Simon Field MW assesses the “careful, gradual incursion” of Penfolds into Bordeaux.
The cultural and commercial zeitgeist in France has long allied itself to the forces of conservatism—protectionism, even—from the dogged refusal of the later Age of Enlightenment to entertain Germanic idealism, through to more prosaic examples such as the Académie Française’s repeated efforts to encourage its citizens to say la fin de la semaine rather than le weekend. Wine may be seen as an area where this sequence, ideally anyway, works in reverse. Think of the ubiquity of the French term “terroir” and the near-religious respect reserved for the great vineyards of Bordeaux and Burgundy, protected both by poetic nuance and the rigors of a litigiously controlled appellation system. The French vignerons are quite happy to export their expertise—literally, in the case of Moët & Chandon, Drouhin, Roederer, and Smith Haut Laffite, to name but a few. But what about the reverse step? What about famous foreign wineries setting up shop in the celebrated vineyards of France? Up to now, there has hardly been a whisper. Virtually nobody has dared to tread on such sacred ground.
The careful, gradual incursion of Penfolds into Bordeaux must therefore be seen as a departure—not without risk and not without opportunity. As part of the labyrinthine Treasury Wine Estates portfolio, Penfolds these days likes to promote itself as a “luxury” icon. Its modus operandi is strikingly similar to that employed by Moët & Chandon, with stress above all on the primacy of the brand and the brand equity. Theirs has always been a multi-vintage and multiregional project—Grange itself, when it comes to the latter—and it has therefore not proved onerous to extend the branded “red thread” across four continents (extant operations in California and China make up the quartet), with, says chief winemaker, Peter Gago, “an aspiration to craft wines that embody the Penfolds house style while also embracing regional terroir.” The holy grail of the brand ambassador, then: a shamelessly paradoxical aspiration of preserving the identity of the vineyard yet at the same time ensuring that the specifically Australian house style is not forsaken. The goal, naturally enough, is to “forge long-standing and mutually beneficial relationships,” a requirement that falls into sharp focus in a region such as Bordeaux, with its well-mapped geology and complicated political backdrop. Gago is not ashamed to underline the primacy of the brand: “The terroir is the sun above and the soil below; everything between is Penfolds.” This stark, rather unfashionable statement is presumably intended to challenge rather than to goad. The Penfolds approach combines, without guile, provocation and diplomacy.
An exciting renovation
How is it going for it in France? Early sorties have focused on joint ventures, primarily with Thiénot Champagne and the large Bordeaux négociant Dourthe, with which it produces the prototypical Penfolds II, its fruit sourced from two continents. An early physical purchase, the little-known Médocian Château Cambon Pelouse has served as a precursor to 2022’s more significant acquisition of Château Lanessan, a distinguished cru bourgeois in the Haut-Médoc. The Lanessan vineyards are located adjacent to those of Léoville-Las-Cases and Beychevelle in St-Julien, and its relatively modest livery can be attributed to the laissez-faire attitude of an erstwhile owner who failed to muster enough enthusiasm to show samples to the 1855 Classification board. An undervalued gem, in other words, and the perfect place, geographically and geologically, for Penfolds to be out on maneuvers.
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The long-term former owners, the Bouteiller family, who will continue to serve ambassadorially under the terms of the purchase, might concede that there has been appreciable underinvestment over the years and that the château is now very well placed to progress rapidly. Two châteaux, in point of fact, as a brace of turreted faux Gothic piles bookmark this large estate. The plan is to maintain and upgrade the current winery for Lanessan, then to build another winery just behind the second château, Lachesnay—and, at the same time, to redevelop the latter into a high-tech enotourism center. The expansive grounds (there are 200ha [500 acres] of woodland around the 85ha [210 acres] of vines), allied to the excellent location between St-Julien and Margaux, provide an ideal backdrop for a showpiece. Additional historical features—such as a wrought-iron orangerie and stables that have already been transformed into an equestrian museum—underline the potential. An air of faded grandeur pervades, with more emphasis on the fade at the moment; there is much room for improvement and, one would have thought, no shortage of resources available. In these parlous times for Bordeaux, this can only be a good thing; the political and diplomatic mood music has thus far been well orchestrated: a collaboration rather than an imposition, an exciting renovation rather than a tabula rasa for wholesale change. The opening ceremony at Lanessan was well populated by the éminences grises of Bordeaux, happy to listen.
