Penfolds Collection 2023

BY ANGUS HUGHSON | JULY 25, 2023

Penfolds’ annual tastings of new releases is always a game of mental gymnastics. This year’s range spans five vintages, two continents (thanks to the recent addition of California/South Australia blends) and eleven different regions, from the cool depths of Tasmania up to the Clare and Napa Valleys.

Adherence to house style rather than a strict region-focused ideology has always been the overriding philosophy here. Penfolds picks the best fruit at the right quality level across their range of wine styles, of which there is certainly more than one. Sleek, vibrant Rieslings with classic modern Australian Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are the recent additions, and then there are the ubiquitous Penfoldsian broad-shouldered red wines, traditionally from South Australian terroirs. But they are not alone. The second vintage release of international blends brings together fruit from Napa Valley and South Australia. This year also sees Penfolds adding a new wine, the 2022 Grenache Bin 21. Keen observers of the Australian wine scene will not be surprised. Grenache’s profile is increasing, particularly in South Australia. It was only a matter of time before Penfolds would follow suit.

Among these mental gymnastics, several themes often emerge. There’s an overarching feel to the releases but also some key regional and vintage takeouts - the hits and the misses. This year is no different. It is a ‘steady as she goes’ set of wines and will carry plenty of appeal for fans of these various styles. This is in light of quite an extraordinary and unprecedented run of vintages. Yet, it is challenging to generalize when comparing Tasmania to the Clare Valley. The distance of 1,700 kilometers is a little further than a direct line between London and Naples, with climatic conditions equally disparate.

Two thousand and twenty-three has been one of the coolest in recent times in Eastern Australia. We need to go back over a decade to find a similar year. The good news, for now, is that 2023 will craft scintillating Rieslings in critical regions, as evidenced by the new release of Penfolds Bin 51 from Eden Valley, the best in recent memory with stunning balance and focus. Two thousand and twenty-three will be a vintage to go long for fans of the dry, linear Australian style with strong aging potential.

Chardonnay’s story is a little more complex, with this year’s releases, vintages 2021 and 2022, sourced from Tasmania plus the elevated regions of Adelaide Hills and Tumbarumba in New South Wales. These cooler vintages on the Australian mainland and Tasmania largely played right into the hands of winemaker Kim Schroeter and Penfolds’ modern, refined style. The only real hiccup was in Tasmania, with some late-season rainfall in 2021. Two thousand and twenty-two was then an oddball vintage, perfectly illustrating the seasonal complexity even in this remote corner of the country. Northern Tasmania enjoyed a warmer and even season, with Southern Tasmania also experiencing a good finish to the growing cycle after a wet start. The East Coast was more challenging, cool and wet, making it one of the more complicated in recent memory.