Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny 750ml

The Grandfather name dates back to 1915, when an oak cask containing the finest blend of available Tawny material was set aside for the exclusive use of the Penfold family. This wine was known as The Grandfather due to the age of the oldest Tawny in the blend. With each vintage varietal batches are selected for Grandfather. These batches are individually aged in seasoned old oak casks before being blended together at 14 years of age. This blend is then introduced into the Grandfather Solera. This Solera consists of six stages that are designed to fully integrate all components offering consistency and freshness with a final minimum average blended age of 20 years.

There is a Fine Old Tawny release and a 20 Year Old Rare Tawny release, please ensure your merchant has the wine you are looking for.

Critic tasting note: “The Grandfather name refers to the age of the oldest Tawny in the blend, which was launched in 1915 when an oak cask containing the finest blend of available Tawny material was set aside for the exclusive use of the Penfold family. Each subsequent vintage supplied best-of-the-year batches aged individually in seasoned oak casks before blending at the 14 year mark. This blend is then introduced into the Grandfather Solera over six stages, designed to integrate all components, leaving a minimum average age of 20 years. Some 13 varieties have made their way into Grandfather, but the backbone of the blend is shiraz, grenache, mataro, and cabernet. In all, 44 vintages from 1960 to 2004 are in the current bottling. The colour is a mix of tawny walnut brown with green edges. The nose mixes buttery, rancio, nutty notes mixed with caramel, vanilla, sweet raisins, and brown spice. It has a rich, sweet, supple texture, pitching licorice fruitcake, toffee, and orange peel in perfect balance. This is a top-quality bottle of fortified wine, and certainly one of the best made outside Spain or Portugal. (Anthony Gismondi).” – 94/100, Gismondi on Wine