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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2026 and 2035 (based on 3 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 2 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by stayhappy21 on 5/31/2023 & rated 88 points: Tasted this at the Penfolds Wine Dinner hosted by The Famous Kitchen.
Dark brooding purple in colour. A very good attempt at making a Bordeaux. Juicy, with blueberries on the nose, aged leather and toffee.
The presence of petit verdot makes this wine more interesting than it should be.
Well integrated and synced. (341 views) | | | Tasted by Wolffy on 9/19/2022 & rated 92 points: Far too young now for my liking but this showing some serious potential. The very familiar blend shining through. Fruit is a bit muted at the moment, but reasonable balance for a long haul. Delicate and quality fruit is apparent. Currently quite heavy on the oak, dusty tannins a little dominant. Trajectory is seemingly on track for some great reward upon careful cellaring. Will revisit in 5+ years. Meanwhile worth trying to secure some more. (404 views) |
| NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of The WINEFRONT and Halliday Wine Companion and JancisRobinson.com and Decanter. (manage subscription channels) |
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About Us
Australia's winemaking history of less than two hundred years is brief by European measures though, like Europe, punctuated by periods of extreme success and difficult times. From the earliest winemaking days Penfolds has figured prominently and few would argue the importance of Penfolds’ influence on Australia’s winemaking psyche.
Without the influence of Penfolds the modern Australian wine industry would look very different indeed. Sitting comfortably outside of fad and fashion, Penfolds has taken Australian wine to the world on a grand stage and forged a reputation for quality that is without peer.
Penfolds’ reputation for making wines of provenance and cellaring potential might suggest a mantle of tradition and formality is the preferred attire of a company with so much history to defend. But to label Penfolds as simply an established and conventional winemaker, would be to confuse tradition with consideration and to overlook the innovative spirit that has driven Penfolds since its foundation, and continues to find expression in modern times.
If there is anything traditional about Penfolds, it is the practice of constantly reviewing the wines it already does well, and continuously evolving and refining styles as vineyards mature and access to ever older and more varied vineyard sites improves.
Making The Best Possible Wine
At Penfolds, the role of the winemaker is to make the best possible wine within the constraints of each vintage. Penfolds’ house style emerged from a fortified-wine producing culture and evolved as a winemaking philosophy – a way of making wine – which has had a profound effect on the entire Australian wine industry.
The concept of multi-regional and vineyard blending, a feature of the Penfolds house style, is an amplification of the ‘all-round wine’. Without the constraints of a single vineyard, winemakers could choose the best possible fruit with the outstanding characteristics of each vineyard.
While American oak has played a central role in the development of Penfolds red wines, French oak has been increasingly used in the evolution of new wines – particularly RWT and Yattarna. Maturation in oak, which follows fermentation, is also key to the Penfolds house style.
The Penfolds approach to winemaking has percolated through the entire Australian wine industry over the last 50 years. The techniques employed in research and development of Penfolds wines are remarkable and many of the discoveries and innovations have had a lasting impact on winemaking thinking.
Winemakers
In Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago, Penfolds has nurtured four of Australia's great winemakers. They have passed the Chief Winemaker’s baton of responsibility for crafting some of Australia's most iconic wines, down through the past six decades.
Joining Peter Gago in the Penfolds winemaking team are Senior Red Winemaker Steve Lienert, Senior White Winemaker Kym Schroeter, and Red Winemakers Andrew Baldwin, Adam Clay, Stephanie Dutton and Matt Woo - also the Penfolds Fortified Winemaker. All members of the Penfolds winemaking team ensure that Penfolds’ reputation for outstanding quality is upheld.
Vineyards
Barossa Valley
Penfolds draws fruit from a combined vineyard area of 618 hectares in the Barossa region of South Australia. The Barossa is about 70 kilometres north of Adelaide and in 1911 Penfolds established a winery at Nuriootpa, completed in time for the 1913 vintage. The Barossa region is known for its relatively low rainfall with many vineyards dry grown on single wire trellising.
Magill Estate
The historic and heritage-protected Magill Estate Vineyard was established in 1844 by Dr Christopher Rawson and Mary Penfold—just eight years after the foundation of Adelaide. It was originally known as the Grange Vineyard, named after their new homestead ‘The Grange’, a cottage which still stands intact amongst the vines.
Eden Valley
Joseph Gilbert planted the first vines in the Eden Valley in 1842 and since that time the region has become synonymous with producing elegant riesling and complex shiraz. While its name suggests a concave nature, Eden Valley is actually a wide ridge, situated east of the Barossa Valley with an altitude ranging from 440 – 550 metres.
McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is located approximately 40km to the south of Adelaide, with the vineyards in the region located between 6 and 15 kilometres from the Gulf of St Vincent. The elevation ranges from 50 to 350 metres above sea level. Penfolds has company owned vineyards throughout the region, using the fruit as blending components for premium red wines such as Grange and Bin 389.
