Penfolds Puts on a Clinic for Collectors

and next month, the makers of one of the world's most collectible wines --Grange Bin 95 -- will offer Lower Mainland collectors the extraordinary experience of attending a rare North American appearance of the Penfolds Re-corking Clinics.

Collectors can have their Penfolds wine (15 years or older) evaluated right alongside chief winemaker Peter Gago. If necessary, they may be opened, topped up, re-capsuled and certified by Penfolds, all at no cost to you.

Believe me, just getting a few minutes with chief winemaker Peter Gago is worth the experience. His encyclopedic knowledge of the winery's icon Grange label and the famous 707 Cabernet Sauvignon -- or, for that matter the entire Penfolds super premium lineup -- is amazing. He is also one of the most engaging characters in the wine business whose knowledge of the world's great wines is equally impressive.

I caught up with Gago about six weeks ago to preview the latest Penfolds releases including the first Grange 2002 to be released under Gago's watch, the highly touted 2002. Grange has only had four winemakers, creator Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and now Peter Gago. The former schoolteacher turned winemaker doesn't show the stress but it's clear the eyes of his nation have been upon him as they awaited his first Grange.

Today we look at a cross-section of new Penfolds releases that highlight some of the best the Barossa-based producer has to offer.

Chief winemaker Peter Gago grins when he says there is zero new oak in the Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2004 now under screwcap. In just over a decade Yattarna has gone from the whole-meal-deal blockbuster Oz oak bomb to a sophisticated Burgundian style, barrel-fermented chardonnay in French barriques that you can age. The nose is the best yet, tightly strung with spicy, creamy, lees characters and the scent of nectarine and limes. Roasted nuts and citrus fruit coat the mid-palate before it finishes long, clean and balanced. Elegance and power in a tight package. Bravo

Unlike its cousin 707, the Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 2004 is varietally expressive. The fruit from McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Coonawarra, Bordertown and Langhorne Creek is blended into one-, two- and three-year-old French and American oak. The '04 shows cedar and mint but it has better density than previous '03 edition. The fruit is fragrant with black olive, blackcurrant and coffee flavours. A firm, mouth-filling cabernet with poise that will be drinkable as early as '08-'09.

Yet another notch above the very fine 2003, the Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389 2004 is a juicy, plump, powerful red wine with increased density and mid-palate weight. Gago wants to take this wine to the next level and the '04 makes a good argument. It's packed full of vanilla, black pepper, cassis and chocolate without any green or leathery aspects. The finish is long with flecks of tobacco, smoky, black fruit and grippy tannins. Built for the long haul, this 53/47 cabernet/shiraz mix should cellar easily for a decade.

Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 2004 is an important single vineyard wine for Penfolds still grown on the original vineyard at the original winery site, and a bit of it still makes its way into Grange. As modern as it tastes, the methods are as traditional as the site. The nose is a smoky mix of jammy fruit with cinnamon and clove notes, in part from the new French (60), old French (10) and new American (30) oak barrels. The palate is opulent in 2004 packed with fruit and mocha notes throughout. An impressive effort.

The "Grange" cabernet, Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707, is marked by its big "sweet," American oak nose and it's showing more fruit than ever in 2004. Textures are lush and ripe with more black fruits, black pepper, coffee, tobacco and just a hint or orange citrus. Dense and rich, yet only 13.5 per cent alcohol, it is neither jammy nor hot. There was no 2003 Bin 707 just as it was skipped in 2000, 1995, 1983 and 1970 to 1975 inclusive. Clearly, attention to detail is what preserves the great labels. Well done.

Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2002 has always been more icon than textbook shiraz. In 2002 the regional fruit sourcing included Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale and its 98.5-per-cent shiraz with a dusting of cabernet. Based on what Max Schubert termed "a riper spectrum of fruit," production remains low in the 5,000- to 8,000-case range. This is a very fine Grange with plenty of chocolate, coffee and ripe black currant aromas spiked with licorice. The palate is no less intense with dense sweet fruit bathed in a youthful sheen of vanilla and soft tannins. Chief winemaker Peter Gago calls it deceptively accessible. It's his first Grange and it's clear the tradition and the challenge have been accepted.

Remember, any Penfolds red wine, 15 years or older, will be eligible to be re-corked. Please call 800-255-9966 or email recorkingnta@penfolds.com for a mandatory reservation. Early registration is highly recommended. An added bonus will be the opportunity to taste the latest Penfolds releases at the clinic.

PENFOLDS PICKS

Penfolds Yattarna Bin 144 Chardonnay 2004, Henty, Western Victoria, Australia
Price: $94
UPC: 12354072251
Score: 95/100
Remarks: Elegance and power in a tightly wound package.

Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 2004, South Australia
Price: $36
UPC: 012354071476
Score: 89/100
Remarks: A firm, mouth-filling cabernet with poise.

Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon -- Shiraz 2004, South Australia
Price: $37
UPC: 012354071209
Score: 92/100
Remarks: Yet another notch above the very fine 2003.

Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz 2004, Adelaide Plains, South Australia
Price: $80
UPC: 12354071506
Score: 92/100
Remarks: Opulent 2004 packed with fruit and mocha notes throughout.

Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 2004, South Australia
Price: $109.99
UPC: 012354071254
Score: 93/100
Remarks: Dense and rich yet only 13.5 per cent alcohol.

Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2002, South Australia
Price: $329 in select private stores and restaurants
UPC: 012354071100
Score: 95/100
Remarks: Dense sweet fruit bathed in a youthful sheen of vanilla and soft tannins.