SPECTATOR WINE CLUB
Positively the last chance this year
Auberon Waugh
Itried a Penfolds range several years ago from Alex Findlater and it was a wild success, confirming many punters in a taste for Australian wine which they have never lost. This time, from Penfold's shippers and main agents, I have been able to secure an offer of the legendary Grange Hermitage 1982, now called Penfold's Grange(') in deference to the frustration and spite of Rhone producers. I do not include this wine in the mixed case, partly because its hurtful price of £24 a bottle would throw out the economics of the mixed case, partly because I honestly think it should be kept for five years before drinking, and who wants to lay down two bottles at £24 each for drinking in five years' time? It is not what is meant by a 'sample'.
First, a new discovery. This Gewurz- traminer-Riesling blend') seems to solve all the problems of both grapes. It is fruity and flowery, with the subdued spice of a gewurz which has been crisply called to heel. An excellent aperitif, not too sweet for drinking in large quantities, with a delightful spritz or prickle. This wine, at £3.95, scored highest marks of the entire tasting with four out of the eight panellists. Next a Semillon-Chardonnay(2) which smells of chardonnay (at the expensive smoky-oak end of the spectrum) and tastes of young semillon, as may be found in the semillon-sauvignon blends of many grand chateaux of Graves. Only one panellist did not like it — 'pleasing colour and nose but lacks the body I crave'. All the rest preferred it quite pointedly to any of the famous chardonnays on offer. Now for the reds.
The. Seaview Cabernet Sauvignon 1984(3) has a horrid label and quite an aggressively Oz smell. Black colour, full of gravelly concentration. It needs two to three years but will be very good indeed for its price of £4.15. The year was a robust one, and the acid is still a trifle oppressive, but those who appreciate the Australian taste will love it.
Next a Shiraz-Cabernet blend(4) at £4.30, which is certainly easier and pleasanter than No.3 to drink now. Gener- ally, the panellists preferred it, writing such favourable comments as 'blackcurran- ty and round, good value for money' — and`they all voted for it, but I notice some odd remarks on their tasting notes: 'Dark but most drinkable — a black widow', and, `Blood black and bitter. Rather frightens me.' Personally, I thought I would save my money for the next two, but then I dare say they were all poorer than I am. The Penfolds Bin 222 1985(5) is back to pure cabernet sauvignon, at which I do not think the Australians always excel, but this is a wonderful example at £7.30. It has a glorious blackcurrant smell, excellent col-
our, and promises to be a classic, strong claret when the palate has opened up a little bit more. It may prove too strong for some tastes, but anybody can see it is a wonderful wine. For drinking now, it should be decanted at least four hours in advance.
Penfold Grange) is unquestionably, year after year, the best wine which Aust- ralia produces. At its best, after 20 years or so, it is as good as anything Bordeaux can show. Although entirely shiraz, at that age it might just as well be a pomerol. The 1982 vintage is held in high regard — fuller than the '81, softer than the 1983 which has not reached Britain yet. My panel was shocked by its price; apart from one mysterious entry — 'sweetish, full and ready for love', they were a trifle defensive about it. I feel it would be a tremendous shame to drink it now. If you do, you will find an excellent, clear, deep syrah taste, surprisingly pure with no mud or extraneous vegetation in it, concentrated, burned with enough acid to last for years and years: a pleasant taste but disappointingly short on complexity at this stage. This will come over the next five to ten years as it loosens up. The price of £24 a bottle may seem monstrous now, but my guess is that as Australians get richer and richer it will improve in value faster than any of the premier cru medocs, which now cost £40 a bottle or so to start with. The normal price for the 1955 Grange Hermit- age — not as good as some of the later ones — is now A$10,000 a bottle.
Finally, a Magill Tawny('), described as 'Australian Fortified Wine'. Compared with ten-year old Portuguese tawnies, this has a sweeter first taste, although it ends dry and has less acid than is currently fashionable in the high-class tawnies. Of all the port tastes, the one that predominates here is the one usually described as nuts. Personally, I think it the best of all the tawny tastes, which is why I went so strongly for this example at £6.85 made from shiraz grapes on the famous Magill estate. Some may find it a little sweet, but I would be surprised if anybody failed to like it. The mixed case (8), two bottles of all except the Grange, works out at £5.12 the bottle.
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