Penfolds multi-country winemaking

Our continuous pursuit of House Style.

Since 1844, Penfolds commitment to quality has been underpinned by our unrestricted approach to fruit sourcing and winemaking – a philosophy that encourages us to venture across borders to find the best grapes that meet our exacting standards and express our distinct House Style.

Over time, this pursuit has pushed us beyond our own estate boundaries, through surrounding regions, past state borders, and in recent years, across oceans. This new chapter encapsulates wines crafted within and from these territories, as well as a number of multi-country wines – ambitious ventures unbound by vine, border or continent.

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.

FIRST, CALIFORNIA

Penfolds first multi-country wines were released as part of the Penfolds Collection 2021; the flagship, Quantum Cabernet Sauvignon and Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Both are the continuation of a twenty-year endeavour from when Penfolds winemakers first planted Australian vine cuttings in Californian soil. They are made in the Napa Valley, with Penfolds winemakers on the ground, in the cellars and in vineyards.

Purpose-fitted winemaking fermenters were installed, tanks were equipped with heading-down boards and AP John Barrels have been imported from South Australia to uphold style. Significant effort was made to guarantee the unhindered continuance of time-honoured Penfolds winemaking techniques. In this way, the contribution of regional and cultural character from Californian fruit is met equally by an identifiable Penfolds red stamp.

A quantum leap

Both Quantum and Bin 149 are ‘wines of the world’ that encapsulate a bold blending alliance between the northern and southern hemispheres.

Quantum leads the Californian release and is embedded with the same “quality-first” philosophy that underpins each of our flagships. It brings together prized Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and pedigreed South Australia shiraz, serving as the most powerful expression of our blending style through parcels of intensely flavoured fruit with highly structured tannins.

Bin 149 uses Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon to showcase strong tannic foundations and dark fruit intensity but with the added dimension of a unique “worldly” disposition through South Australian cabernet sauvignon. Matured in French and American oak, this release highlights Penfolds commitment to quality and limitless winemaking approach.

“Watching Bin 149 assume and grow into its unique character and personality with conviction is rewarding. Anchored in Napa Valley essence but peppered with South Australian saturation and vibrancy.”

– Steph Dutton, Penfolds Group Winemaker.

A collaboration

The Penfolds Collection 2022 comprised the inaugural release of Penfolds II, a collaboration wine made in partnership with Dourthe – one of Bordeaux’s most respected winemaking houses with a history stretching back to 1840.

The French component is sourced from vineyards in Bordeaux and is crafted at Dourthe winemaking facilities in France. The Australian component comes from vineyards across South Australia and is made at our winery in the Barossa Valley. Both components are then carefully blended and bottled in South Australia.

The creation of this limited release wine began as a quest to create something real, different, and aspiringly lofty. It is a wine that dares to venture beyond traditional boundaries by bringing together the old and new worlds in triumph.

“One main objective – to remain true to the winemaking ethos of both wineries, to deliver the best blend possible, to ideally make Bordeaux and South Australia proud.”

- Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker.

Multi-country future

At the heart of each new winemaking pursuit, lies our House Style. Discernible by a recognisable mid-palate richness, fruit generosity and cellar-ability, this Penfolds stamp can be experienced across each of our wines no matter their origin.

We ensure this consistency through a tradition of apprenticeship and long tenures, with Penfolds winemakers on the ground in each new territory we enter. This approach affords us the confidence to remove traditional restrictions and view the world of wine unbound. With this perspective, we see endless possibilities for all of our winemaking approaches – from a single vineyard expression through to a unique representation of multiple countries.

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