There’s a certain kind of awe that settles over visitors as they drive up the vineyard-lined entry towards Penfolds Magill Estate on the outskirts of Adelaide. The globally renowned spiritual home is located at Magill Estate on the outskirts of Adelaide, just 20 minutes from the CBD.

Magill Estate is often described as Australia’s only “urban” single vineyard — a patch of historic vines sitting remarkably close to a capital city. Look up and there’s every chance you’ll spot a helicopter touching down at Penfolds HQ. High fliers and famous visitors are just part of the woodwork here. Some come for a taste of the winery team’s handiwork, others to dine on Magill Estate Restaurant owner and executive chef Scott Huggins creations. Every day at Penfolds is a reflection on the past.

Established in 1844 by Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold and his wife Mary, the estate started with a simple dream: to grow vines and make wine in the fledgling colony of South Australia. Arriving from England with vine cuttings in tow, the couple settled on land in Magill, planting what would become the foundation of a wine empire.

In those early days, fortified wines were made largely for medicinal purposes, with Dr Penfold prescribing them to patients as a restorative tonic — essentially wine with a doctor’s note. But as with many great South Australian stories, there was a formidable woman quietly (and not so quietly) shaping its future. After Christopher’s death in 1870, Mary Penfold took the reins, expanding the business and helping transform Penfolds from a small colonial winery into one of Australia’s biggest wine producers. The estate is also deeply woven into the story of Grange — Australia’s most famous wine — named after the original cottage on the property, The Grange, where the Penfold family once lived.

In its 182-year history, Penfolds has only ever had four chief winemakers – Max Schubert, Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago who joined the winemaking team in 1989.

Fruit from all over South Australia and Tasmania makes its way into the coveted drops, most revered of which is Grange.

“The 1953 Grange was made using Magill Estate, Morphett Vale and Barossa fruit,” says Gago. “The Barossa plays such a major role in Grange – maybe not always in terms of percentage, that varies quite a bit, and the 2021 release [the 2017 Penfolds Grange] is 86 per cent Barossa. It’s very much part of its stylistic & structural armoury.”

The spotlight is often fixed on Grange, yet Special Bins also highlight exceptional fruit; Bin 707, Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz and Bin 28 Shiraz, and the Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz.

Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 vines were planted in 1888 – thought to be the oldest continuously-producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world.

In the Adelaide Hills, Chardonnay is king. Adelaide Hills vineyards contribute fruit to the likes of the award-winning Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay, Cellar Reserve range, and Yattarna.

The Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir, was long sourced from a number of premium Adelaide Hills vineyards and made in the original open-fermenters at Magill Estate; all a nod to the brand’s cool-climate forays. “The first Cellar Reserve Pinot came out in 1997 and we had a couple of trials prior to that (from 1995) so that’s a quarter-of- a-century of Pinot Noir from of the Adelaide Hills. I love it – a big tick from me.” The 2020 Yattarna, for example, was made using premium Adelaide Hills and Tasmanian Chardonnay, while the Penfolds Bin 23 Pinot Noir 2020 combined the joys of Tassie, Henty and Hills fruit.

“We’ve always had a bit of Adelaide Hills fruit in Yattarna and our latest is 32 per cent from the Adelaide Hills,” Peter says. “We are very proactively promoting the finesse and the character of the Adelaide Hills. Then of course, there’s the Cellar Reserve Single-Vineyard wines. We are still very, very pleased with the Adelaide Hills.” The list goes on. Penfolds Magill Estate Cellar Door is open seven days a week and offers tasting flights and a Blend Your Own or Taste of Grange experience.

Penfolds Re-Corking Clinics
The nationwide biannual Re-Corking clinics have started in 1991. Since then, more than 130,000 bottles across four continents have been checked by Penfolds winemakers. “When people arrive, I always ask them how they heard about it,” Gago says. “Invariably, it was while they were clipping a hedge and bumped into a neighbour who told them about it through an offhand comment. We’ve been doing them now for 30 years.” The quality-checking service is available for all Penfolds red wines, aged 15 years or older and Langton’s staff are always on hand with advice. “It’s not just the goodwill, it’s not just community, it’s everything. It’s about being there in person and looking after their purchase from 20, 30, maybe 50 years ago. Or it might be their inheritance, or their drinking investment… no advertisement can replace that. The expense of putting on this thing on globally is massive. But I would rather pay for re-corking clinics than billboards. We’ve done them literally across China, across Europe – everywhere. I’ve lost count of the number we’ve done in London, New York and places like that. Event odd places like Zurich a couple of times, Munich and Taipei.”

Penfolds Magill Estate

78 Penfold Rd
Magill SA 5072
penfolds.com