Tasted a Grange Hermitage?

[kopenhagen5]

Anyone tasted a Grange Hermitage and is it worth spending $700 - $1,000 on?

Is it really extraordinary?

Or is maybe a Henscke a better option?

Thinking of buying one for my fathers birthday. 🙂

[donnashuggy]

Yes but I would rather someone bought me something just as good for $50

[the_great_she_elephant]

I have a suspicion that the vast majority of people who buy Grange Hermitage don't buy it to drink anyway, It's simply an investment. I often wonder how long you could actually keep it before it stopped appreciating in value and went 'over the hill'.

[kopenhagen5]

Wise words donna. My father would probably say the same.

tgse - It certainly would be an expensive bottle of vinegar. How does a buyer stand if buying such an item from a well known retailer and it has turned? 

[*mrswormwood*]

Penfold's used to offer a recorking service for Grange.

We've had quite a few bottles of Grange and although it is excellent, the wine industry of Australia has really developed since it's inception.

A brilliant win is a Paxtons Shiraz from MacLaren Vale  or invest in a cellared Wynn's Coonawarra Cab Sav

It all comes down to personal taste.

For the price of a bottle of Grange, you could take him to one of the fantastic degustation sessions at a good winery.....fine foods and fine wines

[buzzlightyearsgirlfriend]

The first red I ever tasted was a Grange.

However, for under a hundred bucks you can get a bottle of Penfolds Bin 389 - these are "matured" or whatever they call it in the wine barrels of the previous year's Grange.

[fuggsy]

If you want to taste what a Grange is somewhat like get a Penfolds Bin 389 way way way cheaper and its referred to as the poor man’s grange because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange.

Personally having drunk both over many vintages over many years  I prefer the 389 any day

Reviews of the wine here

http://www.crackawines.com.au/Penfolds/Penfolds_Bin_389_Cabernet_Sauvignon_Shiraz/Wines

Also there are many a vintage of the 389 for sale on eBay at reasonable prices.

[kopenhagen5]

Excellent advice all. Many thanks. 🙂 

fuggsy n buzz, great minds. I shall try the 389.

mrswormwood, Coonawarra cab sav has always been my fathers favorite. And will also try the Paxton's Shiraz.

[lurker17260]

Yup, and it was very nice, mainly because someone else paid for it 😄

Wouldn't bother otherwise.

[lightningdance]

Me & a friend finished the last bottle in '99 from a dozen my OH bought earlier. It was just hanging around with all our other wines. I had no idea it was so exclusive, we used to drink it all the time. My OH was a wine connoisseur so he knew, he was not happy.

Wouldn't pay that much for it these days, besides, we don't drink anymore...sigh