As previously reported, yesterday Penfolds, Australia’s premier winemaker, released their 2006 Grange simultaneously at 25 Ruth’s Chris Steak House restaurants. I attended the event at the Dallas location. What a wine it is! The color is a concentrated ruby red. The nose is an enticing mixture of fruit and wood that keeps you sniffing it for signs that reveal the riddle of what is to come. In the mouth, the flavors are intense and, at this stage, inscrutable. The soft tannins make this wine drinkable now but as the wine ages, the tannins will soften and the components will become more resolved. I expect high scores from the established critics when they review it in the next few months. Perhaps not insignificantly, this wine ranks with the best red wines in the world yet it retails for about $499 – less than half the price of the 2009 Bordeaux first growths that also rank as “world top tens.”
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The 2006 Grange was accompanied by filet served on a bed of wild mushrooms. Other wines served included 2008 Penfolds RWT Shiraz (paired with a lamb lollipop with demi glace and sweet potato purée). 2009 Penfolds Thomas Hyland Chardonnay (paired with Hong Kong-style sea bass) and 2009 Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling at the reception. The meal ended with a dessert of Chocolate Cake with a Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting served with Vanilla Ice Cream.
The simultaneous release party format for a top rated wine is a great idea. Next year, hopefully Penfolds will use a live satellite link in each restaurant to connect to the winery in Australia for a speech from the winemaker. This year we had to be content with a video projected on an overhead screen. Either way, I expect this idea to be copied.
