Penfolds has released a special wine blended from three Grange vintages spanning seven years, aptly named Penfolds g3. A Penfolds first, these vintages of 2008, 2012 and 2014 (a vintage to be globally released in 2018), energetically entwine to create a completely unique Grange expression.
Penfolds Chief Winemaker, Peter Gago said “Put simply it’s Penfolds ‘House Style’ distilled … Penfolds g3 is a natural end result of the venerated art of blending. It is a blend where each individual vintage selected delivers a depth of character and flavour honouring our flagship Grange”.
Blending across vintages is part of Penfolds winemaking philosophy and has been since 1844. Penfolds Tawny styles, famous in the mid 1800’s continue a long tradition of fortified wines that celebrate this particular blending style. Winemaking saw this style as a natural progression to apply this technique to a create a new red table wine.
Two of the Grange vintages selected for this wine are recognised as some of the finest Granges released, so why blend them? Peter said, “it wasn't about selecting the biggest or the best Grange vintages, in fact it was about making something different – but not just to be different”.