorgeous,” and ranked it #12 on his Top 100 list (James Suckling). Andrew Caillard MW went even further with a 98+ score—an emphatic endorsement that signals upside beyond the headline number (Andrew Caillard MW). Tyson Stelzer also rated it 98 points (Tyson Stelzer), reinforcing broad, high-level agreement among leading voices.
In vintage context, Penfolds reports below-average winter rainfall in Barossa and McLaren Vale, above-average in Coonawarra, with irrigation “crucial,” and concludes that yields were down but “quality was outstanding” (Penfolds). Released at around AUD$1000 per bottle (Wine House & Wine Co.), Grange 2019 is positioned for long aging, with Stelzer suggesting a drinking window of 2029–2065 (Tyson Stelzer).
