1978 Penfolds Grange Hermitage
Outstanding vintage
Drinking Window: Now – 2018
Deep brick red. Mature gamy/earthy/apricot/chocolate aromas with some minty nuances. A richlyconcentrated wine with plenty of sweet dark chocolate/prune/dark fruit flavours and savoury,cedary tannins. A very good Grange year.
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Barossa Valley, Magill Estate (Adelaide), McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra. A warm, dry growing season followed by mild vintage conditions.
Notes sourced from Southcorp Wines
Region: Kalimna (Barossa Valley), Magill, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley & Coonawarra.
Grape varieties: 90% Shiraz & 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 13.3% Total acids: 5.2 grams per litre. pH: 3.68
Growing season: Fairly warm, dry season and a mild vintage, resulting in wines at the richer end of the spectrum.
Comments: Like the 1963, 1978 Grange has grown in stature with age. Rated 98/100 points by Robert Parker in 1990.
Tasting notes: size> Typical of Grange style. Complex fruit/oak character, great depth of flavour. (Rewards of Patience, 1st ed., 1985)
Complex, well-balanced. Developed but firm. Will continue to improve in bottle. (Rewards of Patience, 2nd ed., 1990)
Good colour, not much brown. Earthy, woodsy, some cigar box, quite complex Grange bouquet, with a touch of crushed ants. Big, sweet, gently developed licorice flavour, fleshy and mellow. Probably at its peak: a lovely drink now and should hold till at least 2005. (Huon Hooke, 1993)
Richly concentrated bouquet showing dark chocolate, tobacco and cigar box characters with some spice. Rich and fleshy, with dense, sweet, truffle and berry-like fruit. Although soft and quite developed now, underlying tannin and acid structure suggest further aging potential. A lovely wine. (Rewards of Patience, 3rd ed., 1990)
"Medium red. Complex, cedar/tobacco/gamey aromas with plenty of sweet fruit. Highly concentrated and beautifully textured wine with lovely, sweet, blackberry/smoky/earthy fruit and liquorice, fine grainy tannins and dry finish. Softening out well but should continue to develop. Drink between now and 2010." (Southcorp Wines, The Rewards of Patience, Fourth Edition, March 2000)