Penfolds - Coonawarra

Information

Date Established

Most of the older Penfolds blocks in Coonawarra were planted from 1965 to 1972.

Vineyard Size

Penfolds original plantings comprised close to 50ha in Coonawarra.

Harvest Period

Most of Penfolds' low yielding blocks of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz are harvested from late March to early April. The cool growing season promotes a long, slow ripening which enhances complex tannin and flavour development.

Grapes

Mainly cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.

Wines

Bin 707, Bin 389, occasionally Special Bins including Bin 60A and Bin 620.

Coonawarra

Some of the older Penfolds blocks like 5 & 6 were in John Riddoch's original Coonawarra subdivision early in the 1890s and were planted to vineyards at that time.

Blocks like 5, 6, 19, and 20 have consistently produced high quality fruit for Penfolds Bin 707, and some of the Special Bin wines including 620 and 60A.

Coonawarra is cool, being a southern latitude vineyard with an average January temperature of 19.2° C. Temperatures are influenced by prevailing south westerly winds originating from the cold Southern Ocean 80 km away. These winds also bring the winter rainfall for the year, which at around 571mm is almost, but not quite enough, to dry- grow the vineyards.

All of the important Penfolds blocks are located on classic Coonawarra terra rossa soils, characterised by superbly structured, moderately fertile, light textured, bright red clays, with an average depth of around 0.5 metres. Coonawarra is flat, with an elevation of 59 metres above sea level.

Harvesting involves a comprehensive survey of each block by the winemaker and viticulturist, to determine the optimum batching and timing of the different fruit parcels from within each block. The method of harvest can vary from machine to hand-picking, depending on the block and its fruit-quality history.