in 50 years; soon after the 2008 Penfolds Grange earned a perfect score of 100 points from both Robert Parker s Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator magazine.
In 2012 Penfolds launched its highly ambitious Ampoule Project, a limited release of 12, $168,000, hand-blown ampoules comprising the 2004 Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon (all 11 ampoules for sale found a buyer). And not to be overshadowed by a wine, in 2017 Peter Gago was appointed as a Companion of The Order of Australia, Australia s highest civilian honour, in recognition of his service to the Australian wine industry.
2019 saw the inaugural release of three Penfolds Champagnes. This collaboration with Champagne house Thiénot is a toast to 175 years of winemaking experimentation, curiosity and uncompromising quality, taking the brand back to France, where Schubert s early vision for Grange began.
Empowered by its Australian heritage and identity, Penfolds is leading a dynamic wine market where connections, personal experiences and engagement are expected. It is a conversation without borders and promises to take the Penfolds brand across new horizons, whether that s documentary making with National Geographic, special bottlings of baijiu-infused fortified wine, expanding into California s Napa Valley or imagining Penfolds g4, a rare new wine made from Grange DNA.
Today, Peter Gago leads a winemaking team with more than 150 years of combined experience. Penfolds will continue to evolve, as it has always done but the authenticity and renown of the Penfolds brand is as much about the commitment and belief of its people as it is about the style and quality of the wines.
Without a crystal ball it would be impossible to predict the future of this now-global brand, but one thing is for certain the strength of Penfolds is that the wine always comes first, and the eighth edition of The Rewards of Patience celebrates this truth.
Below, left to right: Rebel Penfold- Hyland, Peter Gago (Penfolds Chief Winemaker), Bardie Penfold Simpson, Brentyn Schubert (son of Max Schubert), and Sandie Coff (daughter of Max Schubert) at Penfolds 175th Anniversary celebration in 2019
Opposite: Cabernet vines in Coonawarra, South Australia
I d like to think that the wines with which I have been associated with are
descended from one ancestor vineyard, creating a dynasty of wines. These may differ in character year by year, but all
bear an unmistakable resemblance and relationship to each other.
MAX SCHUBERT, Penfolds First Chief Winemaker
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