The Penfolds Collection 2025
A Grange for the ages
I recently tasted the Penfolds Collection 2025. It was as usual, a remarkable tasting. In some recent years, Grange has sat in the shadows of other wines in the collection. Not this year. Grange is front and centre. Here is my take on the collection.
Few wineries anywhere in the world can seamlessly thread a house style through variety, country, region, vintage, and winemaking succession quite like Penfolds. This iconic Australian label, now truly global, produces wines from Australia, the US, France, and China. And running through each is the unmistakable Penfolds signature DNA.
You can smell it, feel it, taste it. An indelible stamp that speaks of winemaking, viticulture, and an almost cultural approach to red wines that reach every level of the extensive portfolio.
Its wines consistently rank among the world’s most sought-after. At the pinnacle sits Penfolds Grange, and the 2021 vintage, which is about to be released, is exceptional. It has drawn comparisons with some of the finest ever produced in the more than 70 years since legendary winemaker Max Schubert's original trial in 1951.
Penfolds’ chief winemaker Peter Gago described the 2021 Grange as ticking every box of the Penfolds style. “It’s incredibly easy to drink now yet backed by decades of provenance.” The wine drinks magnificently now and will continue evolving over the next 60 years.”
The 2025 Penfolds Collection also captures much of the brand’s history of innovation and experimentation. The so-called white Grange project to find a white wine partner to Grange, for instance, explored numerous varieties before logically settling on chardonnay, culminating in Yattarna, now one of Australia’s greatest white wines.
In red wines, the shift from American to French oak with a Barossa shiraz, in another red wine trial, gave rise to the RWT (red wine trial) shiraz, consistently among the best Penfolds releases. Different to an extent, but still unmistakably Penfolds.
This year’s lineup continues that spirit of evolution. From France, the 2022 FWT French wine trial) 585 Cabernet Merlot Petit Verdot was introduced alongside its sibling, the FWT 543 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2022. The classic Penfolds blend of cabernet and shiraz, central to wines such as Bin 389, Bin 600, Bin 180, and the legendary Bin 60A 1962, continues to underpin many of these experimentations.
The release features 24 wines, including four from the US, two from France, and one from China. The China Wine Trial, CWT 521 Cabernet Marcella, continues to improve and evolve with each vintage.
The wines
Penfolds Grange 2021 ($1000)
From the get-go, you know you are in rarefied air. This is a spectacular statement of this great wine and will have to rank with the very best over more than 70 years. The striking features are the balance and poised integration, with its effortless and seamless long profile that builds relentlessly through to the sustained finish. It’s a blend of Barossa, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley fruit with about 6% cabernet. As is true to style, it is matured in 100% new American oak, in this case for 18 months. On the nose, dark chocolate, cocoa, and a slightly crushed ant character. The palate is sublime, almost elegant, which for a young Grange is hard to imagine. Loaded in there is a little graphite and oyster shell minerality. Quite simply, one of the five greatest.
Score: 99/100 Cellar: 40 years
Penfolds Bin 707 cabernet sauvignon 2023 ($800)
This is probably the most distinctive of any Penfolds wine. It’s matured in 100% new American oak, so that’s the first thing. Unique in Australia. It’s sourced from McLaren Vale, Padthaway and the Barossa. In most years the American oak would pop out noticeably, and yet here is a wine that still reveals the fruit with the oak slightly underplayed, if you can imagine that. Shows a spicy, cinnamon, creamy tart and lifted glazed cherry nuance. The palate is still tightly structured and controlled by those fine, firm tannins and that sinewy oak. The oak hits in the final stages of the palate. (I got a second pour of this and the sweet fruit richness emerged and the wine was a little better.)
Score: 97/100 Cellar: 30 years
Penfolds Bin 23 pinot noir 2024 ($55)
The brilliant and bright translucent colour of this Tasmanian-sourced pinot. It’s light bodied, yes, but there is an intensity here with a fine, piercing acidity that defines the focused linear palate. Notes of game and truffle with a bright primary cherry and strawberry nuance. It had 30% new French but also spent time in an Italian amphora. So the oak is brilliantly balanced and integrated. I think this is one of the best yet of this release.
Score: 93/100 Cellar: 10 years
Penfolds Bin 21 grenache 2024 ($60)
This is a wine that nails the modern style of grenache. It’s a combination of Barossa and McLaren Vale fruit. Has a light strawberry and light rose petal nuance on the nose. Colour is bright and slightly translucent with a pinkish crimson hue on the edges. The nose is beautifully perfumed and lively with tremendous intensity. The palate shows excellent fruit concentration presented with a focus and precision.
Score: 95/100 Cellar: 10 years
Penfolds Bin 138 grenache shiraz mataro 2023 ($60)
This was a vintage that presented some challenges, yet the fruit and resulting wine have turned out rather beautifully. The colour is deep red, indicating excellent fruit concentration. The oak was all seasoned French and American, so you are getting a real window into the fruit of this vintage. Dark spicy plum with a little peppercorn edginess. The palate is soft and supple with fine chalky tannins in support. Probably not the sweet dark fruit plushness of previous vintages, but it is true to style.
