Cover Chief winemakers Peter Gago and Caroline Frey of La Chapelle with the Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021
Chief winemakers Peter Gago and Caroline Frey of La Chapelle with the Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021
1 / 1
The Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021 is an inaugural tango between two wine titans, and luxury wine collectors are here for it
In an unlikely marriage of hemispheres, the Grange La Chapelle 2021 explores the what-ifs in the sacrilegious world of wine-making. Between chief winemakers Peter Gago of Penfolds Grange and Caroline Frey of La Chapelle, this limited edition release is liquid diplomacy of epic proportions.
Boasting a 50-50 blend of shiraz from select Grange vineyards in South Australia, including Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Clare Valley, and syrah from La Chapelle’s Hill of Hermitage in France, each coveted bottle holds the promise of Old World Hermitage and New World South Australia.
Read more: Revolutionary for its time, Penfolds Bin 707 continues to soar high 60 years later
Above The Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021
The Penfolds Grange La Chapelle 2021
1 / 1
The shared DNA of similar grape varietals, separated by continents but united by ancestry, is fascinating, but legally, such blending cannot be executed in France. To circumvent French repercussions, the La Chapelle is air-freighted to Australia in temperature-controlled tanks before mixing with Penfolds Grange. While the wines are initially oaked separately in their respective regions, the intercontinental goes back into oak barrels (mostly used rather than new) after blending, harmonising flavours as well as tannins.
The result? A wine that Gago describes as “bold, yet elegant, structured yet expressive”, while Frey suggests that “it shows the powerful side of La Chapelle and the elegance of Grange.”
Above Chief winemakers Peter Gago of Penfolds Grange and Caroline Frey of La Chapelle arrived at the joint decision to blend their flagship wines after one too many conversations
Chief winemakers Peter Gago of Penfolds Grange and Caroline Frey of La Chapelle arrived at the joint decision to blend their flagship wines after one too many conversations
1 / 1
On the nose, the Grange La Chapelle 2021 unfurls with initial notes of rhubarb and blackberry before liquorice and black pepper. The oak integration reveals itself through whispers of cedar and sandalwood. On the palate, the medium-bodied marvel is poise, offering black cherry, pomegranate, wild raspberry, and musk. With a drinking window conservatively estimated at 25 years or longer, this wine is less about immediate gratification.
Accompanying the Grange La Chapelle is a rather handsome price tag, and it certainly isn’t for everyone. But it isn’t some cynical cash grab masquerading as collaboration, too. While Gago and Frey, both longtime friends, arrived at the joint decision to blend their flagship wines after one too many conversations, the spark for the Grange La Chapelle could be attributed to a far earlier time.
In case you missed it: New frontiers: Up-and-coming wine regions you should know about
Above Max Schubert started the Grange Hermitage as an experimental project in 1951 (Photo: Instagram/@penfolds)
Max Schubert started the Grange Hermitage as an experimental project in 1951 (Photo: Instagram/@penfolds)
1 / 1
Circa 1987, wine luminaries Gerard Jaboulet and Max Schubert poured 1971 Penfolds Grange alongside 1978 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle at a Hermitage luncheon at New York’s Rakel Restaurant, where a young Thomas Keller (yes, that Thomas Keller) was the chef at the time. Shubert was also the creator of the Grange Hermitage, which started as an experimental project in 1951, aka Bin 1; after the 1989 vintage, all subsequent vintages shed “Hermitage” from all of Penfold’s branding. Fast-forward 38 years, and these moments have crystallised into something rather extraordinary.
Above There are three Grange La Chapelle vintages currently in existence, each in limited quantities
There are three Grange La Chapelle vintages currently in existence, each in limited quantities
1 / 1
For fine wine collectors, there are three Grange La Chapelle vintages currently in existence. With 2021 and 2022 already bottled and anticipated, and 2023 still patiently maturing, subsequent annual releases will be subject to Mother Nature’s whims. One thing is certain: scarcity is assured.
