The 1981 stood out as slightly superior. Winemaker John Duval always felt this was a tannic style of Grange, but the wine has shed its tannins, and this is one of the few vintages where the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon was above 10%. Sweet notes of creme de cassis, cedarwood, charcoal, and barbecue spices are followed by a full-bodied, opulent wine displaying heady amounts of alcohol, glycerin, and density in its full-bodied, skyscraper-like texture. I was drinking this wine with great pleasure in the mid-nineties, yet here it is nearly 15 years later, and the wine does not appear to have budged much from its evolutionary state. This is a testament to how remarkably well these wines hold up, and age at such a glacial pace. Robert Parker
Conrad Green
Lovely fruit. Sappy and still vital. Great
Lovely fruit. Sappy and still vital. Great
9.4Erin Pooley
Owner/Winemaker Good Luck Wines
1981 grange. Tastes like south Australia. Showed so much more elegance and restraint next to the 86 st Henri. Great to have a good bottle.
1981 grange. Tastes like south Australia. Showed so much more elegance and restraint next to the 86 st Henri. Great to have a good bottle.
9.0WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.