$3,500 for a new-release bottle of wine

I am a huge admirer of the Penfolds wine range. 

From midweek drinking to collectibles, the Penfolds team produces wines of symmetry, balance and drinkability.

Penfolds Grange remains the Australian red wine benchmark and chief winemaker Peter Gago and his team are deft blenders of fruit from across Australia. 

But. 

I do feel the Penfolds marketing team has become just a little bit gimmicky in recent times. 

There were the g3 and g4 non-vintage Grange blends; the pair of Superblends and other special bottlings. There was a port partially fortified with Chinese baijiu spirits. 

Today sees the launch of the final wine in the ‘g’ series trio - Penfolds g5.

The g5 blend features Grange fruit from the 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 vintages "to create a completely unique expression of our flagship".

Only 2,200 bottles of the ultra-rare release will be available around the world with an RRP of $3,500.00 for a 750ml bottle. Expressions of interest are open at www.penfolds.com.

 

“Many collectors have queried why the landmark 2010 Grange was not included in g3 or g4,' says chief winemaker Gago.  "And provocatively, how could we not include the yet-to-be-released 2018 Grange?

"Fixed. Each of the five vintages sensitively brings their own personality and contribution to the blend. Which is an inverted anticipatory response to the inevitable query - why no g6?”

Blending across vintages is part of Penfolds winemaking philosophy and has been since 1844 - but almost entirely with fortified wines. 

In 2017, Penfolds released the first edition g3; a 2008, 2012 and 2014 blend. 

Two years later, Penfolds g4 was unveiled – from the 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2016 vintages. 

Now here's the g5. For serious collectors only.