Coonawarra
Penfolds has had a long history with the Coonawarra region, dating back to their first vineyard purchase in 1960. It is one of the most famous red wine regions in Australia with weathered limestone terra rossa soils, relatively cool climate and overall water availability. Coonawarra has played a significant role in many of Penfolds' multi-regional wines as well as the single region wines such as Bin 128.
James Halliday Australian Wine Companion Winery Of The Year 2014: Penfolds
Penfolds is Australia’s foremost winemaker, with an unbroken line dating back to its establishment in 1844 when medical practitioner Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and wife Mary purchased ‘the delightfully situated and truly valuable of Mackgill … Comprising 500 acres (202 hectares) of the choicest land’. Here they built the house that still stands today, and within a few years had begun the winery and cellar on the site of today’s buildings at Magill Estate.
Mary took charge of winemaking, initially producing grenache prescribed by her husband as a tonic for anaemic patients. By 1870 she, son-in-law Thomas Hyland and cellar manager/winemaker Joseph Gillard had formed Penfolds & Co. With markets in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, their wine production was over one-third of South Australia’s total.
Growth continued unabated, and in 1945 Penfolds acquired the jewel of the Magill Vineyard, at that time the largest vineyard in South Australia. It now has 2100 hectares of vineyards, the largest share of Australia’s total. Two men came together in the 1950s to lay the foundation of Penfolds today: winemaker Max Schubert, and research chemist Ray Beckwith (who died shortly after his 100th birthday in 2012); indeed, their contribution transcended Penfolds to the entire Australian wine industry.
The architecture for the Penfolds wine portfolio of the twenty-first century was established in the 1960s, half a century ago. There has been growth, both in the range of labels and their price points, but it has been cleverly – indeed sensitively – managed; demand-driven growth has been achieved without any quality compromise whatsoever.
There is no possibility that the pre-eminence of Penfolds will ever be challenged by any other Australian wine business. Equally certain is that the Penfolds brand value will continue to gain ground on the world stage of all consumable products. If proof be needed, the overall quality of the wines in this Wine Companion is the best Penfolds has ever presented to the markets of the globe.
Author: James Halliday Jul 20132019 Penfolds FWT 585CABERNET MERLOT PETIT VERDOT 2019
A rich tradition of experimentation and a quest to source quality grapes from afar continues to inspire Penfolds winemaking curiosity. Penfolds FWT (French Winemaking Trial) 585 is sourced from exceptional vineyards across the Médoc region using time-honoured Penfolds techniques. Anchored by a philosophy of selecting grapes and blending quality wines to a House Style, it marks the beginning of a new chapter for Penfolds in France.
GRAPE VARIETY
53% Cabernet, 34% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot
VINEYARD REGION
Haut-Médoc
WINE ANALYSIS
Alc/Vol: 14%, Acidity: 5.83 g/L, pH: 3.60
MATURATION
14 months in French (44% new) and American oak (14% new) barriques
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Winter was relatively mild with February temperatures well above average. Budburst was a week earlier than usual. May and June were cooler with intermittent rainfall slowing vine development. However, flowering occurred in warm, dry weather with minimal disease pressure. Summer was generally warm, accelerating vine growth. A mid-summer heatwave slowed the pace of development, while a dry August ensured an early ripening vintage. The grapes retained good freshness and balance despite the warm conditions, with lovely ripe tannins and rich phenolic expression.
Tasting Note
COLOUR
Deep garnet with crimson edge
NOSE
A gentle swirl of the glass teases out herbal aromatics: sage, thyme and mulberry leaf. Floral notes of violets and lavender begin to narrow the varietal composition, reinforced by the emergence of fresh blackberry and redcurrant aromas.
Further investigation reveals lamb roast pan scrapings, confit duck and a suggestion of Hoisin.
On closer inspection, savoury notes of beef carpaccio with caper dressing entice.
From the pâtisserie: crème brûlée with vanilla sweetened egg custard, gingery panforte with glacé fruit, rum and raisin ice-cream, cherry clafoutis.
Rounding out, distinctive leathery notes, walnut polish...
Enigmatic, so much more to come. All in good time.
PALATE
The aromatic promise is reinforced by a tightly structured palate. Round and full to the fore, sage fried in butter and served over pan-fried sweetbreads.
Texturally appetising - mineral gravelly tannins, succulence cranberry like acidity provides a fine line of delicious lively acidity. Charcuterie leaning towards a savoury bresaola, a suggestion of cranberry and pistachio terrine. Polished mahogany oak, creaminess and spice.
Complex, multi-faceted... another glass beckons!
PEAK DRINKING
2022 – 2037
LAST TASTED
May 2022Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comFranceBeaune, Bourgogne |
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