Penfolds Californian Release encapsulates a bold alliance between the northern and southern hemispheres – a continuum of endeavour unbound by country, vine or time. In the 1990s, Penfolds winemakers imported heritage vine cuttings from esteemed South Australian vineyards and planted them in Californian soil. From these foundations, the Californian Release wines were born.
Since the 1990s, Penfolds winemakers have cultivated and built our presence and knowledge of the California wine region. In 1998, we began planting heritage vines from our Magill Estate and Kalimna vineyards at the Camatta Hills vineyard in Paso Robles. Today, a total of 120 acres of the vineyard is planted equally with Kalimna and Magill Estate fruit.
The release is led by Quantum Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine of both the northern and southern hemispheres, comprising prized cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley and pedigreed shiraz from South Australia.
Napa Valley is integral to many other wines in the Californian Release, with fruit from revered AVAs Oakville, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, and Rutherford used for Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bin 704 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz, benefits from premium sites in Sonoma Valley and the original 1998 plantings in Camatta Hills, epitomising the California wine district's diverse terroir.
Penfolds sources fruit for its Californian release from vineyards in three prominent California wine regions. These include Napa Valley, renowned for its award-winning cabernet sauvignon; Paso Robles, where heritage vines from Kalimna and Magill Estate vineyards were planted; and Sonoma, a distinguished winemaking region celebrated for producing some of the finest Californian cabernet examples.
The inaugural release in March 2021 showcased four extraordinary wines from the 2018 vintage. Quantum Bin 98, Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon and Bin 600 Cabernet Sauvignon. Notably, Quantum Bin 98 and Bin 149 bear the designation Wine of the World, reflecting their unique blend sourced from both South Australian and Californian vineyards. Our journey to California marked a new chapter of Penfolds history and laid the foundations of a bold winemaking alliance between the northern and southern hemispheres.
While Napa Valley and certain South Australian regions share similarities, distinctive characteristics set them apart. For instance, Napa and Sonoma Valleys benefit from regular low-lying fog, cooling the valley floor, while hillside vineyards enjoy optimal sun exposure, resulting in robust fruit flavours. These unique attributes contribute to the distinctiveness of Californian wine regions.
Our relentless pursuit of crafting our distinctive House Style in each vintage has driven us to seek fruit with perfect attributes, whether from a single vineyard, a region, or across multiple regions and countries. It's this unwavering commitment that initially drew us to Californian wine districts. While our House Style remains prominently evident in this range, it also presents a unique divergence from our Australian or French wines, enriching our collection with a unique Californian essence.