The Rewards of Patience - and foresight

Robyn Lewis

The Rewards of Patience by Andrew Caillard [©Allen & Unwin]

Advertisement

My great-grandmother was a Rawson - a name which might be familiar to drinkers of Penfolds wines, adorning their 'entry level' label Rawson's Retreat. It might not have been the sort of wine that my ancestors would prefer to be remembered by, when in the 1840s they gave their hitherto impecunious godson Christopher Rawson Penfold several thousand pounds to sail to the new Colony of South Australia, and to purchase 500 acres of what is now Magill Estate in 1844.

Dr Christoper Rawson Penfold and his wife Mary nee Holt, daughter of another doctor and certainly no slouch herself, had collected vine cuttings from France prior to departing for South Australia. The cuttings were dipped in wax to stop them drying out en route.  So it was no surprise that the farm they established on this magnificent parcel of land was to grow grapes. Both were early believers in the medicinal benefits of wine, and whilst Christopher administered therapeutic doses to his patients, Mary tended the farm - and the vineyard.

The stone cottage they built, in which their only daughter Georgina was raised, they named The Grange; the original wooden cottage was named Rawson's Retreat. Little did they perhaps realise that they were founding the greatest of Australian wine traditions. Whilst a century later, suburbia nearly engulfed the vines, the stone cottage was spared, and of course what remains of Magill Estate is now known globally as the home of Penfolds Grange, and is heritage listed.

Whilst credit is largely given to Christopher, it was Mary who kept record of early production and oversaw the winemaking, being in charge of all blending as well as viticulture. However Christopher was an early international wine marketer and salesman. He and Georgina took early Penfolds wines to the Colonial Exhibition in London in the 1880s, and ensured that Penfolds wines appeared on the pioneering advertising posters in the new London underground. He reputely raised his hat to everyone to whom he sold a bottle. Georgina had married Thomas Hyland in 1862, and with the birth of two sons, the family tradition was secured. What a pity that they did not also put some of their very early wines away in some forgotten corner....

Magill went on to prove a fabulous site for shiraz. Sons Frank and Leslie and their own sons expanded the Penfold-Hyland holdings, purchasing Dalwood in the Hunter Valley, Kalimna in the northern Barossa - one of Australia's great shiraz vineyards, producing fruit for Penfolds Grange, RWT, St Henri and Bin 28 - built a winery and distillery in the Eden Valley, and more. By the 1940s Penfolds was well positioned to capture the changing tastes in Australian wine, away from fortifieds and towards table wines - especially reds - brought about by post-War immigration. The rest, shall we say, is history.

The Rewards of Patience is published approximately every five years, and compiles vertical tasting notes of the majority of the Penfolds range, from their Icon Wines (Grange and Yattarna), through Luxury Wines (Bin 707, RWT, Magill Estate, St Henri, Reserve Bin A Chardonnay, Aged Release Riesling), Special Bin wines (Block 42, the legendary Bin 60A, and others), Cellar Reserve wines - established by Grange winemaker Peter Gago as an ongoing project for cellar door release - Bin Wines (reds: Bin 389, 407, 28, 128, 138, 2, 8; whites Bin 311, 51), Thomas Hyland Wines, Koonunga Hill, to fortified wines and the new section on organic wines from the Clare Valley.

It is perhaps not widely appreciated that most if not all of these wine are blends - not just of grape varieties but across regions - usually but not always within South Australia. Given the modern trend towards single variety, single region, single estate and even single vineyard wines, there is perhaps a lesson to be (re) learnt here - that the next Australian 'super red' (or white) might not be a pure varietal from one location or one grower. Consistency and trueness of style have always been a Penfolds hallmark, and long may it continue - within the range the wines vary, but there remains an essence that makes then definably Penfolds. Like the major international tea houses that souce their leaves from many estates and even countries to achieve consistent quality and flavour distinct to their brand, Penfolds has built its reputation on blends, with many loyal followers.

The book too is unique. No other company perhaps outside France has the range, the history or the dedication to produce such a time series, and it is commendable that Fosters, now owners of Penfolds, have allowed this publication to continue and indeed develop. The 6th edition (2008), published by Allen and Unwin (RRP A$39.95) is a vast improvement on the 2004, being more approachable, better organised and much more readable than previously. It also contains a wonderful and hitherto unpublished essay by the creator of Grange, Max Schubert, taken from a paper first delivered in 1979. The book is well organised and at a glance one can see the amazing range of wines that comprise the Penfolds stable (well, except Rawson's Retreat), and compare, contrast - perchance to dream.

For many if not most of these wines mere mortals such as I will probably never taste. Early Granges are cosseted by their fortunate owners, some taken on an outing to an annual Grange 'wine clinic' where they are tested and topped up if their quality endures - or if not, quickly drunk, or worse. Others are snapped up by collectors and exchange hands in auctions and the unromantically-named 'secondary wine market'. But for those with a nose for good Australian wines, the 2008 edition is a must.

Compiled by Andrew Caillard MW, he and the international five man (yes, despite superior olefactory senses we women miss out; Mary Penfold would be displeased) tasting panel including James Halliday, Ch'ng Poh Tiong and Joshua Greene spent four amazing days with Penfolds winemakers tasting their way through this incredible portfolio of wines. Each contribute to the tasting notes. Andrew Caillard observes: "(we) were sometimes surprised by the evolution of vintages. Some wines have defied previous expectations....evolving in unexpected ways". A dotted bar-graph gives the wine's drinking window: the period over which the panel believes the wine will be at its best. Stars indicate exceptional vintages within each tasting bracket: "there is a consistency of view that the 1955, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1976, 1983, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2002 and 2004 are generally recognised as great Penfolds vintages'.

If one of these was your birth year and your parents possessed Christopher Rawson and Mary Penfold's foresight and put a bottle or a case away for you, then your reward of patience will be fabulous enjoyment of some of Australia's best wines. If not, you can always read the book - and with the affordable and easily procurable Penfolds Bin 389 the 2008 winner of The Great Australian Red Trophy, there's no excuse not to enjoy a good Penfolds with it.

The Rewards of Patience by Andrew Caillard is published by Allen and Unwin, September 2008 (RRP A$39.95).

VisitVineyards.com and Winepros Archive subscribers can purchase The Rewards of Patience through our book partners Seekbooks at a 12.5% subscriber-only discount (your book will be posted to you - postage extra).

Want more from your wine and food travels? Receive benefits, exclusive offers and discounts. Become a VisitVineyards.com Member - click here find out more now..

Subscribe now - for news and reviews, our newsletter (optional), to join our forums, and more.

Enter your email address and click the join button. We respect your privacy.

Want more from your wine and food travels? Receive benefits, exclusive offers and discounts. Become a VisitVineyards.com Member - click here find out more now..

Browse

Advertisement

VisitVineyards.com subscriber and Member offer

Jancis Robinson

Le Figaro calls her "the undisputed mistress of the kingdom of wine". Get an an immediate A$40 discount on Jancis's exclusive Purple Pages. Our special November-December offer - join JancisRobinson.com and get VisitVineyards.com Membership for only A$39 extra (A$49 overseas).