Tatler+ Penfolds
The results are in. And they’re outstanding. The reception of the Penfolds Collection 2020 has been exceptional, only further cementing Penfolds’ reputation as the producer of Australia’s most highly regarded wines
Of the elegant reds and captivating whites that span five Australian vintages and comprise the collection, the hero of the Penfolds Collection 2020 has to be the 2016 vintage of the lauded Grange. It’s the 66th consecutive release of this wine, which for decades has delighted drinkers far and wide, establishing itself as one of Australia’s most iconic wines. And the 2016 is a worthy addition to the Grange legacy. This energetic and sculptured vintage bursts with concentration, poise and finesse and is as muscular as it is polished, as solid as it is sleek. Layered and intense, it is a vintage that according to Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago “may politely nudge the classic 2004 and 2010”. Both Ken Gargett from The World of Fine Wine and Matthew Jukes agree on its potential as a first-class Grange vintage, each bestowing perfect scores upon this darling of the Collection 2020.
So covetable is Grange that in July 2020, a bottle of the 1951 first vintage was sold for more than AUD$103,000 (approximately HK$575,000) at auction—the highest price ever paid for a bottle of Australian wine.
But there is more to the new collection than simply the Grange. With multi-region and multi-vineyard blends as well as single-region wines and single-vineyard bottlings, there are refined reds with excellent cellaring potential and flavourful whites packed full of character and complexity.
Standouts include the 2017 St Henri, a distinctive and masterful shiraz that will prove as appealing to fans of this time-honoured wine as any other, since its first commercial vintage in 1957, if not more so. Succulent and rich, with silky, polished tannins when young, this is a wine that softens and gains complexity with age. The 2017 is an impeccable vintage, promising textural prowess, elegant tannins and exceptional structure.