Score: 93/100 Cellar: 12 years
Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra shiraz 2023 ($75)
This was another vintage that had its challenges with rain and then searing heat in January. Yet, as you expect, the viticultural approach has ensured the fruit quality remains high. It shows a distinctive chalky limestone-like regionality evident on the nose and the palate. Bright red fruits with nuances of strawberry and spicy red berry. The middle palate is concentrated and rich, while the finish gathers to deliver long. Like the combination of savoury sweetness that adds that subtle complexity. A wine with good cellaring potential, as you might expect.
Score: 95/100 Cellar: 20 years
Penfolds Bin 28 shiraz 2023 ($50)
This is a multi-regional blend from the Barossa, McLaren Vale and Padthaway, blended in all American oak hogsheads, of which 15% was new. Challenging year, and yet this has turned out as a thoroughly beautiful example of this famous wine. The colour is deep and dark, while the nose opens to reveal spicy and savoury dark plum nuances with just a faint hint of vanilla pod. The palate is wrapped in fine yet firm tannins and a precise touch of oak to present its full range of fruit nuances. Has some lovely red fruit nuances that pick up on the finish.
Score: 95/100 Cellar: 18 years
Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga shiraz 2023 ($100)
The distinctive sub-regionality of this wine has made it one of my favourites. And this one from a challenging year has emerged triumphant. The colour is deep and dark yet has a brightness and vibrancy. The nose begins its sub-regionality stamp, showing a distinctive ironstone and minerally qualities that show the locational DNA. The palate is seamlessly woven with firm, sinewy tannins and a neat balance of oak inclusion supporting the powerful fruit. There’s a little spicy lift with a dry savoury finish to complete an excellent wine.
Score: 96/100 Cellar: 20 years
Penfolds Bin 407 cabernet sauvignon 2023 ($130)
This captures the multiregional blending of Penfolds. A good deal of the fruit has come from the southern regions of Wrattonbully, Coonawarra and Padthaway, leading to a wine of some finesse and poise while being slightly lighter in body and richness than some previously. Has a light leaf aroma with underlying red and black fruits. It’s a most poised and polished wine with a focused precision as it extends through to the long finish. This is still very tight, as you might imagine, and it will certainly repay patience in the cellar.
Score: 94/100 Cellar: 20 years
Penfolds Bin 389 cabernet sauvignon shiraz 2023 ($120)
A compelling example of how Penfolds can craft wines using inputs from different regions, in this case McLaren Vale, Padthaway and the Barossa. It’s a famous wine, and typically it’s matured in American oak with about 33% new. The colour is deep and darkly opaque. The nose starts to reveal what this wine is about. It shows a blue fruit and slight mulberry influence on the darker plum characters. Has a savoury and light cedary touch. The palate is still very firm and tightly held with firm, sinewy tannins and integrated fine-grained oak. Focused and precise.
Score: 95/100 Cellar: 25 years
Penfolds St Henri shiraz 2022 ($135)
It’s a tough gig to follow up a vintage generally regarded as one of the greatest ever St Henris. And yet here we have a wine that pushes things mightily close, albeit without the massive depth of sweet concentrated fruit that marked the ’21. Still, here is a wine that is true to style in every way. It’s 96% shiraz with the remainder cabernet and sourced from McLaren Vale, Padthaway and the Barossa. There is no overt oak evidence here, and you are getting a clear, uninterrupted window into the vintage. Yet, there is tremendous power and intensity, with the structure to handle long-term cellaring.
Score: 97/100 Cellar: 30 years
Penfolds Magill Estate shiraz 2023 ($180)
A wine that is made literally on the doorstep of Adelaide, being all sourced from the historic Magill Estate vineyard. It’s totally true to style with all the plushness and concentration of the vineyard presented with polish and seamless poise. Aromas of scented red fruits are augmented with dark chocolate and glazed cherry. The palate has a chalky fine tannin thread and lightly applied oak, which is a mix of French and American with about a third new. Beautiful, spicy, floral and a slightly damp earthy character add to its layered complexity. Other notes of sage bush and dried herbs complement the completeness of this wine.
Score: 97/100 Cellar: 20 years
Penfolds RWT Bin 798 shiraz 2023 ($220)
Viva la difference. So, here’s a Penfolds wine that is matured only in French oak with more than 60% new. It was quite a style departure when first released. It is certainly one of the most elegant and stylish of recent vintages, reflecting the season. The colour is bright and lively with red and light crimson hues. Aromas of high-end floral and spices emerge immediately. The palate opens with typical dark plum and blackberry fruits, but then lifted red fruit characters of cranberry and redcurrant emerge. Defined and controlled through to a very long finish.
Score: 96/100 Cellar: 25 years
Penfolds Bin 51 riesling 2024 ($50)
Comes from Eden Valley and is a very good example of this vintage. Lemon blossom and lemon barley aromas on the nose are so pristine and lifted. The palate is all linear and precise with a fine chalky acidity cutting through. Light bath salt minerality with a trace of river stone. It’s so pure and fine with delicacy and precision, but underneath there is a deep and concentrated core of riesling fruit. Finishes long and with some citrus lift.
