The Penfolds Collection Release with Winemaker Stephanie Dutton
by Shek Voon Jen
@ 06 Nov 2015
Earlier this year, Penfolds was named 2015 International White Winemaker by the International Wine Challenge (IWC) in recognition of Penfolds whites delivering drinkability and durability. Senior White Winemaker Kym Schroeter, who has over a quarter of a century of Penfolds winemaking experience, asserts, “overall I believe this year’s white release is ‘right up there’ in terms of quality and ageability. Certainly wines for the cellar!” These whites span three vintages, 2013 - 2015.
Born and raised in a city renowned for its love of food and wine, Stephanie Dutton discovered her passion for fine wine, whilst working in some of Melbourne’s signature restaurants. In particular, it was whilst opening a bottle of Barolo that Stephanie began to consider a career in wine and whilst completing her studies, In the same year, Stephanie had the unique opportunity to attend the extensive tasting for The Rewards of Patience – the ultimate Penfolds form guide. It was here that she experienced a complete vertical tasting of Grange, a highlight that further fuelled her fascination for the history and depth of fine wine.
In 2010, Stephanie joined the Penfolds red winemaking team, based at the Nuriootpa Winery in the Barossa Valley and is now responsible for crafting Penfolds Koonunga Hill wines. Embracing the cyclical nature of winemaking, Stephanie looks forward to the opportunities and challenges that each vintage brings, noting advice given to her by former red winemaker, John Bird that ‘no two vintages are the same’ and that is what keeps the fascination for winemaking alive.
Alongside her fellow winemakers, Stephanie enjoys the opportunity to help guide Penfolds signature expressions through the winemaking process and relishes the prospect that the wines she helps craft are now being opened and enjoyed at restaurants and cellars the world over.
It was 12.30pm, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 when we gathered to meet up with Stephanie Dutton, Penfolds Winemaker, who was born and raised in St Kilda, Melbourne, and, after completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Melbourne, she relocated to Adelaide to embark on a Masters of Oenology. Stephanie first joined Penfolds in 2007, working at Magill Estate Restaurant and the Penfolds cellar door. Stephanie shared with us her Grange favourites: the 1953 Grange, still a beautiful, velvet-textured and rare Grange, and, the 2004 and 2010, both of which have the range of the characters of this iconic red. She also intimated that the mini Grange:- the 389, is the most tracked Penfolds reds in the Australian market.
The Penfolds Collection evolves this year with the new vintage release of the winery’s family of fine wines, officially available from January 2016. While Penfolds winemakers led by Chief Winemaker Peter Gago continue to act as custodians of the past, this year’s release delivers their own distinctive interpretation of the wines with noteworthy wine milestones and anniversaries together with vintage nuances.
The 2015 Collection spans five vintages across 20 individual wines of appeal and provenance, all proudly displaying the Penfolds ‘House Style’ established more than 171 years ago. Key highlights include:
• 2011 Grange is the 61st consecutive release. This is only the sixth Grange since the experimental 1951 vintage to be 100% Shiraz (1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, 2000).
• 2013 Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz celebrates its 55th consecutive release.
• 2013 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon for the first time made predominantly from Adelaide Hills fruit.
• 2014 Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay celebrates its 10th consecutive release. Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago reflects, “This year’s Collection again reminds our winemaking team of the magic and unknowns of wine. There’s still so much that we don’t know, a continuum of surprise is occasionally explained by science, history or experience. Our 2013 reds have significantly transformed in bottle – grown, complexed, fattened… call it what you will. These wines make us smile and remind us of why we do, what we do.”
To symbolically coincide with the new vintage release of Grange (2011), Penfolds also presents The Story of Grange, a short film that tells the extraordinary tale of how former Chief Winemaker Max Schubert created Grange at the 2015 launch. Set in the 1950s, narrated by Russell Crowe and directed by Nic Benns of Momoco, the film captures Max’s vision, the setbacks, the determination and, ultimately, the achievement of making not just a great Australian red, but an icon now lauded the world over. The film can be viewed/downloaded via the following link:
http://bit.ly/1LNJLxE
For the first time this year, Penfolds also unveils a selection of wines in stylishly crafted gift boxes and for collector’s who acquire Grange they can now personalise their gift box with a bespoke plaque denoting a name and personal message.
