Penfolds Launch Two Inaugural French Wines

For the first time in Penfolds’s history, the annual Collection release in August will include three country-of-origin portfolios: Australian, Californian, and the first-ever French release. This will show Penfolds’s long-lasting “House Style” in a global context.

With a global approach to winemaking that isn’t limited by region or vineyard, Penfolds’ “House Style” gives them the freedom to explore premium viticultural regions in Australia and around the world. Penfolds has wanted to make wine outside of Australia for a long time. Over time, their skills, interest, and willingness to try new things have grown. Penfolds’ winemaking in Australia, Champagne, Napa, Paso Robles, and now Bordeaux, France, is still based on a long history of research, curiosity, and wine testing.

Penfolds II, a partnership with respected French winemaking House, Dourthe.

Contents

Penfolds II, a partnership with respected French winemaking House, Dourthe.
2019 Penfolds FWT 585: A trial Bin wine made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
A look into the 2022 collection releases
The Penfolds Collection 2022 includes the following wines:

The new French release is led by a wine made in partnership with one of Bordeaux’s most respected winemaking Houses, Dourthe Bordeaux. Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago and Dourthe Chief Winemaker Frederic Bonnaffous worked together to make a wine that comes from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

They did this by blending grapes from Bordeaux (71%) and South Australia (29%) – resulting in Penfolds II Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2019. The name “Penfolds II” comes from the fact that two winemakers worked together to make a high-quality wine by combining traditional French winemaking methods with time-tested Australian methods. Blended and bottled in South Australia, the final wine was made from grapes from the 2019 harvest.

“This is the start of our French winemaking journey. Our 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. This wine is not about bigness or boldness or assertion. It is blended to convey an ethereal lightness, subtlety on the palate-sensitively binding two hemispheres, Old World and New.” said Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker.

“To push the boundaries and craft such a blend was an unexpected and utterly fascinating concept. Collaborating and cultivating firm friendships with the Penfolds winemaking team in blending such an exceptional wine was a dream come true. For us, this was ground-breaking, resulting in a totally original, innovative wine – Penfolds II – which far surpassed all our expectations, while remaining true to the culture and style of our respective countries and houses.” said Patrick Jestin, Dourthe CEO.

2019 Penfolds FWT 585: A trial Bin wine made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

The 2019 Penfolds FWT 585 is the second wine that will come out in August. It is a trial Bin wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Since 2018, many trials and blends have been tasted as part of the classification process. The start of this new chapter for Penfolds in France was marked by comprehensive and focused wine trials. The Trial wine was made at the Cambon la Pelouse Winery with Penfolds Senior Winemaker Emma Wood on the ground, in the cellars, and in the vineyards.

“Many great Penfolds wines were born from experimentation and trial; RWT 798 (Red Winemaking Trial) Barossa Valley Shiraz, Yattarna Bin 144 (144 winemaking trials) 1951 (experimental) Grange – and now FWT 585. The wines made in France pay respect to French terroir, yet one thing remains overly consistent…the Penfolds stamp. Just like our California wines…. we have the French sun above and soil beneath, but everything in between is Penfolds!” said Gago.

“Emma Wood played a pivotal role during the Bordeaux harvest, together with our French colleagues on the ground. Whilst Penfolds winemakers have been visiting France frequently for years, the current team members have been refining a Penfolds vision for the last three harvests. Penfolds winemakers have also benefited from the expertise, input and support from the team on the ground in Bordeaux across the winery and vineyards.”

The 2022 Australian release is led by the 68th consecutive release of Penfolds 2018 Grange – a testament to the multi-regional blending philosophy that underpins Grange DNA, offering an abundance of complexity.

A look into the 2022 collection releases

After the first Penfolds Californian wines come out in 2021, the next batch will come out as part of the 2022 Collection. This is a continuation of a project that started more than 20 years ago when Penfolds winemakers began exploring Californian soils. The 2019 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz are all coming out this year.

Penfolds Managing Director Tom King said “Penfolds is building a global ambition not just on paper but with our feet in vineyards across two hemispheres. We are focussed on making Penfolds wines from the best winemaking regions globally…We started this journey with our partnership with Champagne (Thienot), then brought to life a 20-year endeavour with the California wine release, and now, we proudly introduce a partnership with leading a Bordeaux winery and reveal our own 2019 Trial Bin wine in France.”

From an experience point of view, this year’s Collection will be marked by a series of events around the world called “Venture Beyond by Penfolds.” These events will be disruptive, immersive, and fun. The activations will take place over a few days in key areas around the world. They will include a mix of masterclasses, artist collaborations, and culturally-driven performance pieces, all of which will be based on the brand theme “Venture Beyond.”

The Penfolds Collection 2022 wines are available now at Penfolds Cellar Doors (Magill Estate Winery and Barossa Valley Cellar Door) in Australia and select fine wine stores globally. For more information, click here.