2007 Penfolds Grange & Icon Wines Release for 2012

I doubt it very much that those who enjoy their red wine have not heard of Penfolds Grange (Hermitage).  The latest vintage was released a week ago with less fanfare, believe it or not, than I expected.  Grange has been around, unofficially, since 1951 (it began as an experiment) and the owners of Penfolds at the time believed it was a dreadful wine according to its creator, Max Schubert.  The wine community, in general, thought, "What is this strange big drink?  Is this Port?".  It was first put in a wine show (Sydney) in 1955 and immediatley won a gold medal and to be honest it has never looked back.  It is now one of the most famous wines of the world.  As a matter of fact, its annual release is highly anticipated by wine investors.  The 2007 vintage is, as expected, the show-pony of the 2012 Luxury & Icon Release for Penfolds/Treasury Wine Estates.  At RRP of $625.00 a bottle, it is out of  reach for most of the wine drinking population, including me.  It is not as good as the 2006 vintage and will definitely live in the shadow of the 2008 vintage but is indeed still a good wine judging by the many reviews already available on the internet.  Let's not forget about its siblings, however.  The 2009 RWT Shiraz is also available for RRP $175.00 a bottle and the 2009 Magill Estate Shiraz RRP $130.00 a bottle are both excellent wines as well not requiring the cellaring time Grange does.  My pick, if I were to purchase any of this range of wines, would be the 2008 St. Henri shiraz at RRP $95.00 a bottle.  All of these wines can be found alot cheaper than these prices at the usual big liquor chain outlets so, if any of these take your fancy, have a good look around.  Oh, and google them first because, there are some interesting, informative and entertaining tasting notes available for the discerning buyer.  I have tasted previous vintages of all these wines so, if you want to know anything about how well they can become with cellaring, feel free to ask.  'Til next time and remember, live simply, laugh often, wine alot.