2002 Grange

Deep garnet with a touch of brick, the 2002 Grange is locked in a time capsule, like many of the 2002s, yielding a very youthful nose of red currants and red cherries, kirsch and violets with some lovely exotic spices in the background. Quite perfumed and pretty in terms of fruit expression in the mouth, the structure is rock solid, with a lively backbone cutting through the muscular fruit and great purity to the finish. If you're looking for that real "Grange" experience, best to keep cellaring it another 5-10+ years.

Fruit from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. 99% Shiraz, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 15 months in new American hogsheads. Deep smudgy garnet and slightly minty on the nose. But also lots of sweet oak spice. Rich and ripe and very full in the mouth. Velvety deep-pile tannins. TA 6.9 g/l, pH 3.58, (JH)

98.5% Shiraz, 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. 50% Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), 50% Barossa Valley. Peter Gago’s first vintage. Lovely freshness on the nose. On the palate it’s thick and sweet, but also lively. Tannins are still pretty firm and angular. This was a coolish year, but overall it is impressively lifted and energetic with no shortage of extract and character. (JR)