The story of Penfolds was written, in part, by chance. In 1950, chief winemaker Max Schubert travelled to Europe to study fortified wines, only to find himself in Bordeaux, tasting finest 40-50-year-old clarets of astonishing complexity and grace.
Those moments in the prestigious cellars of Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour and Château Margaux ignited a bold ambition: to craft an Australian wine that could stand alongside the Bordeaux greats â ageâworthy blends that were powerful, yet finely structured.
Back in Australia, Schubert married local know-how to the lessons learned in Bordeaux, creating the first vintage of Grange in 1951, a wine so unconventional at the time that it was dismissed immediately.
But, convinced of its potential, Schubert continued production in secret and refined his vision. When reintroduced a few years later, the true potential in the bottle became apparent, which led to a formal endorsement in 1960. Named after the Penfold family home, Schubertâs passion project has since become one of the worldâs most celebrated wines.
Grange not only redefined Australian winemaking but set the blueprint for the âPenfolds House Styleâ â a philosophy that underpins every wine in the portfolio. From Schubertâs Bordeaux epiphany, the notion of a âred threadâ spanning vineyards across the globe emerged â a distinctive Penfolds stamp that runs through their wines, regardless of grape variety or region.
That style dates to the 19th-century fortified wines produced by co-founder Mary Penfold and evolved during Schubertâs Grange trials. It is defined by mid-palate richness, fruity generosity and ageability, achieved by selecting grapes from âwhere the fruit grows best and where it best suits styleâ, Penfolds says on its website.
Penfolds winemakers work in many regions, from Australiaâs Barossa Valley to Bordeaux in France, from Californiaâs Napa Valley to Ningxia in China.
âIt ensures that, regardless of origin, there is a clarity of identity, quality and intent that makes a wine unmistakably Penfolds â celebrating regional expression, yet remaining coherently Penfolds in style, balance and longevity,â says Kristy Keyte, chief marketing officer at the storied winemaker.
Over 180 years, this approach means Penfolds is not defined by a single vineyard or even a single country, allowing wines to be shaped by terroir yet distinct in taste, colour, nose, palate and cellarability.
âHouse Style has naturally taken us beyond borders and across hemispheres, allowing us to make wines in some of the worldâs great regions, each interpreted through a singular Penfolds lens,â Keyte notes.
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