Penfolds Grange South Australia 2012

There are icons, and then there's Penfolds Grange. First made by Max Schubert back in 1951 as Australia's answer to the great wines of Bordeaux, Grange has become the country's most celebrated red – and the 2012 vintage is one you'll want in the cellar. A blend of 98% Shiraz and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, it draws its fruit largely from the Barossa Valley with a good measure from McLaren Vale, both of which had a cracking season that year. Critics were quick to notice: James Halliday called it full-bodied, intense and unrelenting, praising the masterly handling of tannins, oak, and top-quality fruit, while other reviewers ranked it among the finest Grange releases of the modern era.

So what's in the glass? Expect a deeply coloured, powerful wine that still manages elegance. The nose gives you blackberry, mulberry, mocha and liquorice, lifted by vanilla spice and espresso, and the palate follows through with rich dark fruit, fine chalky tannins, and a savoury, chocolatey finish that seems to go on and on. It's drinking beautifully now, but this is a wine built for the long haul – the Penfolds team pegs peak drinking somewhere between 2035 and 2060, so there's no rush. Pair it with a grilled ribeye, slow-cooked lamb, or a wedge of aged cheddar, and you've got an occasion.

We have just ONE case available at $499 per bottle, when this vintage typically retails around $900. That's a rare chance to own a top-notch Australian wine at well under the going rate – whether you're laying it down for a special year ahead, building out a serious cellar, or simply want to taste why the world keeps coming back to Grange. But fair warning… when it’s gone, it’s gone!