The planning—such as it is—is to maintain the production and character of Château Lanessan itself, with any stylistic intervention gingerly and gradually offered. At the same time, in an almost schizophrenic fit of evangelism, there will be new projects in winery and vineyards alike, so work has already started on the plant densities, the plants themselves, trellising, and an irrigation regime. Specific plots will be isolated (two, La Garonne and Parc Neuf, have already been identified), and there will therefore be plenty of raw materials for the continuation of the Penfolds FWT project. Thus far these French Wine Trials have seen two generic releases (as tasted opposite), labeled as FWT 585 and FWT 543, all with fruit sourced from partnerships throughout Bordeaux but also the south of France. The acquisition of arguably more prestigious terroir in the heart of Bordeaux will facilitate the development of this project, the resulting approved wines perhaps eventually earning a hallowed bin number in the manner of Bin 389, 707, et al. Neither of the FWTs has been thus rewarded so far, but Peter would maintain that it’s still early days and certainly does not rule out the possibility. The probability, even. Anything else might perhaps signal a failure.
Most radical here (if radical is the correct word) is the plan to expand the vineyard not only with plantings of Petit Verdot but also with Shiraz/Syrah clones from Australia. Already we are a long way from the Bordeaux hegemony, and the trial wines will continue to be labeled as Vin de France rather than AOC Bordeaux. As a final clever sop to historical nuance, Gago announces plans to bring over Cabernet Sauvignon plants from the famous Kalimna pre-phylloxera Block 42 to be planted at Lanessan in 2026 and, eventually, to feature in the blend of another trial wine. Gago maintains that Block 42 originated from cuttings brought over to the Barossa from Bordeaux in the 1880s (Penfolds was founded in 1844) and that they are therefore coming home. Not only that, but they are also, he maintains, the oldest such vines in the world. A bold and rather daring claim, to the possible hubris of which the Bordelais may or may not respond favorably. In any event, the pathway for experimentation, investment, and environmental sustainability work has been clearly laid down. Indeed, it is the very fact of climate change that underscores the initiative to plant Syrah in Bordeaux in the first place. Penfolds is underlining its environmental credentials with the creation of the Evermore grant program to support local initiatives and eventually to offer mentorship to interns from the University of Bordeaux.
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The groundwork has all been characteristically meticulous. After a visit to Bordeaux 70 years ago, Penfolds’ most famous winemaker Max Schubert was inspired to return to Australia and create Grange. Today, his successor Peter Gago, with more than two decades in post, is repaying the compliment. Early days for sure, but the potential here is significant. He is specific in outlining intentions (and I paraphrase here) to engender local goodwill; to challenge, but not in a spirit of iconoclasm, extant legislation; and to demonstrate that a symbiotic marriage of historical precedent and Penfolds methodology will be invigorating and, in many senses, productive. The red thread is tense across the loom and shows no sign of unraveling.
(From left): Penfolds’ chief winemaker Peter Gago, winemaker Shauna Bastow, and senior winemaker Steph Dutton in front of Château Lanessan.
