Penfolds Red Winemaking
A story of imagination, innovation and 180+ years of breakthrough
The Penfolds red wine portfolio is now truly global, guided by a curious and restless creativity. The seeds for this were sown by founders Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold in 1844, early innovators in fortified wine who ventured into Claret-style red wines as early as 1870.
The invention of Grange in 1951 and the early Penfolds Bin wines of the 1960s redefined possibilities for Australian red winemaking. These were wines of depth and detail, however it was their aspiration to ageworthiness which marks a breakthrough in the ascent of a modern Penfolds.
To taste from Koonunga Hill to Bin 23 Pinot Noir to Grange reveals a recognisable House Style and an interconnected DNA. Today Grange and this ‘ecosystem’ of wine form the enduring legacy of one highly imaginative Chief Winemaker.
MAX SCHUBERT AND THE INVENTION OF GRANGE
It began as an inkling. During a research trip to Bordeaux in 1950, Chief Winemaker Max Schubert mused on whether an Australian red wine could be capable of aging a minimum of twenty years.
Bringing observations of French red winemaking to groundbreaking Penfolds red wine techniques lead Schubert to begin the ‘Grange wine experiment’ in 1951. Key to this was sourcing the best quality Shiraz the season allowed, picked optimally. Temperature controlled fermentation with daily racking followed until maturation in 100% new American oak. Schubert’s work was aided by early breakthroughs by Penfolds chemist Dr Ray Beckwith on how acidity could protect against spoilage.
Despite being ordered to cease production in 1957, Schubert continued making Grange in secret. This determination won out. As the medals began flowing, the green light to continue was granted and a legend was born.
Today, the capability of Grange in the cellar supersedes even Schubert’s expectation, with great vintages proven to last well over fifty years.
THE BIN PROJECT: THE PENFOLDS RED WINES ECOSYSTEM
With Grange at the pinnacle, Schubert further envisioned a collection of wines which not only ‘married together’ but bore their own unmistakable style despite the variation of vintage. This ushered in the Penfolds House Style and a suite of wine, red and white, synonymous with quality: the Penfolds Bin wines.
Referring to the cellar storage area where the wine had aged, bin numbers had been used by Penfolds since the 1940s to label wines for entry into wine shows. As the market came to associate a consistent quality with these bin numbers, their use became a convention. The first commercial release was Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz, a Barossa Valley red wine first produced in 1959.
Schubert’s vision is embodied in the development and style of many early Bin wines. First made in 1964, Bin 707 is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine made with a similar winemaking process to Grange. Bin 389, created in 1960, is a quintessential Australian Cabernet Shiraz blend, featuring declassified Grange and sometimes Bin 707 parcels in its makeup.
Today, the Penfolds House Style is as much about quality as it is consistency. With grapes graded by viticulturists prior to fermentation, a strict classification process with the Penfolds winemaking team continues throughout fermentation with tastings to grade the wine towards a required style.
This intricate, detailed work upholds Penfolds reputation for excellence, but ultimately pays its dividends in the glass.
GLOBAL RECOGNITION FOR PENFOLDS RED WINEMAKING
Since the creation of Grange, the Penfolds portfolio continues to find critical acclaim:
- Over 35 perfect 100-point scores for Grange, including for vintages 1976, 1986, 1990, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
- Penfolds twice awarded Winery of the Year from Wine Enthusiast Magazine (US) in 2013 and again in 2015.
- In 2017, Grange was classified a First Growth in Liv-ex's recreation of the Bordeaux 1855 classification, signifying its continued status as one of the great wines of the world.
In addition to this critical acclaim, Grange and the Bin wines are amongst Australia’s most collected and recognisable wines.
