Penfolds Grange

Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold established the Penfolds wine company at Magill Estate, near Adelaide, in 1844. Max Schubert joined Penfolds as a messenger boy and in 1948, aged 33, became the company's first Chief Winemaker. A trip to Europe in 1950 took him to the cellars of Bordeaux, where, in Penfolds' telling, he envisioned creating a wine in Australia "capable of staying alive for a minimum of twenty years." Back in Adelaide, Schubert began experimenting with Shiraz from Magill Estate and Morphett Vale, drawing on European influence, Australian tradition and scientific insight. He chose Shiraz because he had scant access to Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet or Merlot. The first experimental Grange was named after the Penfold family home, Grange Cottage, which still stands at the heart of Magill Estate. The wine was first called Grange Hermitage, Hermitage being the local synonym for the grape; "Hermitage" was dropped in 1989 after European authorities banned any use of a French appellation name on wines for sale there.

• Penfolds wine company established at Magill Estate in 1844 by Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold
• Max Schubert appointed Penfolds' first Chief Winemaker in 1948
• 1950 trip to Europe included the cellars of Bordeaux
• First experimental Grange made in 1951 from Shiraz grown at Magill Estate and Morphett Vale
• Originally labelled Grange Hermitage; "Hermitage" dropped in 1989

Presented to senior management, Grange was met with strong criticism, and the project was ordered to cease. Colleagues were critical of the style of the 1955 and preceding vintages, especially their high volatile acidity. Wine Spectator recounts that, at a tasting the Penfolds board held in Sydney, one guest congratulated Schubert "on a very good, dry Port, which no one in their right mind will buy, let alone drink." Schubert continued production in secret, crafting three hidden vintages in the Magill cellars: 1957, 1958 and 1959. Without access to new oak, these wines did not age as well as the 1953 or 1955. A second tasting marked a turning point, as earlier vintages revealed their promise with bottle age, and in 1960 the Penfolds board instructed Schubert to officially restart production on Grange.

• Senior management ordered the Grange project to cease after strong criticism
• Three hidden vintages made in the Magill cellars: 1957, 1958 and 1959
• In 1960 the Penfolds board instructed Schubert to officially restart production

Grange is the most powerful expression of Penfolds' multi-vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy, crafted from fully ripe, intensely flavoured and structured Shiraz grapes. It has never been a single-vineyard wine: Schubert chose grapes from a number of South Australian vineyards, notably Kalimna in the Barossa Valley and, after 1961, Coonawarra. Penfolds' own Kalimna Vineyard in the Barossa Valley is the core element in a blend that uses grapes from as many as 20 sites, including Magill. Blends have included Cabernet Sauvignon: the 1955 was 90% Shiraz and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, composed of fruit from Magill Estate and Morphett Vale, Kalimna and McLaren Vale, and the 2022 is 97% Shiraz and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra.

• Multi-vineyard, multi-district South Australian blend; never a single-vineyard wine
• Kalimna Vineyard in the Barossa Valley is the core element, with grapes from as many as 20 sites
• Coonawarra fruit used after 1961
• Grange 2022: 97% Shiraz, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon; Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra

Penfolds describes the Grange style, unchanged from its earliest experimental vintages to today, as defined by aromatic complexity, intensely rich fruit, ripe Shiraz tannins and nuanced American oak. Those qualities are enhanced through partial barrel fermentation and 18 to 20 months of oak maturation. Schubert finished the fermentations of his 1951 experimental batches in five American oak hogsheads; racking the wine into US oak barrels to complete fermentation was a technique he pioneered in Australia. Grange usually remains in new oak for 18 months. The 2022 vintage was matured for 18 months in American oak hogsheads (100% new), with 14.5% alcohol and a cork closure. The Penfolds House Style further evolved during Schubert's Grange trials; the company describes it as discernible by mid-palate richness, fruit generosity and ageability.

• Partial barrel fermentation and 18 to 20 months of oak maturation
• Finishing fermentation in US oak barrels was a technique Schubert pioneered in Australia
• Grange 2022: 18 months in American oak hogsheads (100% new); 14.5% alcohol; cork closure
• The Penfolds House Style evolved during Schubert's Grange trials

Magill Estate, the home of Penfolds, is located only 8 km from the Adelaide CBD in the Adelaide foothills and is one of the world's few urban single vineyards. Penfolds has had only four Chief Winemakers: Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago. Schubert (d. 1994) was named Decanter's Man of the Year in 1988. Peter Gago joined the Penfolds winemaking team in 1989 and in 2002 became its fourth Chief Winemaker. Steph Dutton oversees winemaking in each of Penfolds' key regions and, alongside Gago, is a custodian of the Penfolds House Style. Penfolds' Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, first made in 1960 by Schubert, was often referred to as 'Baby Grange', in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange.

• Only four Chief Winemakers in Penfolds' history: Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval, Peter Gago
• Peter Gago Chief Winemaker since 2002
• Max Schubert named Decanter Man of the Year in 1988
• Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, first made in 1960, often referred to as 'Baby Grange'

Langton's Classification of Australian Wine, started in 1990, is a three-tier ranking of Exceptional, Outstanding and Excellent that is reviewed every five years. Of the 34 wines listed in the inaugural 1990 classification, Grange was the only wine rated Exceptional, and as of 2018 it had remained at that rank ever since. Wine Spectator named the 1990 Grange its Wine of the Year in 1995. The 1955 Grange is listed as a heritage wine by the Australian National Trust and has won more medals, 12 trophies and 52 golds, than any other Grange vintage. Penfolds calls Grange Australia's most revered wine and one of Australia's most collected wines.

• Only Exceptional-rated wine in the inaugural 1990 Langton's Classification, still at that rank in 2018
• 1990 Grange: Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 1995
• 1955 Grange: listed as a heritage wine by the Australian National Trust; 12 trophies and 52 golds

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/about-us/the-story-of-grange.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/about-us/our-history.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/about-us/our-founders.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/about-us/winemaking.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/about-us/winemaking/our-winemakers.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/grange-2022-8122541.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/experiences/magill-estate-cellar-door.html, https://www.penfolds.com/en-au/bin-389-cabernet-shiraz-2024-8136050.html. Secondary sources: Decanter (Wine Legend: Penfolds, Grange 1955; Langton's Classification: Australia's fine wine 'form guide'), Wine Spectator (Penfolds: Australia's Icon). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12