Penfolds Grange 2002

Penfolds says this wine is “worth the wait” and “at the other end of the Grange spectral offer to its predecessor, the 2001, purely as a result of two very different climatic vintages.”
 
Winemaker Peter Gago tasted this wine at five years old and described it as: Deep and dark with an unmistakably Grange nose with aromas that transform and complex across many planes, with air and over time in the glass. At first, a rich mix of dark chocolate infused with coffee bean and black licorice, then scents of tar, aniseed, raw (pure) soy and black olive. Is it oak, or a hybrid, ‘barrel ferment’ character that can be captured as it oscillates in and out of this beguiling aromatic offering. The palate is expansive, and yet finessed, balanced, highly defined, sleek. A continuum, an amalgam of dark berried flavours and textural sensations – deceptively accessible, yet a hidden largesse, untapped flavour and structural precursors threaten to ingress. 100% new oak is completely absorbed, meshed with ripe tannins, completing a palate of impressive length and youthfulness.