Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1986 is Don Ditter's final vintage — and one of the most celebrated Granges ever produced. Awarded a Red Star in the Penfolds Rewards of Patience (Sixth Edition) for exceptional quality and rated 100 points by Tastingbook, the 1986 is a landmark release from a landmark year. A multi-district blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, and Modbury Vineyard, matured for 20 months in new American oak hogsheads. This bottle is in pristine condition, re-corked at the Penfolds Winery re-corking clinic in 2007, and comes gift boxed. Peak drinking now to 2045.
Tasting Notes
Appearance
Deep crimson — the concentrated, evolved colour of a landmark Grange of exceptional depth and age-worthiness, with the intensity that 20 months in new American oak hogsheads and decades of careful cellaring deliver.
Aroma
Powerful and immediately captivating — evolved blackberry and dark chocolate lead with intensity and complexity, with mocha, roasted chestnut, liquorice, and herb garden nuances adding layer upon layer of depth. Cedar, malty, and smoky oak characters in fine harmony with the ripe Shiraz fruit. A nose of extraordinary distinction.
Palate
Richly concentrated, dense, and powerful — dark chocolate, mocha, blackberry, and liquorice flavours carry through a palate of exceptional complexity, with fine muscular tannins, meaty dried herb complexity, and underlying roasted chestnut and vanilla oak notes. The finish is firm, chocolaty, and graphite-edged with an attractive inky plume — superbly long and flavourful. A great Grange still on the ascendancy.
Pairs With
Best enjoyed as a contemplative wine of exceptional rarity — equally rewarding alongside Argentinean-style lamb back-strap, aged hard cheeses, and richly flavoured dishes that complement its extraordinary depth, complexity, and power. Serve at 18–20°C with at least one hour of decanting.
Wine Sellers Direct Verdict
The 1986 Grange is not simply a great wine — it is a piece of Australian wine history. Don Ditter's final vintage as chief winemaker, produced from a South Australian growing season of outstanding quality, awarded a Red Star in the Penfolds Rewards of Patience, and rated 100 points by Tastingbook. This bottle has been professionally re-corked at the Penfolds Winery clinic in 2007 and arrives gift boxed in pristine condition — as close to certainty as a 40-year-old wine can offer. Compared to other aged Grange vintages, the 1986 is consistently cited among the greatest ever produced — more structured and age-worthy than the 1990, more complex than the 1991, and carrying the additional historical significance of being Ditter's last. For a collector, this is a definitive acquisition. For a gift, there is nothing more significant in the Australian wine canon.
Best for: Serious collectors and those seeking the pinnacle of Australian wine history.
Style: Powerful, complex, aged multi-district Shiraz Cabernet with extraordinary cellaring credentials.
Occasion: Milestone gift, vertical collection, once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
Who Should Drink This?
This is for the collector who understands what they are holding — a 100-point, Red Star-awarded Grange from Don Ditter's final vintage, re-corked and in pristine condition, with peak drinking extending to 2045. It is the natural choice for anyone building a Penfolds vertical, for a milestone gift of genuine significance, or for a celebration that demands the most iconic wine in the Australian canon. Not a wine for the uninitiated — but an extraordinary experience for anyone who is ready for it.
Reviews
100 Points — Tastingbook
Red Star — Penfolds Rewards of Patience, Sixth Edition (2008)
"The stories of Grange epitomise how imagination and gut-feel transcend numbers. Max Schubert pushed boundaries because he wasn't constrained by scientific dogma and he dared to believe in himself." — Andrew Caillard MW
Winemaking Notes
Penfolds Grange is produced from low-yielding, old Shiraz vines with great attention to detail — from selecting the best possible grapes through to fermentation and fastidious oak maturation. The 1986 vintage was sourced from Kalimna Vineyard (Barossa Valley), Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, and Modbury Vineyard (Adelaide), and matured for 20 months in new American oak hogsheads. The unique and distinctive Grange style is based on ripe Shiraz fruit and stylish American oak in fine harmony. 87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.90% ABV.
Vintage Conditions
The 1986 vintage in South Australia delivered mild, relatively dry conditions throughout both the growing and harvest seasons — a vintage of outstanding quality that produced Grange of exceptional depth, concentration, and age-worthiness. Awarded a Red Star in the Penfolds Rewards of Patience (Sixth Edition) as an exceptional vintage, the 1986 Grange remains a landmark release — Don Ditter's last Grange — with peak drinking now to 2045.
What's Similar?
Within the Penfolds Grange range, the 1990 and 1991 vintages are frequently cited alongside the 1986 as the greatest Granges of the modern era — choose the 1990 for a more immediately opulent style, or the 1991 for comparable structure and longevity. For collectors seeking aged Australian Shiraz of similar prestige outside the Grange range, Henschke Hill of Grace from the same era offers a single-vineyard alternative of comparable historical significance. Nothing, however, carries the specific weight of Don Ditter's final vintage.
