2007 is a thoroughly worthy Grange and an outstanding expression of a hot drought year, albeit the least vintage of Grange since 2003. The season is generally characterised by the drying tannin finish of drought stressed vines, but it is a credit to Penfolds’ fruit sources and winemaking polish that this deficiency is but a subtle suggestion here. A dense, viscous core of vibrant black fruit swirls with layers of signature Grange exoticity: black olives, soy, balsamic, crushed ants, cedar, liquorice and dark chocolate, lingering silky, seamless and mesmerisingly persistent. This will not be a long-lived wine by Grange standards, but it calls for at least a decade to bring down an impenetrable wall of Penfolds tannins. 97% shiraz and 3% cabernet from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Magill Estate.