Stepping into the lift to head up to the Brooklands section of the spankingly new Peninsula Hotel, overlooking London’s Hyde Park Corner, should have told us something about what to expect.
For this was no ordinary, stare at the floor elevator. Instead you are meant to feel as though you are stepping into the wicker-basket interior of a hot air balloon. Press the ‘8’ button to take you up to Brooklands - a restaurant, bar and terrace area hosted by Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi that plays homage to British motorsport and aviation and named after the historical Brooklands race track in Surrey. As the lift goes up the red burner light above you starts flashing and you are hit by the noise of a propane heater that is supposedly powering you up, up away into the air.
Wine's very own Phileas Fogg - Peter Gago now making wine all over the world with Penfolds
The lift doors open and you are greeted by wine’s very own Phileas Fogg - Peter Gago - a one man globe-travelling winemaking tour de force. To then be whisked away to enter his world of winemaking adventures that now sees him making wine - with the ever expanding Penfolds’ winemaking team - in some of the world’s most coveted wine producing countries and regions. Napa Valley. Tick. Bordeaux. Tick. Champagne. Tick.
And if you work for one of Australia’s biggest wine exporting companies arguably the most important of all, particularly in the current political climate. China. Tick.
Global launch
Gago was in London alongside fellow Penfolds winemaker, Shauna Bastow, to help bring to the world the 2024 Penfolds Collection that is officially released globally on August 1. The fashion world’s equivalent to rolling out a catwalk in Paris, or Milan. Each tasting glass of carefully poured Penfolds’ wine on display to show off this year’s credentials and characteristics. Only the release of a new annual Penfolds Collection actually spans wines covering five harvests.
And just like any esteemed fashion designer, Gago was happy to sit back and let the wines do the talking. Each one deserving their own turn and twirl on the Penfolds’ catwalk.
Penfolds' catwalk of wines - its 2024 Collection unveiled at London's Peninsula Hotel
When he did allow himself to speak, Gago was, as always, on the finest of forms with tales of derring do from his global travels and travails. Be it doing a private tasting for a high up Chinese minister of state, to bumping into Hollywood royalty in Michelin star loos. For as well as making great wines, Gago’s a born story teller too.
He was also in reflective mood. Keen to look back as well as forward and celebrate Penfolds’ 180 year history.
As he says: “Throughout the 1800’s, 1900’s and 2000’s Penfolds has crafted many, many wines and styles. Some remain, some not.” Before adding: “Our 2024 Penfolds Collection is testament to 18 decades of innovation and invention, hard work, trials, mistakes and the honing of the Penfolds house style.”
“We are part of 180 years of history,” claimed Gago and it is up to him and his team to be always mindful of the fact that the decisions and the wines they are making now will help Penfolds make “wine for the next 180 years”.
It’s not just the quality and consistency of the Penfolds Collection of wines that is so impressive, but its scale and ambition. It is hard to think of another major wine producer that is making wine in so many prestigious parts of the world, either with its own projects, or in partnership with another player - like Penfolds link up with Champagne Thiénot.
Ultimately Penfolds, he stressed, is all about making wines that truly reflect their terroir. An approach that has seen it either own, or lease vineyards in order to drive a fruit-first philosophy that allows it to make multi-regional wines from right across Australia and now a multi-country strategy that is taking the Penfolds name around the world.
“But it is the same philosophy and same blending approach,” he added.
Global footprint
Peter Gago showing the latest release from its partnership with Champagne Thiénot
Its global footprint now stretches to the United States with vineyards and winemaking operations covering Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Paso Robles. Fruit from the Napa vineyards, which it has been working with since 1998, go into making its Quantum Cabernet, Bin 149 Cabernet, and Bin 704 Napa Valley Cabernet.
It first bought land in Paso Robles in 1997 when land before planting a selection of heritage vines from its own Australian Kalimna and Magill Estate vineyards in 1998. Fruit from Sonoma County is one of the key parts of Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz.
In France Penfolds is now firmly embedded both in Bordeaux and Champagne. Its Bordeaux relationship goes back more than 70 years ago when Penfolds first chief winemaker, Max Schubert, first visited the region and was inspired to create Grange. It was not until 2022 that it released the inaugural Penfolds II, a wine made in partnership with Bordeaux’s Maison Dourthe.
It was in 2019 when Penfolds first made the breakthrough partnership with family-owned Champagne House Thiénot to work together on developing their own limited release Champagnes. There are now four classic Champagnes in the range that includes a vintage Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs, and a non-vintage Champagne Rosé.
“We are well known in Champagne now thanks to Thiénot,” said Gago, who revealed the business is on the look out to potentially buy some Grand Cru Champagne vineyards of its own at some stage.
Visions of China
Penfolds’ profile and brand image is arguably most well known in China where it has become the flagship Australian wine brand helping to drive so much of the overall Australian wine category in the country. It can claim to have a relationship with China stretching back to 1893 and has in recent times become a major winemaker as well as brand in its own right in the country with its One by Penfolds limited release range that first came to the market in 2022.
