Looking backwards & forwards: Penfolds St Henri 50th anniversary tasting & a preview of Penfolds’ new single region releases

Yesterday was as convivial a Monday as they come.  A tasting followed by lunch with Penfolds’ urbane Chief Winemaker-cum-globetrotting ambassador, Peter Gago (pictured sitting pretty at Pied à Terre). 

The excuse?  A celebration of the 50th anniversary of Penfolds St Henri Shiraz (tasting the 78, 86, 91 & 2006) sprinkled with choice vintages of Grange (1978 and 1990) and a couple of new kids on the block from the 2008 vintage.  “Block” is not so far off the mark either.  Though Penfolds is famous for its multi-regional blends, both newbies, an as yet un-named Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz, are single region wines, the latter Penfolds first stand-alone Barossa sub-region wine.  As Gago put it, “we want to have our cakle and eat it,” though he was quick to point out that “we cannot deny Grange or Bin 707…we just never had enough vineyard resource before.”

The Coonawarra wine is ambitiously pitched at Bin 707 price point (UK RRP £68).  It’s very good but I’m not sure it’s worth almost twice the price of Treasury Wine Estate’s sister label Wynns John Riddoch.  According to Gago, Bin 707 is Penfolds’ fasting selling wine, so it would seem there will be no shortage of demand.  Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz, which is partly sourced from Penfolds’ 317ha The Waltons Vineyard planted in 1999, is pitched at Bin 389’s price point (UK RRP £19.99).  

Tasting notes on the wines to follow.  Meantime, Penfolds’ fans will find notes on this year’s iconic and luxury Penfolds’ releases here and notes on a Grange-v-Bin 389 masterclass here.