2015 ««««« «««««

Plentiful rains over winter replenished dams and charged soil moistures but dry weather in late spring exposed some vineyards to frost damage. Overall warm to dry (near drought) conditions with intermittent rains prevailed during the growing season. Cool nights ensured retention of aromatics and freshness. A very good follow up to 2014. A very strong Penfolds vintage.

2016 ««««« «««««

Mild to warm dry conditions in spring and summer. Intermittent top-up rains in January, February and March allowed the grapes to ripen to optimum maturity with very low disease pressure. A heat spike in December was followed by milder weather. As a consequence, Barossa shiraz and Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon ripened perfectly. The whites have very good natural acidities.

2017 ««« ««««

A back to normal harvest date but a challenging year with higher than average rainfall. A cool to mild growing season followed by late rains in March meant some disease pressure. Very much a vineyard management year, but the quality of the wines speak for themselves.

2018 ««««« ««««

After excellent replenishing rains over winter, vineyards were able to withstand the moderately dry conditions over the growing season especially with warm to hot dry weather over February. A black frost on 14 November in Coonawarra reduced yields but overall a very fine Penfolds vintage.

2019 ««««« «««««

A relatively dry winter. Sporadic hail and spring frosts delayed the growing season. A warm to hot summer and relatively mild nights allowed the fruit to ripen in almost perfect condition. One of the latest and lowest yielding vintages of the past decade, but promises to be a truly classic Penfolds year for both reds and whites.

2020 «««« ««««

After plentiful winter rains, dry conditions prevailed throughout the growing season. Summer was warm to hot with some days of extreme heat. Although temperatures cooled down in January, bushfires in the Adelaide Hills and Tumbarumba damaged or destroyed some grower vineyards. The threat of smoke haze was a concern, but this pressure proved to be minimal outside bushfire zones. A low-yielding and broadly high-quality Penfolds shiraz vintage across South Australia. Eden Valley riesling, Barossa and McLaren Vale grenache were also highlights. 

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