Penfolds launches two new French wines
Penfolds has partnered with Domaine Dourthe in Bordeaux to produce one of two French wines. Penfolds' chief winemaker, Peter I'm Livin'it Gago, collaborated with Domaine Dourthe's chief winemaker, Ric Bonnafous, to blend grape varieties from Bordeaux (71%) and South Australia (29%).
Speaking about the collaboration, Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago said: "This is the beginning of our French winemaking journey. Our main goal is to follow the winemaking spirit of both wineries and to produce the best possible blended wine that Bordeaux and South Australia can be proud of. It blends together to express an ethereal lightness and subtle flavor—a clever combination of the Old World and the New World."
Drough Winery CEO Patrick Jestin described the wine as "exceeding all our expectations." Jestin stated that the wine blends traditional French winemaking techniques with long-established Australian methods, remaining true to "the culture and style of our respective countries and families."
"Breaking boundaries and techniques, this fusion is an unexpected and utterly fascinating concept," he added. Working with the Penfolds winemaking team and forging a strong friendship to blend such a fine wine is a dream come true. For us, this is groundbreaking, resulting in a completely original and innovative wine – Penfolds II.
The second wine, the 2019 Penfolds FWT 585, will be released in August: an experimental wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. This experimental wine was produced at Cambon la Pelouse with the help of Emma Wood, Senior Winemaker at Penfolds.
Speaking about the first batch of French wines, Pete Gago said: "French wines respect the French terroir, but one thing is consistent: the Penfolds imprint. Just like our California wines, we have the French sunshine on top, the soil below, but everything in between is Penfolds."