The Penfolds winemaking team now works with growers in Shangri-La in the Yunnan province and Ningxia in north-central China and it has strong ambitions to grow its winemaking business in the country.
Gago would not be drawn on any future potential partnerships, or winemaking projects in other parts of the world. He joked he had told the wider Treasury Wine Estates business that they should have invested in the UK some 25 years ago. But would not say if such an idea might ever come to pass now.
The 2024 Collection
As for the 2024 Collection it is up to more refined palates to share their tasting notes on the wines but notably Gago in its introduction urges trade buyers and investors alike to “keep a close eye on the blend inclusion of any parcels out of Coonawarra in 2022”.
He added: “The launch of a rare Penfolds Commemorative Release, the 2021 Coonawarra Bind 180 Cabernet Shiraz, will certainly add lustre to this year’s Collection. Although deeply biased, I still would find it difficult not to recommend 2022 Bin 707 and 2021 St Henri ‘drinking investments’ - and never overlook Yattarna!”.
Highlights
Bin 180 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2021 has been released to commemorate Penfolds' 180th year of winemaking
Alongside the 2024 Penfolds Collection, a commemorative Bin 180 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz 2021 is being released to honour Penfolds 180th anniversary. Made from the outstanding 2021 Coonawarra vintage, the 2021 Bin 180 is a classic Penfolds wine, displaying the structure of Cabernet and the richness of Shiraz focused on “balance, power, and beauty”.
Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 10 and Shiraz from Block 5 are the source of Penfolds Bin 180. These blocks are some of the oldest and most symbolic plantings in the region and are consistent contributors to Grange, Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon and Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gago explains what it hopes to achieve with the new wine: “Our goal was to craft a landmark wine to acknowledge Penfolds 180th Anniversary… Compellingly – the lure of outstanding parcels in barrel availed from the stellar 2021 Coonawarra harvest. Fatefully – testament to a pre-ordained and magical Australian varietal union – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Resultingly – Penfolds 2021 Bin 180 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz.”
Housed in a fully recyclable gift box crafted with a premium wood-like paper texture, Penfolds Bin 180 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz is released in key markets globally on Thursday 1 August, rolling out into select markets across EMEA in autumn 2024. 180 magnums and 8 jeroboams will also be available in select markets.
Australian Release: Penfolds’ flagship 2020 Grange showcases the very best parcels of South Australian Shiraz from the 2020 vintage. Of this new release, Gago said: “Assured and distinctive, this Grange will appease and reward.”
The 2022 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon is celebrating its 60th vintage since its first release (1964) and is widely regarded amongst collectors as one of the world’s finest Cabernets.
Australian Release: Penfolds’ flagship 2020 Grange showcases the very best parcels of South Australian Shiraz from the 2020 vintage. Of this new release, Gago said: “Assured and distinctive, this Grange will appease and reward.”
The 2022 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon is celebrating its 60th vintage since its first release (1964) and is widely regarded amongst collectors as one of the world’s finest Cabernets.
French Release: The 2024 Collection sees Penfolds release the third vintage of the French Winemaking Trial wine – known as FWT 585.
Shauna Bastow has recently moved from Australia to Bordeaux to head up Penfoldds' winemaking operation in the region
“Sourcing classic Bordeaux varietals — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot; this is a wine that pushes the boundaries to look and feel like Bordeaux, whilst remaining Penfolds inside and out,” said , who relocated to Bordeaux from South Australia in February this year.
The Collection also includes the third release from Penfolds partnership with Bordeaux's Dourthe – Penfolds II Cabernet Sauvignon 2022.
“2022 Cabernet from the soils of Bordeaux blended with 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from distant vineyards in South Australia – an alliance that continues to surprise and reward,” said Gago.
US Release: This year’s US release includes 2021 Penfolds Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz. Also included is a new stablemate, a Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc – also from the 2021 vintage, but not released in markets within EMEA this year.
China Release: The 2024 Collection includes the second release of CWT (Chinese Winemaking Trial) 521 Cabernet Sauvignon Marselan. The 2022 vintage trial wine blends Cabernet Sauvignon from Shangri-La and Marselan from Ningxia.
2024 Collection release dates & distribution in EMEA
The new vintages of Penfolds Australian ‘Luxury & Icon’ wines will be distributed exclusively across EMEA through Bordeaux’s La Place network of negociants, managed by the courtier, Excellence Vins from September 9.
The new vintage releases to be distributed exclusively across EMEA by La Place de Bordeaux include:
2020 Grange
2022 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon
2023 Bin 144 Yattarna Chardonnay
2022 Bin 798 RWT Shiraz
2021 St Henri
2022 Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon
The remaining wines in the Penfolds 2024 Collection will be sold in EMEA from August 1 through its official distribution partners.
Peter Gago’s final words on this year’s Collection: “We’ve come a long way. We have a long way to go. Volume One at 180 years is now complete, and the journey continues…”
* To find out more about Penfolds and the Penfolds Collection click here.
