Penfolds, the Australian flagship brand from Treasury Wine Estates, has announced the final release of its ultra premium “g” series trio – g5 – blending five vintages of Granges, following the launch of Penfolds g3 and g4 in 2017 and 2020 respectively.
The Penfolds g5 is a blend of Penfolds Grange 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 vintages, designed to create a completely unique expression of Penfolds flagship.
Penfolds Chief Winemaker, Peter Gago said of the new release, “Many collectors have queried why the landmark 2010 Grange was not included in g3 or g4. And provocatively, how could we not include the yet-to-be-released 2018 Grange?! Fixed”, he continued. “Each of the five vintages sensitively brings their own personality & contribution to the blend. Which is an inverted anticipatory response to the inevitable query – why no g6?!”
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. A natural progression was to apply this venerated technique to a create a new Penfolds red style, which now falls under the ‘g’ series tier.
In 2017, Penfolds released the first edition of the wine, Penfolds g3, a 2008, 2012 and 2014 blend. Two years later, Penfolds g4 was unveiled – from the 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2016 vintages.
The release of Penfolds g5 coincides with Grange’s 70th anniversary year. After seventy years of unbroken vintage releases (1951 experimental – 2021), Grange, a South Australian heritage icon, is one of the world’s most collected wines, known for its Australian identity, consistency and proven aging potential.
The much-awaited 2018 Grange will be released in August 2022, adding further mystery to the Penfolds g5 release.
Only 2,200 bottles of the ultra-rare Penfolds g5 are available around the world. It carries a RRP AU$3,500 (US$2,630) for a 750ml bottle.
