Grandfather Rare Tawny 20YO
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Stilton or other blue cheeses, dark chocolate desserts, roasted walnuts and pecans
✨ Technical Specifications
Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny is a monument to Australian fortified winemaking, a style that dominated the country's wine industry long before dry table wines took center stage. The story began in 1915, when a superb cask of tawny was set aside to age, eventually named 'Grandfather' in honor of the blend's venerable age and character. Sourced from premium South Australian vineyards, the wine is crafted from a blend of classic varieties including Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is matured using a solera-like system in seasoned oak casks, ensuring the final blend achieves a minimum average age of 20 years. This slow, oxidative aging imparts a glorious mahogany color, a complex bouquet of roasted nuts, toffee, and cold tea, and a velvety, rich palate balanced by fine spirit integration.
🍾 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
Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, Cabernet Sauvignon
🍷 ABV
19.5%