We are immensely proud to announce that Nickolls and Perks are now stockists for Penfolds, Australia’s most prestigious wine producer since 1844. Penfolds has an illustrious wine-making heritage, and has won the hearts (or indeed, palates) of wine critics, consumers and enthusiasts the world over.
Penfolds Wines at Nickolls and Perks – click to explore our range
Since its creation the flagship Grange has arguably become Australia’s most famous and sought after wine and has been rewarded with its designation as a National Trust icon of South Australia. We will be receiving our allocation of the highly anticipated latest Grange release further on in the year, however we can think of no better way to introduce Penfolds to our customers than with the following three wines from the 2013 ‘Descendants of Grange’ Bin Series that we have available now:
.
Grange, perhaps the pinnacle of Australian wine-making, marked the first success of an experimental and developmental process inaugurated by former Chief Winemaker Max Schubert, a process which would also give birth to the wider Penfolds Bin Series.
This range has grown with the ambition of Penfolds and their tireless commitment to wine-making innovation and perfection since the early 1950s. The range now contains a number of wines in the Penfolds ‘house style’, each of which are classic examples of the Penfolds trademark skill in multi-regional blending and regional expression.
Directly from this ‘Grange bloodline’ therefore, we have chosen three of their finest wines, each bearing the strong imprint of the classic Grange legacy: Bins 389, 150, and 28. Click on the pictures below to buy!
The wines were all made from the 2010 vintage, hailed by current Chief Winemaker Peter Gago as the best in the history of Penfolds.
The Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz; Similarly to Grange it was created in the early 1960s by Max Schubert, and is a multi-regional blend, with grapes from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills & Coonawarra.
The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz. The Cabernet offers profound structure and aromatics to the richness and opulence of Shiraz. The wine is matured for 12-14 months in a carefully selected mixture of new, one and two year-old American oak hogsheads, resulting in the perfect balance of ripe fruit and oaked complexity. This barrel ageing process is also why Bin 389 has come to be known affectionately as ‘Baby Grange’, as a significant amount of its component parts are matured in barrels which contained the previous vintage of Grange itself. It has since helped to solidify Penfolds’ wine-making reputation; according to chief winemaker Peter Gago, the 2010 vintage is the finest Bin 389 of the new millennium.
Tasting notes: Blood red with an opaque core. The nose is complete and aromatic, yet brooding, with evocative aromas of dried fruits and a subtle soy/oyster sauce character. The palate as one would expect is full bodied and seamless, exhibiting dark berry fruit, soft leathery spice and and hints of cola. The tannins are beautifully etched into the wine, and give grounding to its vibrancy of fruit and acidity, both of which are rounded off on the finish with just the right amount of oak. Drink 2015-40.
The Bin 150 ‘Marananga Shiraz’; like Grange is 100% Shiraz. It represents Penfolds’ take on pure, single, sub-regional varietal expression, derived as it is from vineyards in the Marananga hamlet lying in the central floor of the renowned Barossa Valley. The Marananga Shiraz benefits from the area’s very warm climate and its dry, ancient red soils, providing a contemporary yet brooding take on Barossa Shiraz. This is a youthful yet expressive wine, representing an innovative use of oak maturation, aged as it is for 15 months with 25% in new French oak, 25% in one year old French oak, 25% in new American, and the final quarter in 1 year old American hogsheads.�
In Peter Gago’s opinion the 2010 vintage represents an even purer, more elevated expression of the unique qualities of Marananga Shiraz than the inaugural 2008 release.
Tasting Notes: It is a deep, opaque purple with slightly lighter edges. On the nose it is initially fragrant with juniper like scents, but these are quickly replaced with darker, more profound aromas including roasted coffee, sweet and spicy oak, and even a smoked meat character. The palate is full of ripe berry fruit, some red but mostly black and blue, all bolstered by sweet spice such as cloves and vanilla. Richly concentrated, velvet smooth, but with a crispness of structure. All adds to a lengthy, warming finish. Drink 2014-30.
The Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz; is pure Shiraz-like Grange, and it is also another Southern Australian multi-regional blend; with the areas of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale featuring prominently, it is a showcase of warmer climate Shiraz. Similarly to Grange it is another great ambassador for Penfolds’ experience with multi-regional blending, and their dedication to the philosophy of crafting a blended wine ‘greater than the sum of its parts’. It is matured for 12 months in seasoned American oak hogsheads and boasts extended bottle age. First made in 1959 and named after the Kalimna Vineyard in Barossa purchased by Penfolds in 1945, it certainly boasts a similar pedigree to Grange itself, and like all the 2010 Descendants of Grange Bins, this has been hailed by Peter Gago as a complete and benchmark vintage, and it more than lives up to its prestigious heritage.
Tasting Notes: Deep, almost black, with a cherry-red rim. The nose is warming and inviting, with spiced dark berry fruit, licorice and hints of dark chocolate. The palate is again full bodied and boasts an array of different flavour profiles, from ripe blackcurrant to stewed dates and dried figs, with an intriguing underlying cinnamon edged character. Very concentrated, with medium and rounded tannins, but there is enough of a crisp acidity in the wine to keep the classic and lengthy lively and refreshing. Drink now-2020+.
All of these wines exhibit the richness of texture and power, and integrity of style that Penfolds has achieved since the 50s, and they are therefore products of the same dedication, attention to detail and synergy of soils and climates that resulted in Grange itself, and they are available for a fraction of the price.
The Descendants of Grange Bin Series also inspired a celebratory collaboration with renowned British artist and photographer Giles Revell to create a series of glass replica tendrils representing the character of each of the wines in the range, the unique quality of the vines that bore their fruit, and the links each wine has to Grange. Only 11 individual tendrils were made. The tendrils for Bins 389, 150 and 28 are depicted above, but here is a short yet artistic video on their making:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=Fs_CClK5Hgc