Great Grandfather Rare Tawny was created in 1994 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Penfolds. Subsequent blending material has been sourced from stage six of the ‘Grandfather Solera’ and individual batches of maturing Grandfather that are identified as having exceptional quality. These components are further aged before being blended and introduced into the ‘Great Grandfather Solera’. After an initial launch of exactly 1994 bottles to commemorate the year of its inaugural release, Great Grandfather is only ever released in limited quantities to ensure the age and quality of the style is never compromised. With a minimum average blended age of 30 years, Penfolds Great Grandfather Rare Tawny delivers a beguiling mix of age, structure, strength and complexity with each and every sip.
Varietal | Tawny |
---|---|
Vintage | Non Vintage |
Country | Australia |
Region | Multi-Region Blend |
Volume | 750 mL |
Closure | Cork |
Alc/Vol | 20% |
Peak Drinking | Enjoy Now |
Winemaker | The Penfolds Team |
98 points | James Halliday |
96 points | Huon Hooke |
Gold | 2019 Sydney Royal Wine Show |
Silver | 2022 Australian Fortified Show |
Bronze | 2022 Barossa Wine Show |
"Bottle no. 0807 of 4200 from the Series 16 selection. Light golden brown; arguably the best of all Australian tawnies, with more luscious fruit than Seppelt DP90 (the other contender); luscious it may be, but it is also wonderfully elegant, with rancio and Christmas cake and toffee flavours on the mid-palate, moving to a spicy, dry and ultimately fresh finish."
"Medium-deep tawny-amber hue and a superb bouquet of burnished timber, walnuts, raisins and other dried fruits, with a tinge of toffee. A magical bouquet. The palate is intense and piercing, powerful and yet focused and elegant. Toffeee, vanilla, caramel flavours abound, and the sweetness is controlled, not overpowering. Elegant and long, a stylish wine in a drier style than the typical Australian tawny."
Intense, fragrant and seductive. Alluring toffee/praline notes. Rich fruit characters of quince paste, fig, raisin and candied peel. Toasted almonds and roasted chestnuts. The aromatic elements conspire into a wonderful integration, that complexes and evolves in the glass.
Seamless and integrated from start to finish. Dark fruitcake, milk and dark chocolate, coffee, vanillin and aniseed all in abundance. Toffee/brûlée sugar with orange zest and marzipan add length and balance to the palate. The richness and weight of the wine are held in harmony by the spirit-acid balance, which conveys the long, persistent finish.
Home to the oldest vines in the country, and no less than 18 wine growing regions, South Australia accounts for almost 50% of Australia’s wine production. The Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek and Coonawarra are well known for their world class reds, with Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley and Eden Valley praised for their exceptional Chardonnay and Riesling.
The current Great Grandfather Solera contains a vintage span of 42 years with individual components covering 1960 to 2002 included. This large span of vintages ensures consistency and that the required level of age and youth for complexity and freshness is maintained.
Key to the success of Penfolds has been a lineage of visionary winemakers. There have only ever been four Chief Winemakers at the helm of Penfolds – Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago, each a custodian of a rich winemaking tradition that goes back for more than 170 years.
Our current Penfolds winemaking team has more than 100 years between them as Penfolds winemakers. They are constantly refining and improving their work, whilst honouring the winemaking techniques of their predecessors.