Top: The Penfolds team during classification in the late 1950s. Max Schubert, centre, and Jeffrey Penfold Hyland, to his right

Opposite: Barrels of slowly maturing fortified wines in the Barossa Valley

management standards. Experimental winemaking and technical advances triggered a new approach at Penfolds that enabled the development of Grange and a dynasty of red wines.

Some of these methods were modified traditional techniques and others, especially partial barrel fermentation, became signature practices.

Oak maturation is also an important element of Penfolds House Style. For example, Grange benefits greatly from being aged in American oak for around 18 months. The aromas and flavours derived from the  fruit and new oak evolve, the tannins soften. At the other end of the  spectrum St Henri, which is matured in large 50+-year-old seasoned oak vats, develops complexity without the influence of new oak. Despite this, St Henri and Grange can look like stable mates after 10 or 15 years of maturation. The distinctive hallmarks of rich aromatic and plush fruit, beautifully integrated oak and chocolaty, round tannins are the common theme.

Penfolds House Style, while following Max Schubert s original blueprint, has evolved in sync with a multitude of technical advances, outlooks and vineyard acquisitions. Single-vineyard wines, including Magill Estate Shiraz and Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon, embrace Penfolds heritage but also emphasise the genius of vineyard site and contemporary techniques. The RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz and Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon are distinctly regional in expression yet pure Penfolds in style.

A comprehensive portfolio of white wines is based on similar principles of fruit profiling and selection. Bin 51 Riesling, sourced from the elevated vineyards of the Eden Valley, and the multi-regional Bin 144 Yattarna Chardonnay, a leading example of Australia s chardonnay revolution, are distinctly different in style and varietal expression yet possess intense purity of fruit, concentration of flavours and ageability.

Consistency is also found in Penfolds portfolio of fortified wines. Established heritage vineyard resources, classic winemaking techniques and a unique fortifying spirit are the essence of the Penfolds fortified style. Maturation in ex-Penfolds red table wine barrels and a nurturing culture derived from generations of acquired knowledge give an enduring quality and character.

Today, Penfolds House Style is championed by a diverse team of winemakers, some with responsibilities spanning countries. With the support of Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, Stephanie Dutton and Andrew Baldwin are hard at work supervising production in the Napa Valley to ensure that Penfolds future Californian wines are reflective of Penfolds House Style.

Penfolds iconic House Style is the core of the brand, but its signature has no limitations. Thanks to its winemaking history, and the combined strength, experience and passion of its winemaking team, Penfolds continues as one of the most reliable and consistent wine brands in the world more than 175 years after its founders first stepped onto South Australian shores.

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