Unveiled March 4, 2021 was Penfolds California Collection, a portfolio of 4 wines that was 20 years in the making. Curiosity brought Penfolds Head Winemaker, Peter Gago, to Napa Valley in the 1990s when he led the team to purchase premium vineyards. In 1998, plantings of Aussie rootstocks occurred and the rest is Penfolds history! The result of this decades long endeavor is a unique collection of superior wines that enhances Penfold’s already successful penchant towards blending across regions. Now, this iconic company has blended across countries and the accolades continue to pour in.
To celebrate the release and introduce me to the concept were Julie Larsen, Treasury Wine Estates Luxury Sales Ambassador-Penfolds, Courtnee Treadwell, Treasury Wine Estates Global Sales Manager-Chicago, Timothy Irwin, Brand Director for Penfolds, and Gillian Balance, MS, Education Manager at Treasury Wine Estates. Via Zoom, we chatted about the California Collection after which I had the opportunity to taste three of the four wines with Julie and Courtnee at a nearby restaurant. My takeaway? Find these exceptional wines now.
The four wines –
2018 Quantum Bin 98 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Bin 149 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 Bin 600 Cabernet Shiraz – are blends of specific parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon from premium vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma as well as Penfold’s Camatta Hills Estate, a 610-acre estate in the Creston District in Paso Robles that was planted to cuttings from their Magill and Kalimna estates in South Australia. Two of the wines are aptly named “Wine of the World since each includes wine cultivated in South Australia. The Penfolds “house style” is “a wine that’s fruit forward, balanced, has the ability to drink now, but can be aged, too,” explained Courtnee. “Collectors love these wines for these reasons.”
The first wine tasted was Bin 600 2018 Cabernet Shiraz ($49.99) named for the Camatta Hills Creston 600 Ranch, planted more than 20 years ago in Paso Robles. The blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa and Sonoma and 22% Shiraz from Paso Robles, overdelivered on quality for the price and was balanced with plenty of spice, anise, pepper, meat, cocoa, figs and dates.
Produced in the same manner as Penfolds 407, in which premium fruit from sub-regions of South Australia are blended, is
Bin 704 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($70). (Note that on the label, the Bin number 704 is the reverse of its Aussie counterpart.) 100% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rutherford Bench on Treasury Wine Estates, produced an incredibly balanced and satin-like wine with soft tannins and vibrant acidity framing dark fruit aromas and flavors.
The first of two “Wines of the World,”
Bin 149 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, is comprised of 14.9% Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia and 85.1% Cabernet from Rutherford, Calistoga and Oakville AVAs in Napa Valley. The price point? The clue is the label: $149 of course! Proving yet again how versatile Cabernet can be is this glorious and powerful wine boasting mint, ripe fruit, cedar, tobacco, savory meat and game notes on a foundation of precise acidity and fine tannic structure.
Although I didn’t taste
Quantum Bin 98 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($700) due to its small production, it’s considered on par with renown Penfolds Grange level wines. This blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville Diamond Mt. District AVA in Napa and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia, has “a worldly profile and the remarkable ability to transcend varietal or place – a sign of the unrivaled greatness and perfection in this wine.” This flagship wine of the California Collection is an example of the “quality first” mantra of Penfolds. For more,
click here.
Fortunately, we’re able to purchase selected wines from Penfolds California Collection at a variety of restaurants and wine shops. Find the wines from the California Collection and taste the luxury that is Penfolds.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
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