TN Please

I was gifted with a bottle of Penfolds Grange, 2004, Bin 95.
Any info as to how long to cellar it, and what I can expect when I open it, would be greatly appreciated.
Also, is it ready yet? Just celebrated a major birthday, and I would love to share it with friends before we get too old to appreciate it!
Thank you all very much.

The Penfolds Rewards of Patience book says the 2004 should be good from 2016 to 2050. From experience of the couple of Granges I've had, I'd probably open it closer to at least 20 years old.

Thank you so much for your information. We were going to open it as soon as it had rested from the plane trip, but I think now that we will hold it a bit longer. The older we get, the earlier we want to open the maturing wines we have, and at this stage we tend to not purchase those that recommend 10+ years of cellaring... we want to be able to enjoy them! Not optimistic, I grant, but practical.
Thanks again.

You're welcome. Glad to be of help.

Just re-read the note, and wonder if anyone has any further advice. We are ageing quicker than the wine!
Thanks for any info.

[David M. Bueker]

Jay has it right. Grange needs age to show its best. Maybe 2019 when it is 15 years old would be OK.

Of course a wise person once said to me when I asked him when would be the best time to open a very special bottle: "Tuesday!"

Just re-read the note, and wonder if anyone has any further advice. We are ageing quicker than the wine!
Thanks for any info.

There's no rush. I opened a bottle of '82 Grange 2 or 3 years ago as part of a vertical Grange dinner (wines ranged from '78 to 2000-and-something) and at 35 years of age, it was the best of the lot.

Thank you! I'll continue to hold it, and advise our daughter to do the same.
2019, eh? at the earliest..? Don't want to think how much older WE'LL be! Of course, getting older is fine, when we consider the alternative!

[David M. Bueker]

But remember, early in 2019, since harvest in Australia is in the first part of the year. Gives you a head start on Napa wines!

[Jenise]

Can I spoil this party?

Marlyne, OPEN THAT BOTTLE.

I have been living for decades with the pragmatic principal "Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow." It made perfect sense to me because I was growing up with a mom who put everything away "for good". There were pretty towels we couldn't use yet, pretty china plates, silverware, you name it: NOT YET. Then she died in her 40's before her good day ever came.

Here are four tasting notes posted in 2016 by people who 'suffered' through a bottle of your wine:

Simply sensational. Awesome powerful nose that wafts into the senses. Magnificient dark fruit, massive mouthfeel and huge long finish. Fantastic we have another ....will wait a few years and look forward with great anticipation.

Crazy good right now, wow! Smooth black cherry, blackberry, and plum fruit with subtle eucalyptus notes. Very refined and balanced all around. Great, long finish, smooth tannins...oh boy!

From a great vintage comes this elegant, fresh and complex Grange full of finesse with fascinating aromas of red and black berries, spices, delicate sweetness, some chocolate and minerality(!). Multi-layered, fine, but solid structured and of perfect balance on the palate with dark fruit, herbal freshness, little oak and mocha. Finishes very long. A beauty in its youth.

Absolutely delightful. A four hour evolution of spectacular flavour.

Now go ahead and tell me you'd ruin something by drinking that bottle sooner than later. Just decant it and make sure you use worthy glassware.

[David M. Bueker]

Pretty much what my comment about "Tuesday" was meant to convey.

Perhaps I was not clear enough.

[Jenise]

It's just that the overwelming vocals here was that it was too early, and there's a difference between optimal for the bottle and optimal for Marlyne. I wanted her to have some clearcut support for indulging herself now.

[Jenise]

Btw, I've had a number of bottles of Grange. Many were great vintages and well-aged bottles. But which do I remember the most? A young off-vintage (from a collector standpoint) with take-out In n Out Burgers on a cold and windy offseason state beach in California. (And this before I saw Miles open his Cheval Blanc at a burger joint).

Take the right approach and any bottle can be GRAND.

[David M. Bueker]

Mid-level vintage Salon with steamed lobsters on the lawn of a bed and breakfast near the New Hampshire coast. We used rocks to crack the lobster shells.

Totally get it!

Just went back and re-read this, and you are SO right! I saved a bottle (not the Grange) and it ended up to be corked. Could've happened to any bottle, I know, but I had "treasured" this for such a long time. Bottom line, next birthday we're sharing this one, because with our ages, neither the wine nor we can wait!