1963 Penfolds Grange Hermitage

Grape Varieties: Made from 100% Shiraz the fruit was sourced from Kalimna (Barossa Valley), Morphett Vale (Adelaide) and Adelaide Plains.

Total acids: 6.7 grams per litre. pH: 3.60 Alcohol: 13.3%

Vintage Conditions: The growing season and vintage were both good with warm, dry conditions.

Tasting Notes: size> A Grange that has grown in stature with time. Winner of four gold, two silver and one bronze medal between 1964 and 1968.

Colour: excellent -- strong red, still holding a touch of purple. Bouquet: very full, rich, sweet/ripe fruit though not jammy. Palate: Rich and very complex; very sweet fruit -- again, not jammy - nicely balanced by oak. Low to medium tannin. (James Halliday, National Times, Nov. 1982)

Superb, complex, elegant flavour. Strong, sweet fruit with balanced oak. Ready to be enjoyed. (Rewards of Patience, 1st ed., 1985)

A great Grange, drinking at its peak and showing all the power and complexity one could hope for. Earthy, toasty and "old cellar" smells mingle with cedar and liquorice, and an overtone of crushed ants. Very concentrated, massive and fruit-sweet, great depth and structure. Has been an under-rated vintage, perhaps living in the shadowof the 1962, but some now consider this the greatest Grange. (Huon Hooke, 1993)

Intense, complex, gamey/earthy bouquet with liquorice notes. Rich, supple and highly concentrated on the palate with game and liquorice flavours, sweet fruit, integrated tannins and length. (Rewards of Patience, 3rd ed., 1994)

Mature, complex; gentle and soft with lovely "warm" mouthfeel. Exquisite balance, harmony and style. A Grange of the front rank. (Ultimate Grange Experience, Nov. 1994)

Deep, sweet mushrooms and really fine demi-glace, lots of baked berries, plums, but with strength within the hedonistic flavours... delicious, about as good as drinking wine ever gets. (Tim White, Aust. Financial Review, Dec. 1994)

"Medium-full brick red. Concentrated, sweet, plum/liquorice aromas with touches of cedar and leather/spice. Palate is rich, ripe and silken, with sweet, seductive, plum/chocolate berryfruit, underlying earthiness, loose-knit tannins and long finish. A beautifully proportioned wine and a classic Grange. Drink between now and 2005." (Southcorp Wines, The Rewards of Patience, Fourth Edition, March 2000)