{"id":56264,"date":"2026-05-29T16:20:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=56264"},"modified":"2026-05-29T16:20:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:20:37","slug":"an-australian-wine-icon-returns-to-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=56264","title":{"rendered":"An Australian wine icon returns to France"},"content":{"rendered":"


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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.<\/p>\n

Those moments in the prestigious cellars of Ch\u00e2teau Lafite Rothschild, Ch\u00e2teau Latour and Ch\u00e2teau Margaux ignited a bold ambition: to craft an Australian wine that could stand alongside the Bordeaux greats \u2013 age\u2011worthy blends that were powerful, yet finely structured.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Max Schubert originally created Penfolds Grange in the 1950s as an experimental project inspired by his travels to Bordeaux. Photo: Courtesy of Penfolds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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, Schubert\u2019s passion project has since become one of the world\u2019s most celebrated wines.<\/p>\n

Grange not only redefined Australian winemaking but set the blueprint for the \u201cPenfolds House Style\u201d \u2013 a philosophy that underpins every wine in the portfolio. From Schubert\u2019s Bordeaux epiphany, the notion of a \u201cred thread\u201d spanning vineyards across the globe emerged \u2013 a distinctive Penfolds stamp that runs through their wines, regardless of grape variety or region.<\/p>\n

That style dates to the 19th-century fortified wines produced by co-founder Mary Penfold and evolved during Schubert\u2019s Grange trials. It is defined by mid-palate richness, fruity generosity and ageability, achieved by selecting grapes from \u201cwhere the fruit grows best and where it best suits style\u201d, Penfolds says on its website.<\/p>\n

Penfolds winemakers work in many regions, from Australia\u2019s Barossa Valley to Bordeaux in France, from California\u2019s Napa Valley to Ningxia in China.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kristy Keyte, Penfolds\u2019 chief marketing officer. Photo: Courtesy of Penfolds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt ensures that, regardless of origin, there is a clarity of identity, quality and intent that makes a wine unmistakably Penfolds \u2013 celebrating regional expression, yet remaining coherently Penfolds in style, balance and longevity,\u201d says Kristy Keyte, chief marketing officer at the storied winemaker.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouse Style has naturally taken us beyond borders and across hemispheres, allowing us to make wines in some of the world\u2019s great regions, each interpreted through a singular Penfolds lens,\u201d Keyte notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrance represents a deeply meaningful chapter in this journey. Bordeaux played a formative role in Penfolds\u2019 history. Creating wines in France is not a reinvention, but an authentic continuation of that legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The journey back to its roots<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Champagne was the region where the house\u2019s return to France began. Photo: Courtesy of Penfolds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Fittingly, Penfolds\u2019 return to France began in Champagne, a region synonymous with celebration and craftsmanship. In 2019, Penfolds partnered with family\u2011owned Champagne House Thi\u00e9not to release a Blanc de Noirs and a Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. In later years, they released a Cuv\u00e9e Brut and a Brut Ros\u00e9 \u2013 each combining Penfolds\u2019 blending mastery with Champagne tradition.<\/p>\n

The 2022 collaboration with Bordeaux producer Dourthe saw the creation of Penfolds II \u2013 a cross\u2011continental blend marrying South Australian and Bordeaux fruit as part of the winery\u2019s \u201cWines of the World\u201d journey.<\/p>\n

In the same spirit of exploration, the French Winemaking Trial (FWT) series examines how Penfolds House Style can be expressed purely through French terroir.<\/p>\n

FWT 585 Cabernet Merlot Petit Verdot is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes from Bordeaux, and is crafted using Penfolds techniques while remaining classified as a \u201cVin de France\u201d, an intentional choice that allows for new blends without being restricted by appellation boundaries.<\/p>\n

In 2025, FWT 543 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah further explored what a French Penfolds wine could be, bringing together Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from the south of France for a refreshing interpretation of the iconic Penfolds blend.<\/p>\n

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The FWT 585 blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes from Bordeaux. Photo: Courtesy of Penfolds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYounger wine lovers are driven by curiosity and discovery, and value authenticity over convention. Our role is to invite them into the Penfolds story through exploration, without compromising on quality or integrity,\u201d explains Keyte. \u201cThey (FWT) encourage exploration while remaining grounded in craftsmanship.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Grange was born from a Bordeaux dream, Grange La Chapelle is its modern awakening. Released in 2025, it fuses Syrah from France\u2019s iconic Hill of Hermitage in the Northern Rh\u00f4ne Valley with Shiraz from South Australia, uniting two great winemaking cultures in a single, commanding expression, with further vintages now underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrange remains our flagship, the enduring benchmark that anchors our entire portfolio,\u201d Keyte says. \u201cGrange La Chapelle brings together our heritage and our future, while the FWT releases sit within our long tradition of experimentation and pushing boundaries \u2014 the same philosophy that gave rise to Grange in 1951.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Penfolds owner Treasury Wine Estates acquired Ch\u00e2teau Cambon La Pelouse in 2019 and Ch\u00e2teau Lanessan in 2022, it established a meaningful presence in the Haut\u2011M\u00e9doc, further strengthening Penfolds\u2019 multi-regional luxury wine model.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe French wines sit comfortably within the Penfolds collection because they are built on the same principles that have always underpinned the brand: heritage, discipline and an understanding of wine as something shaped over time,\u201d says Keyte.<\/p>\n

Sustenance for the community<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Ch\u00e2teau Lanessan vineyard covers an area of approximately 400 hectares across Bordeaux. Photo: Courtesy of Penfolds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Penfolds\u2019 French chapter is not only about wines, but also the communities and landscapes that make them possible. Through Penfolds Evermore, the brand\u2019s global community and sustainability platform, the company supports initiatives spanning viticulture, education and environmental impact.<\/p>\n

The inaugural Evermore France Grant Program in 2025 awarded three recipients a total of \u20ac120,000 (US$140,000) to fund their respective projects: developing a natural antifungal solution from grape seed extracts, improving water use efficiency in winemaking, and creating content to demystify and encourage the pursuit of wine careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur approach in France begins with respect for the land, the traditions and the communities that define them,\u201d says Keyte. \u201cTo be a global winemaker, we must also be a responsible one, supporting education, innovation and the future of the industry as we continue to grow our presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

This French chapter is therefore an extension of Penfolds\u2019 long-held belief that great wine is built through curiosity, discipline and the courage to keep experimenting, naturally extending its association with dining, travel and culture.<\/p>\n

For wine lovers in Hong Kong, Taiwan and beyond, that outlook gives the French portfolio a particular appeal of wines that carry Penfolds\u2019 unmistakable House Style, while offering new stories, new textures and new expressions of terroir to discover.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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