Beyond the Hoopla
The company has a penchant for luxury packaging that gains plenty of oohs and aahs. In 2012, it released “The Ampoule,” a dozen handmade glass vessel sculptures holding a rare 2004 Kalimna Block 42 cabernet sauvignon. Cost: $168,000 each.
“All were sold, but none has been opened yet,” Gago assured me over dinner before the Big Reveal. We sampled the 1990 and 2008 vintages of Grange, two of the top 17 vintages since 1966. The 1990 is surely one of the top five for drinking right now.
The 2012 doesn’t need any hoopla. It’s at the top of the pack.
I’m not as enthused about the crystal decanters. To me the company’s most exciting luxury wine offering is the Magill Cellar 3 program, launched last May at VinExpo in Hong Kong. Wine lovers can purchase a single bespoke 260-liter barrel of a unique 2016 cabernet-shiraz blend before it’s bottled for A$198,000 ($151,370), a bit less stratospheric than it sounds when you break it down to the roughly $450-per-bottle price. Plus, that includes a lavish behind-the-scenes Penfolds experience.
The company will fly you (and your partner) first class to Adelaide, whisk you up to the Magill Estate, let you taste the wine with the winemakers, follow it as it matures in barrel, and choose the bottle sizes you want. When they’re ready to ship, a winery ambassador will come along and host an event for you.
Of course, the wine won’t be the 2012 Grange, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in your unique blend.
Here are other top offerings that won't disappoint.
Penfolds Collection Top Reds
2014 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz ($69)