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Penfolds fans flock to first-ever UK clinic
November 16, 2001
Adam Lechmere and Tom Chippendale
16 November 2001
Two cases of 1982 Grange were only some of the precious Penfolds wines to turn up at the first-ever Penfolds Red Wine Re-corking Clinic in London.
Collectors, celebrities and restaurateurs from the UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and many other countries - as well as a clutch of journalists - came to the exclusive Lanesborough hotel with bottles of Grange and other Penfolds wines.
One - a self-confessed 'mad vertical collector' who wished to remain anonymous - brought three bottles of Grange from 1954, 66 and 72, and the Bin 467, which chief winemaker John Duval said was a Barossa Coonawarra experimental cuvee. 'Max (Schubert) would have made a few hundred cases,' he said. The general consensus was that it was not worth a huge amount.
His wines were all pronounced delicious, except the 72 Grange which had failed. 'You notice an acrid, sharp character,' said former Penfolds winemaker Toni Paterson, 'so I'm afraid we'll have to say goodbye to that one.' The collector said he was disappointed that he didn't get a 100% record, but delighted that the rest of his wines were in perfect health.
But a visit to his cellar will console him when he gets home. He has 40 Granges in all, and his 3,000-bottle collection includes Château d'Yquem, Mouton, a magnum of Screaming Eagle, a series of other super-expensive cult Californians like Harlan, Aruajo and Bryant Estate, and a complete set of Le Pin from 1979 onwards.
His 1954 Grange was not opened. 'It was too much pressure,' said Paterson. 'It's worth about £5,000 (US$7,000). All the other 54s we've opened have been perfect. If we'd opened that and found it to be off, it would have lost all its value.'
All wines brought to the clinic - they must be at least 15 years old - are inspected and if the level of ullage is low they are opened, tasted, topped up, re-corked and given an official seal of approval.
British radio star Jono Coleman brought a bottle of 1984 Grange from his extensive collection. He said, 'It was like velvet curtains, or like a summer's day in Adelaide with the cool wind blowing in my hair.'
Donal Scannell, a former restaurateur from County Cork in Ireland, caused a scrum of avid enthusiasts around the tasting table when he opened a large padded bag to reveal 20 bottles of 1982 Grange.
Ten were tasted, and all were perfect. 'They were beautiful,' he said, adding that he would be drinking them very slowly. He has two cases from which he has drunk one bottle so far.
London restaurateur John Torode, who runs top eaterie Smiths of Smithfield, left with his single bottle of Grange 1983 under his arm. 'They didn't need to open it,' he said. 'The level was fine.'
Another customer said Bordeaux could learn something from Penfolds. 'The recorking seal tells you your wine is in top condition, so you can serve it up with total confidence.' He added, 'I think the top Bordeaux châteaux should offer the same assistance to their customers, so a Lafite owner would have total assurance that their wine is ageing well.'
Everyone concerned is delighted with the success of the day. 'It's been a lot of fun,' Toni Paterson said. 'And we had a very high success rate.'
For John Duval, one of the most exciting moments was 'a fantastic bottle of 1986 Grange. It was a super vintage,' he said. Asked if he thought the clinic was a success, Duval said, 'absolutely'.
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