Last week we were honored to welcome back our dear old friend D’Lynn Proctor of Penfolds wines for an extraordinary evening tasting through Penfolds’ iconic wines, featuring a special vertical of their flagship Bin 95 Grange. Penfolds Grange needs no introduction, and after the celebrated SOMM documentary and the more recent film SOMM: Into the Bottle, D’Lynn Proctor has been launched into ultra sommelier star and has been on the road hosting extravagant events for Penfolds as Penfolds Brand Ambassador. With a schedule packed with daily travel, D’Lynn made it a point to come back home to the Big D to once again grace the Graileys floor for this one night event!
We started the night with a flight of Penfold’s blue chip Cabernets of 2010 and 2013, kicking off the flight with the Cabernet, Shiraz blend- 2013 Bin 389. This is a great everyday drinker for those who seek a powerful red for a fraction of the Grange price- no wonder it’s often called Poor Man’s Grange! Ripe blackberry and purple plums coat the palate with hints of cedar, wild herbs and cherry… mmm… “Baby Grange” indeed. Next we poured the 2013 Bin 407, a Cabernet Sauvignon with clear definition for varietal purity that seductively highlights Penfold’s signature depth of flavors and powerful structure. Lastly the 2010 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon really knocked out the flight! This is Penfold’s mac-daddy Cabernet that will literally knock you off your feet on the first sip. Wild red and black fruit, deep tones of vanilla, cream and freshly ground espresso beans all fused together for one weighty blow.
Palate Cleanse- NV Henriot Rose Champagne- great rose Champagne to freshen up the palate after a flight of high structured reds right before we go into a vertical of Grange
The Second Flight: Vertical of Penfolds Bin 95 Grange.
2009- The most rustic of the trio with brooding black fruit, roasted spices and meat with dried purple flowers and dried wild herbs.
2010- The most polished, approachable and down-right sexy of the three with an overall brighter core. Vibrant red and black fruit, polished spices and fresh herbs combined with fresh forest floor, leather, licorice, cedar and blackberry liquor.
2011- Sheer power. A mere baby, the 2011 had all the best traits leaping out of the glass simultaneously with Penfolds’ full force. Talk about punched in the mouth with flavor! Black cherry, plums, black currants and cassis were in battle with ripe spice from black pepper, star anise and clove to vanilla, espresso and deep earth. This is what I imagine a glass of the earth’s core would taste like.
We capped the Penfolds tasting with two extraordinary bottles of 1998 Grange opened very graciously by our beloved member Bill. These were no doubt the best bottles of the night! These ‘98’s easily rank with the very best vintages of Grange. Beautifully compelling and seductive with chocolate covered cherries, dark plum and lingering smoke. The wild spices, tar and black pepper were all cooled down by crème de cassis, toasted coconut and sweet cream. The flavors were thickly coated and out of this world, but the texture of the ’98 is what blew my mind. After trying a lineup of fairly youthful Penfolds icons that has the power to literally knock one down to the ground, these ’98 Grange really expressed the grace within Grange with the touch of the finest cashmere one can find. Thanks Bill!!
Penfold’s Lineup
2013 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz
2013 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
2012 Penfolds St. Henri
2009 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange
2010 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange
2011 Penfolds bin 95 Grange
The Other Mind Boggling Bottle of the Night: 1961 Haut Brion.
Wow… this was a dynamic bottle of wine. It seemed closed during the first hour in the glass with only notes of deep bark and bitter chestnut shells. But after a few hours when the wine had a chance to open up, the energy and power of Haut Brion really blew up into a gorgeous, profound almighty glass of wine. Deep black cherry and red currant came alive, seamlessly immersed with rich notes of chocolate, toasted cedar and deep compost with one of the most lengthy finishes experienced from a bottle of wine. I am honored to say that a bottle of 1961 Haut Brion has been eternally implanted into my memory.
Other Fantastic Bottles of the Night…
2003 Penfolds RWT
2002 Leflaive Batard Montrachet
2013 Pott Wines Kaliholmanok Cabernet Sauvignon
1994 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondona Gran Reserva
2011 Hensteeth Chardonnay
1998 Pichon Lalande- from magnum
2013 Pott Wines Merlot
2011 Favia Cero Sur
2010 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay
2008 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 Macon Classico Rioja- from Magnum
2012 Bevan Ontogeny
2011 Catena Zapata White Bones
1970 Taylor Vintage Port
1997 Hubert Montille pommard
2005 bruno clair Chambertin clos beze
1970 Taylor Vintage Port