Penfolds Grange 2018

Penfolds Grange 2018 is a 97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon blend from South Australia, bottled at 14.5% ABV in a standard 750ml format. This vintage earned an extraordinary five perfect 100-point scores from leading critics including Andrew Caillard MW, James Suckling, and Nick Stock, making it one of the most acclaimed Grange releases in the wine's seven-decade history.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.5%  |  Origin: South Australia (Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley)  |  Vintage: 2018  |  Producer: Penfolds (Treasury Wine Estates)

Production & Heritage

Penfolds traces its origins to 1844 when Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold established the winery at Magill Estate in Adelaide. Grange, first created by the legendary Max Schubert in the 1951 vintage, remains Australia's most celebrated wine. The 2018 vintage draws fruit from three distinct South Australian regions — 69% Barossa Valley, 18% McLaren Vale, and the balance from Clare Valley. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with header boards at the Barossa Valley winery and in smaller 3- to 7-tonne open fermenters with wax-lined wooden header boards at Magill Estate. What truly defines Grange is that all components complete their fermentation in 100% new American oak hogsheads (300 litres), where the wine then matures for 18 to 20 months before final blending and bottling — a practice that distinguishes it from most premium wines worldwide, which typically rely on French oak or a mix of new and used barrels.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with layers of ripe blackberry, black cherry, and wild raspberry before giving way to darker, more complex notes of dark chocolate, charcoal, salted licorice, and crushed pink peppercorn. There is a savory undercurrent of mushroom pâté and rendered meat fat that speaks to the wine's depth and barrel influence.

Taste: On the palate, the entry is full-bodied and immediately commanding — dense black fruit, framboise, and huckleberry flavors are interlaced with chicory, sarsaparilla, and salted caramel. The mid-palate reveals hard brown spices, red curry paste, and forest berry compote, all carried on polished, seamless tannins that recall great Grange vintages like 2004 and 2008. Oak integration is thorough without being heavy-handed, with custard-like richness and almond paste detailing.

Finish: Exceptionally long and layered, with dark chocolate, cola, crushed rosemary, and cured-meat savoriness that linger well beyond the final sip. The tannin structure extends deep into the finish, holding with remarkable evenness and mouthcoating texture.

How to Drink Grange 2018

Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F). Decanting for at least an hour is strongly recommended to allow the wine's complex aromatics and firm tannin architecture to fully unfurl; a younger Grange like the 2018 rewards patience. This is a wine built for the table — pair it with braised short ribs where the wine's dark fruit and spice mirror slow-cooked richness, grilled lamb rack with a rosemary jus that echoes the herbal finish, or aged hard cheeses like a mature Comté whose nuttiness complements the oak-driven custard and almond notes.

Best For

• Gifting a serious wine collector or marking a milestone year
• Anchoring a special-occasion dinner with premium cuts of red meat
• Long-term cellaring as part of a vertical Grange collection
• Celebrating the birth year of a child born in 2018, to be opened decades later

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Grange 2018 taste like? Grange 2018 delivers dense blackberry, dark chocolate, salted licorice, and wild raspberry flavors supported by polished, full-bodied tannins and an exceptionally long finish marked by savory spice and cola.

How does Grange 2018 compare to Penfolds Bin 707? Bin 707 is Penfolds' Cabernet Sauvignon counterpart to Grange, also a multi-vineyard blend matured in new American oak with decades of aging potential. Grange leans on Shiraz's darker fruit intensity and savory complexity, while Bin 707 tends toward more structured cassis and graphite-driven Cabernet character.

Is Grange 2018 good for cellaring? Grange 2018 is built for long-term aging, with its firm yet polished tannin structure and high-quality oak framework suggesting a drinking window that can extend 30 to 50 years from vintage under proper storage conditions.

Where is Grange 2018 made? Grange 2018 is produced by Penfolds in South Australia, with fruit sourced from the Barossa Valley (69%), McLaren Vale (18%), and Clare Valley, and vinified at both the Barossa Valley winery and the historic Magill Estate in Adelaide.

What foods pair well with Grange 2018? Braised beef cheeks complement the wine's dark fruit density; roasted lamb shoulder mirrors its spice and licorice tones; venison loin matches its savory depth; aged Parmigiano-Reggiano highlights the nutty oak notes; and dark chocolate torte echoes the cocoa and berry flavors on the finish.

What sizes does Grange 2018 come in? Penfolds Grange 2018 is available in a standard 750ml bottle.

Is Grange 2018 worth the price? Grange 2018 sits firmly in the ultra-premium tier, and with five perfect 100-point scores from respected critics, it represents one of the most highly rated vintages in Grange's history, which supports its value proposition among the world's elite wines.

Why Grange 2018?

Five perfect 100-point scores from independent critics place the 2018 among the finest Grange vintages ever released, alongside icons like the 1971 and 2008. The distinctive use of 100% new American oak hogsheads for both fermentation completion and maturation remains a signature technique virtually unmatched in the premium wine world. Drawing from three of South Australia's most revered regions — Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Clare Valley — the 2018 captures a vintage of exceptional quality across the state. For collectors and serious drinkers, this is a Grange that arrived already historic.