Score: 94/100 Cellar: 20 years
Penfolds Reserve Bin A chardonnay 2023 ($135)
This wine has always been at the forefront of Penfolds’ chardonnay excellence. And this is a ripper. It’s all from the Adelaide Hills, and matured in French oak, 70% of which was new. It’s undergone 100% malo, so there’s a creaminess and buttery character, but the finesse and precision remain undiminished. Subtle cashew and lemon curd aromas. The palate is seamlessly structured with a fine minerality and slightly struck match flint character that adds complexity. It’s such a good wine, refined and stylish.
Score: 96/100 Cellar: 10 years
Penfolds Yattarna 2022 ($180)
Here is the flagship chardonnay that pulls fruit from Tasmania and the Adelaide Hills. It is matured in French oak, of which 70% was new. There’s a delicacy and subtle intensity about this wine. It's about harmony and restraint, about power and precision. Has a slightly savoury, nutty character on the nose with light stone fruit and roasted cashew. The palate has a pristine linear shape with tremendous length, driven by a fine beam of chalky acidity.
Score: 97/100 Cellar: 12 years
Penfolds Bin 311 chardonnay 2023 ($60)
This is a high-quality, cool-climate chardonnay, drawing fruit from Tasmania, Tumbarumba and the Adelaide Hills. It has undergone 100% malo and was matured in French oak, 30% of which was new. It shows a lightly toasted nutty aroma with a stone fruit and lemon zest nuance. The palate is bright and flavoursome with a sustaining fine acid. Still tight, with a degree of tension evident through the palate. This will benefit from a few years in the cellar.
Score: 94/100 Cellar: 10 years
The United States
Penfolds Bin 704 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon 2021 ($120)
The 2021 vintage in Napa has delivered a wine of some class and polish. This comes off the back of the 2020, which was a tough year. The American oak influence has added a ripe vanilla pod and cedar nuance to the perfumed blackcurrant and dark chocolate aromas. The palate is controlled and quite tight with fine chalky tannins threading through. A dry, savoury finish completes a very smart wine.
Score: 95/100 Cellar: 25 years
Penfolds Bin 600 cabernet shiraz 2022 ($90)
A 66/34 blend from Napa Valley that sees only American oak, with 45% new over 18 months. The colour is brilliant and almost luminous. The aromas burst open with bright red fruits, spices, and a subtle meat charcuterie character. The palate is seamlessly integrated with a slightly tactile feel. Chalky fine tannins, a little oyster shell minerality, and rich fruit combine perfectly to create a long palate profile.
Score: 96/100 Cellar: 16 years
Penfolds Bin 704 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon 2022 ($125)
This is 100% cabernet from the Napa that sees 18 months in oak, of which 45% was new. Immediately strikes with aromas of dark chocolate and blackcurrant. There’s a subtle dried meats and bay leaf influence adding further to a complex aromatic. The palate is deeply concentrated with powerful fruit, harnessed by the firm core of tannin and oak. It’s an incredibly bright and vibrant wine, perfectly balanced and poised.
Score: 97/100 Cellar: 20 years
France
Penfolds Bin 543 cabernet sauvignon syrah 2022 ($100)
This is a 52% cabernet and 48% syrah from vineyards in France. It was matured in a combination of French and American oaks, with a percentage of new in each. The nose has a ripe, dark chocolate and dark cassis-like character. Aromas of green olive and Portuguese tart with bright red fruit lift. The palate is generous and bright with a lush cherry, crème brûlée, and brioche-like character. The cabernet brings the firm core of structure, while the syrah delivers a bright lift on the finish. This is the new wine for Penfolds.
Score: 94/100 Cellar: 20 years
Penfolds FWT 585 cabernet sauvignon merlot petit verdot 2022 ($100)
This is the classic Bordeaux blend, yet it gets a combination of French and American oak, reflecting its Penfolds heritage. A reasonably high percentage of new oak, with two-thirds of the French and one-third of the American new. It’s a wine brimming with classic blackcurrant, dark plum and blackberry nuances on the nose. A decent hit of dark chocolate and slightly cigar-boxy characters complement the nose. The palate is smooth and seamlessly integrated, with traces of dried herbs, bay leaf, and black olive evident. There’s a chalky thread of tannin adding to the core structural support, while the dry oak influence tightens the finish. A little oyster shell minerality finishes. It’s a wine that will easily handle extended cellaring.
Score: 96/100 Cellar: 20 years
China
Penfolds CWT 521 cabernet sauvignon marselan 2023 ($150)
Comes from Shangri-La, Ningxia in China. This region is in the far southwest of China, bordering Vietnam, Burma and Laos. There is 11% marselan, and the rest is cabernet. This is about half the contribution in the previous vintage. The nose is rather pretty, with notes of roasted pepper and blackcurrant, with a little cigar box tobacco character. It’s medium to full-bodied with fine spices and lifted florals. The palate has a slightly sweet fruit character, which balances the dry, savoury dried herb influence on the finish. Pretty tidy wine.
Score: 95/100 Cellar: 10 years
