Red was the expected dominant color at the launch of the Penfolds Collection 2018 just this October 25 in Bangkok. The 2014 Grange was, after all, the acknowledged star of the night, leading the charge of the collection’s seven varietals, spread over five vintages and 15 regions across Australia. But the whites made a dramatic entrance, the front act of the gala event that was unfolding that evening. The Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2018 was poured from limited-edition magnums, specially made for the collection’s launch in key cities across the globe. Vibrant, poised—it was difficult to tear myself away from the Bin 51 and the equally gorgeous Bin 311 Chardonnay 2017, the latter a study in balance and restraint, like a ballerina en pointe. It is true: “Elegance is the art of not astounding.”
Early afternoon was perhaps the time when the proceedings that were to define the evening had actually begun—at the group interview with Penfolds chief winemaker, Peter Gago. He had been on the road for five-and-a-half weeks now, he said, for the global unveiling of the Penfolds 2018 Collection. There was New York, London, (in late September), Hong Kong and now Bangkok. He would have preferred not to use a microphone, considering the small group, but his voice needed help to get him through the afternoon’s session and the evening that lay ahead. Would it be alright if he used a microphone? And then Peter Gago launched into a spirited annotation of the highlights of the collection. How he can rattle off the vintage conditions, winemaking details, tasting notes and historical references pertaining to each of the wines without skipping a beat was unreal. The winemaker as educator is a natural progression. Peter Gago takes that combination many notches higher with his gift for words and storytelling, holding his listeners captive. I was content to lean back and watch the show.
The Penfolds Collection 2018 includes 17 wines: four whites and 17 reds, most of the latter from the 2016 vintage, except for the Grange 2014 and the St. Henri 2015. Peter Gago says of the Grange 2014, now on its 64th consecutive release since its first vintage in 1951: “This last Penfolds release from the 2014 vintage is now off from the starting gate…ready for the marathon! Grange—built for distance. Or a sprint. Your choice.” Peak drinking for the Grange 2014, matured 20 months in 100 percent new American hogsheads, is 2020 to 2045. St. Henri is also peak drinking 2020 to 2045, but unlike Grange, it is matured in large, old oak vats imparting little, if any, oak characteristics. Penfolds wines offer early accessibility and yet have the power and complexity to develop over the next 25 to 30 years, Gago said again during the interview session.
The launch of the Penfolds Collection 2018 was in full swing. Thai high society, as well as guests from all over Southeast Asia and as far as Mauritius had converged for this one gala night at the sprawling garden of the luxurious Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort along the banks of the Chao Phraya River. A time tunnel set under a huge tent led guests through Penfolds history. Drinking kiosks, manned by Kate Rowe, Treasury Wine Estates brand ambassador, and Sam Stephens, Penfolds Winemaking ambassador, offered wine, as well as expert information on everything from storage and serving temperature, to winemaking and wine-pairing. Wine flowed—Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, the “baby Grange”; Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz, Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, Bin 138 Barossa Valley Shiraz Grenache Mataro, Bin 311 Chardonnay, Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling. (According to Kate Rowe, over 200 bottles of Penfolds including 15 bottles of Grange 2014 were poured that evening.) Dancers in traditional Thai costume performed while a local band played. Roving servers offered beautifully presented savory canapés from huge trays. A hot food station dispensed the likes of phad thai and ebi tempura. Still more servers weaved their way through the crowd, refilling wine glasses. Fireworks lit up the sky.
And then, as Peter Gago enjoined us to raise our glasses of Grange 2014 in a toast, the full moon gleamed, as though to give a benediction and to say, “Patience is rewarded, but impatience is given a glimpse of heaven.”