Penfolds

Some

months ago I sang the praises of Chilean wine giant Concha y Toro, which

despite its massive size continues to deliver high quality over a wide price

range.

Today, a look at Penfolds, one arm of the giant Australian company Southcorp,

which shows a similar commitment to quality. In fact, I can't think of any

single commercial winery today that rivals the breadth and quality of

Penfolds' extensive line-up.

Penfolds Grange label is an Australian icon, and while you can argue that

there are other Aussie reds that now rival it, the company also boasts a

long list of impressive labels: Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, RWT Shiraz,

McGill Shiraz, Yattarna Chardonnay, St. Henri Shiraz, Bin 389 and more.

But it's those in the lower price bands that impress me, because the

value-for-money ratio is so high. Koonunga Hill and Thomas Hyland are solid

brands, and even the entry-level Rawson's has something to offer. These are

the wines that have catapulted Australia passed California as the import

category of choice in B.C.

Much of Penfolds' success begins with its style, often described as ripe,

rich and usually jammy, with a generous dollop of vanilla and spice (from

the use of primarily American oak). These are big, mouth-filling reds with

significant but supple tannins.

At Penfolds, terroir, the essence of the growing conditions, is something

you manipulate in the blend. Single-vineyard sites and even regional

characteristics play a secondary role in winemaking that is style-driven and

emphasizes blending, wood aging and extraction of flavour. The diversity of

fruit helps to achieve a balance of flavours, which in turn establishes that

unique and consistent house style.

Today I've chosen a cross-section of Penfolds wine to contemplate. These

labels are widely available in government stores across the province.

The 2001 Rawson's Retreat Semillon-Chardonnay is a very attractive 55-45

blend. There is lots of vivacity here, with lime rind, peach and melon

aromas streaked with mineral butter. A touch of lees stirring and wood add

more mouth feel to its buttery, lime-mineral-apple flavours. Great value.

The 2001 Koonunga Hill Chardonnay is sourced from multiple districts with

significant contributions from McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. The nose is

open, with bright, white peach aromas and spicy toast. The flavours are a

mix of fresh green apple and melon. The finish is dry with spicy lemon-rind

flavours. This wine seems to improve every year.

Its sister red, 2000 Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet comes with classic saddle

leather and cassis aromas that jump out of the glass. It's soft and round on

the palate, and bursting with blackberry, spice, peppery earth and licorice

flavours. This delivers large flavour at a medium price.

The 1999 Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz has a rich vanilla, spicy, saddle-leather nose

with blackberry and chocolate in the background. Despite the "Kalimna" name,

it's a multi-district blend, although in most years Barossa fruit dominates.

The '99 is redolent of spicy, peppery, blackberry jam flavours, yet it is

well-balanced and elegant. It is not as big as usual, but fine none the

less.

Bin 389 Cabernet-Shiraz is simply fabulous. It has universal consumer appeal

in markets where wine is well understood, and in B.C it flies off the shelf.

Penfolds is trying to raise its cabernet portion into the 60- to 65-per-cent

range, but the '99 is only 51 per cent cabernet (grown at Padthaway, Barossa

and Coonawarra). Spicy, peppery, garrigue, sweaty barnyard, blackberry and game aromas are followed by firm, dry and tight tannins. It's not as generous at this stage as the 1998, but it will fatten up with time.

Put this one in the cellar for five years.

The St. Henri Shiraz, in this case from the great 1998 harvest (it's always

held back a year), is the antithesis of Grange. St. Henri is always all

about texture and ripe floral fruit, unadorned by any oak. The aromas and

flavours are a cacophony of spice, blackberry jam, plum, licorice, leather

and earth, streaked with chocolate. It's tailor-made for the restaurant

crowd, even though it will continue to improve for a decade in the bottle.

Weekend Wine Tasting: Penfolds, South Australia

Wine                     Rawson's Retreat 2001 Semillon - Chardonnay

Price                     $9.95

Stock No.               419242

Score                     14/20

Remarks                 Clean fresh patio white.

Wine                     Koonunga Hill 2001 Chardonnay

Price                     $13.95

Stock No.               321943

Score                     15/20

Remarks                 Rich full flavoured Oz-style chardonnay.

Wine                     Koonunga Hill 2000 Shiraz - Cabernet

Price                     $16.95

Stock No.               285544

Score                     16.5/20

Remarks                 Supple flavours of peppers, plums and licorice.

Wine                     1999 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz

Price                     $33

Stock No.               422782

Score                     17.5/20

Remarks                 Big, bold, sweet fruit red.

Wine                     1999 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz

Price                     $35

Stock No.               309625

Score                     16/20

Remarks                 Classic black cherries, earth and leather.

Wine                     1998 St Henri Shiraz

Price                     $45

Stock No.               510875

Score                     17/20

Remarks                 Coffee, vanilla and blackcurrants.