The Penfolds Collection 2022 features a portfolio of wines spanning three different continents that includes two inaugural French releases. 

Penfolds has made French wines. Really.

Among its latest annual releases – collectively named the Penfolds Collection 2022, scheduled for release this August – the award-winning Australian wine producer has unveiled two wines made in France created in collaboration with French wineries.

One is the 2019 Penfolds FWT 585. This ‘trial wine’ was made at Cru Bourgeois-rated Château Cambon la Pelouse, and – rightly so – made in the style of a typical left bank Bordeaux vinified from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

On the other hand, the other – the 2019 Penfolds II Cabernet Shiraz Merlot – is boundary-breaking. Made in collaboration with highly-lauded Bordeaux winemaker Dourthe, Penfolds II melds traditional French winemaking techniques and Penfold’s time-honoued Australian winemaking style. But this is not just a merger of techniques; grapes from Bordeaux (71%) and South Australia (29%) from the 2019 vintage were blended together to make this wine.

Penfolds Collection 2022 France releases

Penfolds II challenges convention. It probably also upsets quite a number of appellation laws – not to mention wine traditionalists – along the way.

Penfolds Senior Winemaker Emma Wood played a critical role in both of Penfolds’ inaugural French wines, working closely “on the ground in the cellars and in the vineyards” with both Bordeaux wineries.

Both the 2019 Penfolds II Cabernet Shiraz Merlot and 2019 Penfolds FWT 585 mark the start of Penfolds’ French winemaking journey, declared Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker. “(We aim) to remain true to the winemaking ethos of both wineries, to deliver the best blend possible, to ideally make Bordeaux and South Australia proud. This wine is not about bigness or boldness or assertion. It is blended to convey an ethereal lightness, subtlety on the palate – sensitively binding two hemispheres, Old World and New,” Gago insisted.

Dourthe CEO Patrick Jestin agreed. “For us, this was ground-breaking, resulting in a totally original, innovative wine – Penfolds II – which far surpassed all our expectations, while remaining true to the culture and style of our respective countries and houses,” Jestin asserted. “To push the boundaries and craft such a blend was an unexpected and utterly fascinating concept. Collaborating and cultivating firm friendships with the Penfolds winemaking team in blending such an exceptional wine was a dream come true,” he added.

“The wines made in France pay respect to French terroir, yet one thing remains overly consistent – the Penfolds stamp. Just like our California wines. We have the French sun above and soil beneath, but everything in between is Penfolds,” said Gago.

Penfolds Collection 2022 California releases

The two French wines are joined by the latest Penfolds wines from California, the second release after its inaugural vintage landed last year. This year there are three expressions. There’s the 2019 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon (made with grapes from both Napa Valley and South Australia), the wholly Napa 2019 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the 2019 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz, a Californian blend of grapes from Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles.

And for the traditionalists Down Under? Not to worry. There’s the slew of Australian releases in the Penfolds Collection 2022 , led by the flagship 2018 Penfolds Grange. The 2018 Grange is the 68th consecutive release of the iconic wine that cemented Penfolds’ multi-region blending philosophy and underpins the winery DNA.

Showing particularly well this year among the Australian collection is the clean and lean 2020 Yattarna Chardonnay, eminently drinkable 2020 Barossa Valley Shiraz Grenache Mataro, and the drink-now-or-cellar-for-even-better-later baby Grange, the 2019 St Henri Shiraz.

Penfolds Collection 2022 Australian releases

The full Penfolds Collection 2020 is given below:

French RRP AUD
2019 Penfolds II Cabernet Shiraz Merlot: A partnership between Penfolds and Dourthe. $500.00
2019 FWT 585  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot $120.00

 

Australian RRP AUD
2018 Grange $1000.00
2020 Yattarna Chardonnay $175.00
2020 RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz $200.00
2019 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon $300.00
2020 Magill Estate Shiraz $150.00
2019 St Henri Shiraz $135.00
2021 Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay $125.00
2020 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz $100.00
2020 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon $120.00
2020 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz $100.00
2020 Bin 28 Shiraz $50.00
2020 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz $60.00
2020 Bin 138 Barossa Valley Shiraz Grenache Mataro $60.00
2021 Bin 23 Pinot Noir $50.00
2021 Bin 311 Chardonnay $50.00
2022 Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling $40.00

 

Californian RRP AUD
2019 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon $225.00
2019 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon $120.00
2019 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz $90.00

 

The Penfolds Collection 2022 wines are available from Thursday 4 August 2022 at Penfolds Cellar Doors (Magill Estate Winery and Barossa Valley Cellar Door) in Australia, and select fine wine stores globally. For more information visit www.penfolds.com.


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