A collection of 16 wines makes up this year’s top releases from Penfolds, including the 70th anniversary of its flagship Grange. Available from August 5, the 2017 vintage of Penfolds Grange ($950) marks 70 consecutive releases of this iconic wine, and the winery has also unveiled two additional new super-premium wines.
While Penfolds Grange and the other much-loved reds in the range tend to take the limelight each year – think Bin 389 ($100), Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon ($650) and the RWT Bin 798 Shiraz ($200) – the winery’s excellent white wines continue to shine.
In his review, chief editor Tyson Stelzer even asks whether Yattarna has become Penfolds’ greatest wine of all.
The 2019 Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay ($175) and Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay ($125) lead the pack, reflecting two very different, stellar expressions of the variety. Continuing the winery’s long-held focus on multi-regional blending, the Yattarna combines fruit from Tasmania, Tumbarumba and Adelaide Hills. In his review for this wine, Halliday Wine Companion chief editor Tyson Stelzer even asks whether Yattarna has become Penfolds’ greatest wine of all.
In the reds, the 2017 Grange is made from 100 per cent shiraz, sourced from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Tyson describes this wine as being full of licorice, dark chocolate and coffee bean flavours, with a suggestion of fruit-mince spice. Among Tyson’s other standouts in the range this year include the 2019 Magill Estate Shiraz ($150), 2019 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz ($100) and 2018 St Henri Shiraz ($135).
Penfolds also revealed two new releases that are super-premium takes on the classic Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. The 2018 Penfolds Superblend 802-A Cabernet Shiraz ($900) is the first to roll out, with cabernet making up almost 70 per cent of this wine. The 2018 Penfolds Superblend 802-B Cabernet Shiraz will follow with a release next year, with a ratio of 55/45 between varieties.
For anyone who wants to try the wines, but can’t afford the top-end releases, there are highlights to be had at the lower end of the range. The 2021 Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling ($40) is an incredibly aromatic, vibrant and lifted style, while the dark-fruited and softly spiced 2019 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz ($60) offers especially good value.
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