Unbound by vine or time.
Penfolds wines are immediately recognisable thanks to an uncompromising commitment to quality and a winemaking philosophy that has endured since 1844. This philosophy is underpinned by a multi-region approach to fruit sourcing that has been intrinsic to the Penfolds House Style since our earliest days.
A legacy from 1844 to evermore
As Penfolds wines grew in popularity through the second half of the 19th century, Mary Penfold required more fruit to meet the demand. Her ambition was unbound by geographical or varietal borders, and her multi-region pursuit laid the foundations of an emerging and distinct house style.
Several decades later, Penfolds first Chief Winemaker Max Schubert altered the course of Australian palates by introducing dry red wines to a landscape dominated by fortified wines. Through his famed Grange trials, he ushered in a new stylistic era to the Australian wine world with an approach underpinned by the same multi-region fruit sourcing philosophy initiated by Mary Penfold.
The blueprint for Grange remains the same today as it did during Max’s trials – a blend of the best shiraz fruit from the vintage that best suits style. Our two other flagship wines, Bin 707 and Yattarna, follow the same multi-region approach for cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay respectively.
Penfolds House Style
Though each wine released holds its own unique character, the distinctive Penfolds stamp is always present – and this shared DNA guarantees the timeless quality admired across the world.
This House Style is defined by a recognisable mid-palate richness, fruit generosity and age-ability, with a consistency assured through a tradition of winemaking apprenticeship and long tenures.
Paramount to it is a focus on meticulous fruit-sourcing and stylistic classification. Our House Style drives us to select and blend quality grapes irrespective of block, vineyard, region or even country – we always go where the fruit grows best and where it best suits style.
The Penfolds red stamp that adorns our labels also guards the character of every bottle. A structural and stylistic genetic link cascades from Grange and Yattarna through to Koonunga Hill.
- Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker
Showcasing our multi-region approach
Among the many wines that benefit from our multi-region approach to winemaking, some of the most sought-after include Bin 28 Shiraz, Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon and Bin 311 Chardonnay.
Like many wines in the Penfolds portfolio, these three wines pursue a distinct style irrespective of regional boundaries. Each year they reveal a consistent personality with subtle nuances coming from varied vintage conditions.
Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro and Bin 8 Shiraz Cabernet are two more examples of multi-region wines that also step into our multi-varietal approach. These wines are crafted in the traditional Penfolds style with ripe, balanced fruit flavours supported by softly integrated oak.
The Penfolds House style is distinctive, bold and full of generosity, however it also respects varietal character. Our multi-region approach encourages us maintain an unwavering commitment to quality without restriction.
– Steph Dutton, Penfolds Group Winemaker.
Venture beyond Australian borders
In recent years, our multi-region pursuit of excellence has pushed us to venture beyond the boundaries of Australia. In these new territories, we have sensitively created new wines with personalities that reflect cultural nuance, while maintaining our exacting standards and recognisable House Style.
In France, our French Winemaking Trial, FWT 585, is a contemporary wine that is not bound by Bordeaux, though it has this famed region at its heart. The inaugural release saw cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot sourced from the Haut-Médoc sub-region of Bordeaux, while the following vintage was released as a ‘Vin de France’ with fruit selected from exceptional vineyard sites across France’s south-west.
In the USA, we look to several premium sites across California for our Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz. Notably, fruit from the original 1998 vine cuttings planted at our Camatta Hills vineyard in Paso Robles feature in this wine, as well as fruit from prized vineyards across the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
“The sourcing changes but the House Style doesn’t. Everything to do with winemaking between the sun above and the soil below is Penfolds.”
- Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker
