Remember that old Heinz Ketchup "anticipation" ad from the 1970s? The palate of this 2013 Grange does just that. It makes you wait with so much delicious promise being drip fed into the mouth at first-and then it bursts forth and delivers! This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black colored, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker's chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavors, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavors emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes.

Penfold's latest Grange release delivers all of the power, rich fruit and toasty oak Australia's most famous wine is noted for. It is incredibly beguiling though, even in its infancy. Autumnal notes of dried leaves, flowers, sap and dark berries abound, with a raw meat and miso savoriness. The power on the palate is balanced by ultrafine tannins and a finesse that makes this drinkable now with plenty of time in decanter and paired alongside roast lamb, beef, or something equally hearty. Still, it'd be a shame not to cellar for at least the next five years. Revisit in 7, 15, or 30 years.