Penfolds, South Australia Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 407

About Penfolds

Penfolds was founded in 1844, eight years only after the foundation of South Australia, by a young English doctor who migrated from West Sussex. Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold was born in 1811 and had studied medicine at St Bartholomew s Hospital in London, graduating in 1838. After arriving Down Under , he bought with his wife Mary 500 acres of the best land in McGill , and built a modest stone cottage at Magill Estate, on the outskirts of Adelaide. On the land surrounding the house they called The Grange , they began cultivating the French vine cuttings they had collected before leaving England, to produce their own medicinal tonic wine. The initial production was also focused on what the local market demanded at the time: fortified wines, port, and sherry styles. While Dr. Penfolds was seeing patients, his wife Mary had to be involved in the vine growing and winemaking operations. After Dr. Penfold died in 1870, Mary took over control of managing the vineyards and winery. She very successfully continued developing the business, experimenting, and exploring new methods of production. By then, the 60 acres of The Grange Vineyard at Magill was producing several varietals including Grenache, Verdelho, Mataro, Frontignac, and Pedro Xim nez. In 1895, after 25 years of determination running Penfolds, Mary retired leaving responsibilities to her daughter Georgina and son-in-law Thomas Hyland. They eventually passed on to their two sons and two daughters in the early 19th century. The company is so successful that by 1920, Penfolds accounts for 50 percent of all of the annual wine sales across the whole of Australia.