PENFOLDS GRANGE HERMITAGE 1981 VINTAGE WINE - BIN 95, BOTTLED 1988

OVERVIEW:
A SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE OF AUSTRALIAN WINE HERITAGE, THIS PENFOLDS GRANGE HERMITAGE REPRESENTS A MILESTONE VINTAGE FROM ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST CELEBRATED WINE PRODUCERS. GRANGE HERMITAGE IS GENERALLY RECOGNISED AS AUSTRALIA'S FINEST DRY RED WINE AND HAS RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM. THIS 1981 VINTAGE, BOTTLED IN 1988, EXEMPLIFIES THE PREMIUM WINEMAKING PRACTICES THAT ESTABLISHED PENFOLDS' REPUTATION DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.

SPECIFICATIONS:
- VINTAGE: 1981
- BOTTLED: 1988
- PRODUCER: PENFOLDS WINES PTY. LTD., TEMPE, NEW SOUTH WALES
- BIN NUMBER: 95
- BOTTLE VOLUME: 750 ML
- ALCOHOL CONTENT: 12.6% VOL
- WINE CLASSIFICATION: DRY RED WINE

THE LABEL DESCRIBES GRANGE HERMITAGE AS HAVING BEEN DEVELOPED COMMENCING WITH THE 1952 VINTAGE PREMIUM HERMITAGE, WITH GRAPES GROWN AT SELECTED VINEYARDS IN AUSTRALIA AND MATURED IN SMALL OAK CASKS PRIOR TO BOTTLING. THE WINE-MAKING PRACTICES EMPLOYED WERE INFLUENCED BY A STUDY OF THE BORDEAUX REGION OF FRANCE, WHICH NEVER BECAME A GENERAL PART OF PENFOLDS' WINE-MAKING TECHNIQUE. THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRANGE HERMITAGE REPRESENTED THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA IN AUSTRALIAN WINE PRODUCTION, COMBINING TRADITIONAL METHODS WITH MAX SCHUBERT'S FORESIGHT AND INNOVATION. THIS PARTICULAR VINTAGE COMBINED WITH MAX SCHUBERT'S FORESIGHT HAS RESULTED IN GRANGE HERMITAGE BECOMING ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE WORLD'S CLASSIC DRY RED WINE STYLE.

CONDITION:
THE BOTTLE PRESENTS AS A FAIR EXAMPLE OF A WINE FROM THIS ERA. THE LABEL EXHIBITS EXTENSIVE AGE-RELATED DETERIORATION, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT FOXING, STAINING, AND DISCOLOURATION ACROSS THE ENTIRE SURFACE. MULTIPLE DARK SPOTS AND MARKS ARE VISIBLE, CONSISTENT WITH DECADES OF STORAGE. THE FOIL CAPSULE SHOWS CONSIDERABLE CORROSION AND OXIDATION. THE CORK CLOSURE APPEARS INTACT BUT SHOWS AGE. THE GLASS VESSEL ITSELF REMAINS SOUND WITH NO CHIPS OR CRACKS OBSERVED, THOUGH SURFACE DUST AND PATINA ARE CONSISTENT WITH AGE. WINE LEVEL APPEARS NOTABLY LOW, SUGGESTING POTENTIAL EVAPORATION OR SEEPAGE DURING THE EXTENDED STORAGE PERIOD, WHICH MAY AFFECT THE DRINKABILITY AND COLLECTIBILITY OF THE CONTENTS.

PROVENANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE:
THIS BOTTLE REPRESENTS A COLLECTIBLE EXAMPLE OF AUSTRALIAN WINE HISTORY FROM THE 1980S. PENFOLDS GRANGE HERMITAGE HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNISED AS A BENCHMARK AUSTRALIAN WINE, AND VINTAGE EXAMPLES FROM THE 1980S ARE INCREASINGLY SOUGHT BY COLLECTORS OF AUSTRALIAN WINE HERITAGE. THE CONDITION OF THE LABEL AND CAPSULE REFLECTS AUTHENTIC AGE AND STORAGE HISTORY RATHER THAN ARTIFICIAL AGEING OR RESTORATION.

Item Size: Height: 40cm, Width: 30cm, Depth: 30cm, Weight: 2Kg

Condition: Fair

997520+12

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