Penfolds Grange: A Deep Dive
Penfolds Grange is the wine that established Australia as a producer of fine wine outside the European framework. First made in 1951 by Penfolds chief winemaker Max Schubert, after a study trip to Bordeaux, Grange is a powerful, Shiraz-dominated red, aged in American oak, made from grapes sourced across several South Australian regions — most notably Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Coonawarra. It is a deliberately multi-regional wine, a fact that has informed Penfolds's blending philosophy for seventy years.
The origins
Max Schubert visited Bordeaux in 1950 and was inspired by the ageing potential of First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon. Returning to Australia, he set out to make a wine that could age comparably, choosing Shiraz (which thrived in South Australia in a way Cabernet did not) rather than Cabernet for the base. The first vintages were controversial within Penfolds; the board ordered Schubert to stop in 1957, but he made the 1957, 1958, and 1959 vintages secretly. By the early 1960s the wines from 1951-1955 had matured and Grange was recognised as a wine of singular quality.
The blending philosophy
Grange has always been blended across multiple South Australian regions and parcels. The exact composition varies each vintage: Barossa Valley typically provides the majority share, McLaren Vale supplies depth and structure, Coonawarra adds occasional Cabernet (small percentages — Grange is now sometimes 100% Shiraz, sometimes 95% Shiraz with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon depending on the year). The blending is done after fermentation, in batches, with the chief winemaker drawing on hundreds of parcels.
Vinification
Fermentation takes place in stainless steel; the wine is then moved to American oak barriques (50% new) for 18 to 20 months of ageing. The American oak is what gives Grange its distinctive profile — sweet vanilla, dill, coconut, dark chocolate — that distinguishes it from European-style Shiraz aged in French oak.
The cellaring tradition
Grange is built to age. The current chief winemaker recommends a minimum of 12 years' cellaring before opening; older vintages can develop for 50 years or more. The 1955, 1971, 1976, 1986, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2006, and 2010 vintages are particular benchmarks.
The 2008 vintage
The 2008 vintage of Grange received perfect 100-point scores from both Wine Spectator and James Halliday — an extraordinarily rare double — and remains the highest-rated Grange to date. It marked the moment when the international wine establishment fully embraced Grange as a peer to top Bordeaux.
Penfolds beyond Grange
Penfolds also produces several other red wines of exceptional quality — Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz (known as "Baby Grange"), and the limited-release Bin 95 Saint Henri Shiraz. The Bin system has been in use since 1959 and the numbered wines have a structured pricing hierarchy.
Visiting Penfolds
Penfolds operates the Magill Estate in suburban Adelaide (the historic founding site) and the Barossa Valley winery, both open to visitors. Grange itself is not produced at any single estate — the multi-regional blend is assembled at Penfolds's central winemaking facilities.
Where will you go first?
Find Penfolds estates on the interactive map. Filter to South Australia and zoom to the Barossa Valley; Penfolds, Henschke, Yalumba, and Torbreck all sit within minutes of each other in the heart of the appellation.