Penfolds 2021 Australia Collection – Grange’s 70th

Penfolds 2021 Australia Collection Celebrates the 70th Anniversary of Grange

Monica Tindall

For 177 years Penfolds has been a crucial player in the advancement of Australian winemaking. This year the label celebrates the 70th anniversary of what is arguably Australia’s most iconic wine, Grange, in its Penfolds 2021 Australia Collection. The release continues to embrace Penfolds’ distinctive ‘House Style’; the practice of sourcing the best fruit from the best regions to create consistent and reliable wines.

Today we have much to celebrate as Penfolds flagship Grange almost didn’t make it into production! Inspired by the French-cellared style of wines from a trip to Europe in the 1950s, Max Schubert, Penfolds’ first chief winemaker, set out to make something “different and lasting” of his own in the first experimental Grange in 1951. Disliked by the top management, he was ordered to shut down the project. However, in secret he kept his experiment ongoing, hiding the ’57, ’58 and ’59 vintages. Fortunately, production was ordered to restart for the 1960 vintage and as cliché would have it, the rest is history.  

Australians love the rise of the underdog or the “little Aussie battler” and the fine quality of Grange is only adored even more because of the narrative. Prized for its complex bouquet, rich fruit and ripe tannins, Grange’s hallmarks have not changed since those early 1950s vintages. Following seven decades of yearly releases, the acclaimed wine continues to be highly sought by collectors across the globe.

Penfolds current chief winemaker, Peter Gago, says, “The original aspiration for Grange was to create a red wine ‘capable of staying alive for a minimum of 20 years.’ Tell that to sexagenarian vintages such as ’52, ’53, ’55 & ’62! Stunningly drinkable in 2021! In modern parlance – under-promise, over-deliver! Long may it continue … and modern Grange vintages such as ’08, ’10 & ’16 patiently await judgement in 2071!” 

If you thought a collection of Grange was something to aspire to, wait until you read about the ‘g’ series! Blending Grange DNA from exceptional vintages, bottles in the ‘g’ series are ultra-rare. Parallel to Grange’s 70th anniversary is the release of Penfolds g5 – blended from 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 vintages. There are only 2,200 bottles available worldwide of this unique expression of the flagship. 

While these stories are intriguing to read, they don’t even scrape the edges of reality for most of us. Besides Grange, the Penfolds 2021 Australia Collection offers a solid line-up of multi-region and multi-vineyard blends, single-region wines and a single-vineyard wine. As is the case with Penfolds’ style, these wines will continue to grow in character and refinement for many years to come. 

Penfolds 2021 Australia Collection

The Australia Penfolds Collection 2021 wines are currently available in Malaysia via Luen Heng (West Malaysia) and Mega Express (East Malaysia).

1. 2017 Grange (98 points by Huon Hooke)
2. 2019 Yattarna (98 points by Tyson Stelzer and Huon Hooke)
3. 2019 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon (97 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Huon Hooke)
4. 2019 RWT Bin 798 Barossa Valley Shiraz (98 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Huon Hooke)
5. 2019 Magill Estate Shiraz (98 points by Ken Gargett and Huon Hooke)
6. 2018 St Henri Shiraz (99 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Ken Gargett)
7. 2020 Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay (99 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Ken Gargett) 
8. 2019 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz (98 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Huon Hooke)
9. 2019 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon (93 points by Andrew Caillard MW)
10. 2019 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz (98 points by Huon Hooke)
11. 2019 Bin 28 Shiraz (94 points by Huon Hooke)
12. 2019 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz (95 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Huon Hooke)
13. 2019 Bin 138 Barossa Valley Shiraz Grenache Mataro (95 points by Andrew Caillard MW)
14. 2020 Bin 23 Pinot Noir (95 points by Andrew Caillard MW)
15. 2020 Bin 311 Chardonnay (95 points by Andrew Caillard MW)
16. 2021 Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling (98 points by Andrew Caillard MW and Ken Gargett)

Find more on Malaysia’s wine scene here and stay up-to-date with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations for Malaysia here and here.