When the Fosters Group – the premium beverage provider of beers, wines, spirits, ciders and non alcoholic brands – bought Southcorp it united two of the South Australia’s prominent wineries, Penfolds and Wolf Blass. Some of their wines were recently presented at the Almyra hotel, matched expertly with a bit of Pacific Rim food. But first who are these wineries?
Wolf Blass: where eagles dare
Wolf Blass has grown from a humble tin shed to become one of the world’s most successful and awarded wineries. Blass started his own business, purchasing a 2.5 acre holding with an old army shed outside Nurioopta at the northern end of the Barossa Valley.
Hailed as the golden boy of the Australian wine industry, Wolfgang Otto Blass AM is known globally for its revolutionary winemaking and marketing practices. Starting from his humble beginnings in the Barossa Valley in 1973 he has created one of the world’s most successful wine brands. Wolf Blass received the ultimate accolade at London’s International Wine and Spirit Competition in 1992 and 2002, and most recently International Red Winemaker of the Year at the 2008 International Wine Challenge in London. Wolf Blass has also been awarded Australia’s most prestigious wine trophy, the Jimmy Watson, an unprecedented four times. He has a tradition of quality, character and consistency from the highly noted Platinum Label and the majestic and complex Black Label through to delicate Rieslings and crisp Chardonnays.
The original philosophy of Wolf Blass and the brand’s ongoing commitment to quality, character and consistency, remains preserved under the leadership of Chief Winemaker Chris Hatcher. Today, Wolf Blass wines are exported to more than 50 countries and he is recognised internationally as an icon of modern winemaking.
Penfolds: most famous
Unlike Wolf Blass, Penfolds was founded in 1844 by a young English doctor, Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold. Vine cuttings from the south of France were planted around the site of the modest stone cottage he built with wife Mary at Magill on the outskirts of Adelaide.
Following Dr. Penfold’s death in 1870, the vineyards and winery continued to be very capably run by Mary. After her death, full responsibility for the continued success of the company passed to her daughter and son-in-law Georgina and Thomas Hyland, which they eventually passed on to their two sons and two daughters.
Penfolds continues to innovate in winemaking. The Yattarna project of the 1990s led to the expansion of its white wine portfolio. Two white wines now sit proudly in the Bin range – Bin 311 Chardonnay and Bin 51 Riesling – and a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc joined the Koonunga Hill range. In 2004 Penfolds released two special Bin wines – Kalimna Block 42 and Bin 60A. The Thomas Hyland range adopted the Adelaide appellation and launched two new wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Riesling. 30 years after the inaugural vintage of Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet, Penfolds released Koonunga Hill Seventy Six Shiraz Cabernet from the 2006 vintage as a homage to the original wine.
From humble beginnings in the 1950s, Grange has maintained its place as Australia’s most prestigious red wine over four decades. An Australian icon, Grange represents a tradition in winemaking that is totally uncompromising.
The wines
2008 Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat Semillon – Chardonnay, South Australia, abv 12.5%
We were served this wine with Cajun tiger prawns. Straw in colour, this is sweet and cocktail-like with tropical fruit and melon that blended well the cantaloupe melon and pineapple and hints of honeydew, with bright lemon-lime notes, which might be largely imparted from the Chardonnay, excellent with our citrus Chardonnay reduction. The palate shows layers of fresh melon and grapefruit with subtle backbone of tasty oak giving way to a soft, creamy and persistent length. It is an excellent aperitif and with seafood. €11
2008 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay, South Australia, abv 13%
The fruit is sourced from the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley, a Chardonnay varietal that was perfect with our lobster ravioli topped with vanilla scented foam. Brilliant, pale straw with aromas of lifted stone fruits and freshly crushed nectarine are surrounded by subtle spices, particularly freshly ground nutmeg, oak. A honey character, from lees contact, gives the wine depth. The palate is full flavoured with fruit – melon and yellow peach – at the fore. A vanilla and malt creaminess deepens the palate and provides complexity. The acid is subtle and ensures refreshing finish. Try as an aperitif, with country style roast chicken or salad dishes, vegetable pie, pasta and cream-based sauces as well as fish. €11.80
2004 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet – Shiraz, South Australia, abv 14.5%
After a refreshing kiwi and mint ice breaker our Black Angus beef arrived with a blend full bodied, hearty red. The poor man’s baby Grange, so called because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of the famous (and expensive) Grange. Dense, dark red in colour, the nose elevated at once, separated from sibling Penfolds by the overt high notes of its barrel fermentation contribution. Notes of Maraschino marinated dark berries mixed with dark chocolate, bay leaf, Kalamata olives and roasting pan juice. Oak and charcuterie elements effortlessly fill any aromatic gaps. Complete in the mouth, multidimensional from start to finish, its weight coupled with power, depth and length – just like our Angus. Ripe fig, blueberry and dark plum fruit flavours synergise to create an inky/dense palate with rough edges. The oak and plush tannins are at one with the wine. It pairs well with roast rack of lamb and generally hearty meat dishes. €30
2005 Wolf Blass President’s Selection Shiraz, South Australia, abv 14.5%
What a match with the smoked Camembert cheese, this President’s Selection has a rich red colour with deep purple hues. The wine displays lifted fragrant aromas of raspberries and plums supported by varietal characteristic white pepper and spice notes, dark chocolate and mocha notes with dusty cedary oak. The palate is rich, round and soft, with concentrated berry fruit, especially blueberry and macerated plums, cocoa with a touch of spice and pepper. This wine has a great length of flavour; 14 months of barrel maturation in seasoned new American and French oak has enhanced the complexity and integration of fine, velvety tannins. Apart from Camembert, try this wine with fillet steak and green peppercorn sauce. €21
All wines are imported by La Maison du Vin, Tel: 25 736220 and 22 442235
