Cellar Reserve Tempranillo
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 3–8 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Tapas, roasted lamb shoulder, wood-fired mushroom pizza
✨ Technical Specifications
Penfolds Cellar Reserve range serves as an innovative playground for the winemaking team to step outside the traditional house style and explore alternative grape varieties. First released in the early 2000s, the Cellar Reserve Tempranillo is a brilliant testament to this spirit of experimentation. Sourced primarily from select vineyards in South Australia's warmer regions like McLaren Vale, where the Mediterranean climate mimics the grape's Spanish homeland, this wine captures the vibrant, savory essence of Tempranillo. Unlike the heavy American oak influence seen in traditional Penfolds classics, the Tempranillo is typically matured in seasoned French oak barriques. This approach preserves the grape's signature dusty, fine-grained tannins, bright cherry fruit, and complex notes of sarsaparilla, dried herbs, and leather, offering a contemporary Australian expression of an Old World classic.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1844 by Dr. Christopher and Mary Penfold at Magill Estate in the Mount Lofty foothills, Penfolds represents one of the foundational cornerstones of Australian fine wine. Over nearly two centuries, the house evolved from crafting fortified tonics to pioneering modern multi-regional and multi-vineyard blending across South Australia's premier terroirs, including the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Coonawarra. Soils span from rich terra rossa over limestone to weathered ironstone and alluvial clays under warm Mediterranean climates tempered by maritime breezes. Under the long-term stewardship of Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, the house adheres to Sustainable Winegrowing Australia standards while preserving an unmistakable house style defined by meticulous fruit classification, submerged-cap fermentation, and structured maturation in American and French oak hogsheads. Benchmark bottlings such as Grange (Bin 95), Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, and Yattarna Chardonnay define the apex of collectible New World viticulture.
🍇 Grapes
Tempranillo
🍷 ABV
14.0% - 14.5%