Interview -- 10 days ago
Competition: Start building your wine cellar with this stand-out selection of Penfolds wines
The ultimate starting point for any budding wine collector…
When it comes to collecting wine, the age-old proverb ‘good things come to those who wait’ certainly rings true. Patience is essential to the process of building a cellar, as the best wines for cellaring will be those that evolve their character and flavour profile over the span of a good few years.
That’s where Penfolds comes in. The revered winemaker is renowned for producing some of the world’s most collectable wines, most notably the beautifully-ageing Grange, which was first conceived by the legendary Max Schubert in 1951.
To get your wine collecting journey off to a great start, Penfolds has pulled together a curated selection of age-worthy wines that make for the ultimate starting cellar – whether you plan on drinking them now or further down the line (the beauty of a Penfolds wine is its exceptional drinkability at every stage of its cellaring – there are no rules as to when or how you should enjoy a bottle of Penfolds).
They’ve even thrown in a bottle of champagne to toast your new collection. Read more about each bottle below and enter the competition for your chance to win the entire bundle.
Penfolds FWT 585 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Petit Verdot 2022
Penfolds’ approach to its French Winemaking Trials is similar to that of Max Schubert’s groundbreaking Grange trials in the 1950s. These young vintages are a piece of history, making for an excellent addition to any cellar.
The fourth release in the FWT series, the 2022 FWT 585, represents Penfolds’ take on a classic Bordeaux blend. It makes use of the region’s exceptional vineyards, harnessing a combination of grape varieties (56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot) that are matured in French oak and American oak barriques for 12 months.
The 2022 vintage is fruit-forward yet fresh, balancing a decadent cherry core with a subtle herbaceous hint of bay leaf and chocolate mint.
Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2023
Born from Max Schubert’s Grange trials, Bin 389 is often referred to as ‘Baby Grange’, as its components are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. It is one of Penfolds’ most sought-after red blend wines, thanks to a distinct personality that comes from combining the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the warmth and richness of Shiraz.
Layered and balanced, the 2023 vintage is bursting with rich red fruits, supple tannins and a long, savoury finish as notes of black olive and fennel come to the fore. Its complexity provides decades of cellaring capability, with the peak drinking period lasting all the way until 2050.
Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
The 2023 Bin 407 makes use of only the finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a range of South Australian vineyards, demonstrating the value of Penfolds’ multi-regional blending philosophy.
This classic Cabernet Sauvignon is lively and expressive, melding dark Cabernet fruits with savoury oak and understated earthy complexity that comes courtesy of subtle tobacco notes. Those who subject their bottles to a longer spell in the cellar will be rewarded with the wine’s full expression.
Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2022
The St Henri is a Penfolds icon, first released in 1957 by the chief winemaker of the time as a stylistic counterpoint to Max Schubert’s Grange, and rediscovered by wine collectors in the 1990s. It is a unique expression of Shiraz, unusual among high-quality Australian red wines as it doesn’t rely on any new oak. This allows the wine to develop, imparting minimal, if any oak character.
The 2022 vintage is instantly recognisable as St Henri, with its fresh, berry-forward nose and richly layered palate of hazelnut, macadamia, white chocolate and Dutch liquorice, followed by summer berry pudding. As a young wine, the St Henri is rich and plush, but it will reward patience as it ages, gaining a complex, earthy character.
Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2023
Translating to an Indigenous word that means ‘little-by-little, gradually’, Yattarna represents the culmination of years of comprehensive research and development. Only the finest-quality Chardonnay grapes sourced from cool-climate regions in any given vintage will go into the blend, hence Yattarna’s status as one of the true greats of Burgundy.
The 2023 Yattarna vintage is elegant and vibrant, with an array of flavours that unfold on the palate gracefully, from the herbal zestiness of lemon myrtle to the sweetness of nashi pear and white fig, finished with a hint of bright lime. It can be enjoyed now, but will develop a richness of character as it ages over the next 20 years.
Penfolds Cuvée Brut NV
To celebrate your win, Penfolds is including a bottle of its French champagne, perfect for popping now. This Cuvée Brut NV from Penfolds is the latest release in a five-strong champagne series, developed in partnership with family-owned French champagne house Thiénot. As such, it maintains Penfolds’ distinctive House Style while imbuing the elegance of French terroir.
Made from a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, this champagne is fresh and lively, with wafts of lily, chamomile and seringat on the nose, and a slightly sherbety, citrus-forward palate that remains clean and pure, without any bitterness from zest.
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