Penfolds has celebrated 175 years of winemaking heritage with the release of a new wine from the 2016 vintage – Special Bin 111A Clare Valley Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016.
The wine, which received a perfect 100 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, retails for $1,500 per bottle. Only a limited number of bottles are available around the world.
“Bin 111A is an authentic Penfolds Special Bin, rare and true to the Penfolds ‘House Style’,” Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago says.
“Special Bins are pathfinding vintages and are only released if they offer something extra, different and unique.
“These wines make a very important statement about Penfolds and they also represent a heritage of curiosity, experimentation and Australian winemaking innovation first started by Penfolds 175 years ago.”
Named after the wine’s oak maturation stack number, Special Bin 111A is the first Special Bin blend of Clare Valley and Barossa Valley.
Grapes were carefully selected from the Botanic Vineyard in Clare Valley and the Gersch Vineyard in the Barossa. Botanic Vineyard fruit has been included in five of the last six Grange blends.
The Botanic Vineyard lies between Auburn and Leasingham at the southern end of Clare Valley. Grapes were handpicked from Blocks 4B and 8.
In 2020, the Gersch Vineyard in the Moppa district of the Barossa will commemorate an uninterrupted centenary of supplying grapes to Penfolds.
Gersch Vineyard fruit has been included in four of the last 10 Grange blends. Fruit from Blocks 2 and 7 were selected for this wine. Independent grapegrowers have been supplying Penfolds for over one and a half centuries.
“While Penfolds owns substantial vineyard properties across South Australia its relationship with growers, sometimes extending to several generations, is of key importance,” Mr Gago says.
It has been a busy year for Penfolds: they have launched a Penfolds Champagne, conducted tastings for the next edition of Rewards of Patience text with global wine critics and they have honored Penfolds legends with a Tribute Range.
Penfolds has also refurbished Cellar 18 at Magill Estate, one of the original resting places for Grange and Special Bins.
Notable Special Bin releases include 2008 Bin 620 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz, 1980 Bin 80A, 1982 Bin 820, 1990 Bin 90A, 1990 Bin 920, 1996 Block 42, 2004 Bin Block 42 and 2004 Bin 60A.