Merivale is selling Grange – for $135,000 a bottle
The Merivale Group, part of Justin Hemmes hotel empire, bought a complete, 63-vintage set of Penfolds Grange, which sold over Christmas for a record $332,608 at auction.
And now that prize wine is being offered at some of its select restaurants like Felix and Mr Wong – at a price.
Merivale targeted the Granges, dating from 1951 to 2013.
Merivale’s group sommelier Frank Moreau says the group had made the purchase to become one of just a few hospitality groups in the world with a full set. That’s for now anyway.
“Adding these iconic Australian wines, alongside prestigious international brands and back vintages, to our collection allows us to take the Merivale wine program to the next level,” Moreau told Business Insider.
“We want to focus on creating the best possible guest experience by not only providing top end wines, but also encouraging diners to discover unique and interesting drops”.
So how much can one expect to pay for a bottle of Grange at one of Merivale’s select restaurants?
Here’s the list of prices sent to Business Insider:
• 1951 - $135,000
• 1952 - $75,000
• 1953 - $65,000
• 1954 - $58,000
• 1955 - $52,000
• 1056 - $50,000
• 1957 - $48,000
• 1958 - $44,000
• 1959 - $25,000
That would make the1951 wine the most expensive offering in any Australian restaurant.
The Penfolds bible of wine tasting notes, Rewards of Patience, makes the point that the 1951 vintage might be a bit past it.
“The wine itself is past its peak although some bottles still have fruit sweetness and flavour length. Largely the wine has a dull tawny colour and skeletal palate structure with little flesh and fading tannins,” it says.
As for the 59 Grange, that’s gone down in history as wine that brought down former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell. He resigned in 2014, because he failed to remember getting a bottle of it from a lobbyist during testimony before corruption watchdog ICAC.
by Leon Gettler, January 23rd 2017
