Savoury, complex and elegant, yet sweetly and intensely fruited - so beautifully balanced that it is drinking wonderfully already. Red apple, cranberry, black tea, plums and liquorice. Finished with whisper fine tannins. Some Cab family blends can look a bit 'Bride of Frankenstein' at least for their first few years in bottle. This is flawless.
Penley as a wine brand was first mooted as far back as 1947, when members of the Tolley and Penfolds families were joined through marriage. It wasn’t until 1988 that descendants Kym, Ben and Ang Tolley bought a block of land and got to work, officially establishing Penley Estate.
Kym Tolley — trained by Max Schubert, the pioneering force behind Penfolds Grange — took the winemaking reins, and Penley quickly built a formidable reputation for exceptional Cabernet and Cabernet blends.
In 2016, Kate Goodman was appointed winemaker, ushering in a more modern, refined style. Her impact was emphatically recognised in 2024 when she was named James Halliday Wine Companion Winemaker of the Year.
Today, Penley’s wines are magical: complex, powerful and lively, all at once.
Region
Coonawarra, SA
If there is one combination to look for when browsing for a good medium-bodied red, Coonaw ...
If there is one combination to look for when browsing for a good medium-bodied red, Coonawarra SA, terra rosa and Cabernet Sauvignon is always a winner. Far down the line from Adelaide (about 390km southeast, a grape's throw from the border of Victoria), the name is Aboriginal for "honeysuckle", yet reds from the region are more known for flavours of plum and blackcurrant.
The Coonawarra vineyard region is sparse, running along a thin 2km-wide ridge elevating it above surrounding swamp. World-renowned, this 15km stretch of red soil is so unique, it's worth looking it up on google maps and switching to satellite view to see how it is farmed. See that s ... Read Full Article
This might seem like a strange one, but I can honestly say that this combo really works. Usually, when you think of burgers you lean towards a beer, or even a nice glass of red. The freshness of the apple, spice coming through from the tomato jam, and the addition of pork had me leaning towards a Riesling.
If there is one combination to look for when browsing for a good medium-bodied red, Coonawarra SA, terra rosa and Cabernet Sauvignon is always a winner. Far down the line from Adelaide (about 390km southeast, a grape's throw from the border of Victoria), the name is Aboriginal for "honeysuckle", yet reds from the region are more known for flavours of plum and blackcurrant.
The Coonawarra vineyard region is sparse, running along a thin 2km-wide ridge elevating it above surrounding swamp. World-renowned, this 15km stretch of red soil is so unique, it's worth looking it up on google maps and switching to satellite view to see how it is farmed. See that strip of green north of Penola? That's it, and notice the big spread of nothing around it? The Coonawarra is a very special place. Laying on an old ridge of limestone, the fields have superb drainage, allowing the vines to flourish without the dampness at night that can ruin a good crop. Very similar in climate to the Bordeaux region in France,
