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Penfolds disrupts the wine scene again via its collaboration with street-fashion pioneer NIGO
Playful in design, and with a taste of profound depth, this is a unique collectable for both oenophiles and style aficionados
Playful in design, and with a taste of profound depth, this is a unique collectable for both oenophiles and style aficionados
Because of its undisputed position at the summit of Australia’s vinous pantheon, Penfolds is often viewed as part of wine’s stately old guard. Undoubtedly the country’s most renowned producer, its near-two-century history is as rich and durable as its acclaimed shiraz. Yet, in recent years, the brand has been cast within wine circles as something of a disruptor. Be it by producing highly unorthodox multi-country cuvées – South Australian shiraz blended with Californian cabernet sauvignon, before, sacré bleu!, the same base material was married with Bordeaux merlot – or by launching its own branded Champagne, Penfolds has not been afraid to shake up the sometimes staid world of wine.
In truth, it has always been an innovator, as its most famous bottle shows. In the early 1950s, influenced by a trip to Bordeaux, of all places, the then Penfolds chief winemaker, Max Schubert, was determined to create a similarly ageworthy fine wine to the beautiful clarets he had tasted on his travels. He began several experimental bottlings, harnessing some of the techniques and inspiration he had picked up in France. After producing several trial vintages, he was invited, in 1957, to show them to the board, the members of which were distinctly unimpressed and ordered him to shelve the project.
Undeterred, Schubert continued making the wine, and, three years later, the board was persuaded of its merits, and Grange was born. Today, it is officially listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia and is one of the world’s most collected wines, fetching tens of thousands of dollars at auctions across the globe.
Aside from its troubled birth, there is another element to Grange’s make-up that sets it apart. Eschewing the French notion of terroir, whereby the great wines speak of their place of origin, Grange is invariably a blend of raw materials from several different sources (and, often, different grape varieties, with shiraz commonly complemented by a dash of cabernet sauvignon).
The aim is always to represent the house style and the vintage, rather than the identity of a particular vineyard, a philosophy that is now replicated in many Penfolds wines, including the multi-country blends. As the producer, itself, says, ‘Through the passing of time, what were originally innovations become great traditions.’
Now, with the 2019 vintage of Grange, the brand is showcasing its ‘disruptor’ identity once again via a groundbreaking partnership with another innovator. One of the founding fathers of street fashion, Japanese designer NIGO created his first clothing label in Tokyo, in 1993, and, today, he is the creative director of his own independent brand, Human Made, and is also the artistic director at the LVMH-owned maison Kenzo. His work now spans from music to photography to traditional Japanese ceramic art, often through collaboration with other creatives, all in a bid to relate more closely to his audience.
For the 2019 vintage, the designer has put his own spin on the presentation of Penfolds’s flagship wine, with the creation of a new, limited-edition gift box. This represents the first design takeover of Grange, marking something of a milestone for Penfolds in its 180th anniversary year. The partnership came about following NIGO’s first visit to Penfolds Magill Estate Winery, near Adelaide, in 2022, where he spent time with the Penfolds team reviewing its archives.
Commissioned to re-imagine Grange’s gift box design, his approach embodies his signature style, as it features a bold and colourful grape graphic, as well as a Penfolds logo that's been filtered through Human Made’s typography. The livery for the one-off release takes in both the standard 750ml (1,500 available) and 1.5L magnum (150 available) gift boxes that house the 2019 vintage, with each box individually numbered and including a bandana and bottle necktag designed by NIGO, plus an authenticity certificate.
Though the artwork is playful and fresh, the wine itself remains classic, with the signature Grange hallmarks of profound depth. Its make-up stays true to its multi-regional approach, a base of shiraz (97 per cent) lent a smattering of cabernet sauvignon (3 per cent), drawn from a range of sites in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Clare Valley.
The result is a heady nose encompassing everything from nuttiness and tapenade to fresh berry coulis and exotic roast jus. Powerful yet poised, the youthful blue-and-black-fruit profile of the palate belies the likely maturation timeline, its somewhat formidable tannic structure balanced by a finish that is creamy and expansive, all woven together by the effortlessly integrated 19 months in 100 per cent new oak.
It’s a wine that has a long life ahead of it – a unique collectable for both oenophiles and fashion aficionados, and one whose complete range of layers is only likely to be fully appreciated in the years to come.
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