Tasting
With Peter Gago at Château Lanessan, September 2025
2009 Château Lanessan Haut-Médoc (65% CS, 30% M, 4% PV, 1% CF)
Deep ruby. A nose of Gironde gravel and cigar box; behind that, ripe plum and boysenberry, the dark fruit quota resilient down the years. Quality is also espoused by finely etched tannins and a strong finish. Classic Médocian restraint underlines a proud typicity. | 92
2005 Château Lanessan Haut-Médoc (75% CS, 20% M, 4% PV, 1% CF)
More garnet fade at the rim, but an impressive, deeply saturated core, then an elegant aromatic that recalls leather saddles and stables (appropriate at Lanessan, with its horse-influenced museum), incense, and dried fruit. Tobacco leaf and mushroom signal evolution and a structure that, two decades on, now cedes a little to the rigors of time, with an ethereal smoky finish and vigilant, slightly austere acidity supporting the noble edifice. | 91
2022 Penfolds FWT 543 Vin de France (52% CS, 48% S)
An inaugural release, specifically compared to bins 389 (Australia) and 600 (California), its Cabernet from Bordeaux and the Syrah from the Languedoc. Aging is shared between French and American oak, up to 25% new. A deep plush, a gloss of episcopal pride. The nose is pure, pure Penfolds, one might say, generous dark fruit to the fore, the Syrah lending a twist of black pepper. Silky tannins and a firm, slightly foursquare mouthfeel, deferential to the sunshine of this superlative vintage and the potential for longevity. There is a pleasing herbal backdrop here, providing an elegant counterpoint to Cabernet’s hegemony of dark fruit. | 93
2022 FWT 585 Vin de France (56% CS, 41% M, 3% PV)
The trio of 585s serve as an in-situ homage to the Bordeaux blend, whereas the 543 finds antecedent farther afield, and most certainly not in Bordeaux. Does this make 585 more French, more Bordelais? Maybe a little; there is a distinctly gravelly imprimatur for all the plush of the Penfolds treatment, which includes part-élevage in American oak, some of which is new. Rich, ripe, and generous, thereby reflecting both the vintage and perhaps unspoken style aspirations, eloquently translated into spicy dark fruit, with a subtle and intriguing herbal backdrop. I think that Penfolds winemaker Shauna Bastow, who makes the wine in Bordeaux, would agree that this trial has improved over each of its three available vintages. | 94
2021 FWT 585 Vin de France (78% CS, 8% M, 14% PV)
A famously sodden vintage has promoted an apparently atypical blend, with the increase in both Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot immediately evidenced by a rich, uncompromising color, a smoky sous-bois aromatic, and a firm, almost monolithic palate, which is conspicuously tannic. Is there sufficient fruit hereunder? Hard to say; one detects sloes, blue- and blackberries, and morello cherry; thereafter, dried herbs and notes from the kitchen garden. All a little foursquare, however, the celebrated Penfolds gloss challenged as seldom before. | 90
2020 FWT 585 Vin de France (52% CS, 41% M, 7% PV)
The 2020 585 (the second release) has far more Merlot than its successors, maybe indicative of a change of direction, though the blends are generally somewhat unpredictable and informed on the hooves of positive pragmatism. “True Bordeaux style, but through a Penfolds lens,” says Shauna. So, what does that mean? For this wine, it means a successful juxtaposition of rich, velvety generosity and a refined, gravelly backdrop, a beguiling and apparently contradictory matrix that is nonetheless very successful, despite the youth of the wine. Standing out is the pure aromatic—cassis, dark chocolate, and, appropriately enough, a hint of eucalypt—then the textural integrity on the palate, which is exemplified by finely grained but mouth-coating tannins, the macro and the micro pleasingly entwined. | 92
2022 Grange La Chapelle (multiple countries of origin) (100% S)
A lot has already been written about this project, by turn ambitious, magisterial, hubristic, and iconoclastic. A blend fated to happen, per Peter Gago, and it is a special moment indeed to taste the new vintage with both Peter and Delphine Frey (from Jaboulet) in the same room, the more so since the 2022 is a far more benevolent and cerebrally influential vintage than the 2021 in the Northern Rhône. One therefore, this time, discerns an immediate equality and a resulting transoceanic tension that is informed not only by the audacity of rule-breaking but, even more important, by an enlightened and happy philosophy that lends confidence to the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” adage, even in the face of prickly gainsay from traditionalists and so-called terroiristes alike. The evolution of this wine will be truly fascinating. | 95–97
