Steph Dutton sincerely believes that winemaking might soon be considered an art form. “I believe our industry has done really well with scientific developments over the last few decades,” the senior winemaker for Penfolds says. “My request for all winemakers now is to lean into the big, bold, and crazy ideas. Trial things, take the long shots, the things that may not pay off, hoping we may bring the beautiful art back into our industry and put it front and centre.”
The oenologist joined the wine behemoth back in 2007 while wrapping up her master’s degree. From working the tables at Magill Estate Restaurant and the Penfolds Cellar Door, the Melburnian went on a fantastical journey exploring the grape, until finally agreeing to lead the winemaking team in 2017. Now, she splits her time between South Australia and California, checking on the vineyards, spreading the Penfolds House Style gospel, and crafting exceptional wines.
AUGUSTMAN caught up with Dutton during a short Singapore stopover to talk more about wines.
How have you seen Penfolds grow and develop in the past 17 years?
When I first joined Penfolds over 17 years ago, we were already committed to quality and excellence. We had this beautiful culture of innovation, but I’ve seen it all grow probably 10-fold in the last 17 years. With more and more demand for our wines globally, we have truly committed ourselves to the luxury space. This commitment meant that we fast tracked excellence and quality in the vineyards and winemaking practices. This has even translated to outside of winemaking, to how the brand shows up in different markets around the world.
Some key highlights include a special collaboration between Penfolds and artist Nick Mount in 2012. We released 12 unique ampoule objects that were bottlings of the 2004 Block 42 Cabernet from our Kalimna vineyard, the oldest continually producing Cabernet vines. The wine was bottled into glass sealed vessels and commissioned into 12 artwork pieces that were sold globally. We kept one in our museum. The limited-edition ampoules were sold for AUD$168,000 (S$148,000). It was a lovely commitment to the luxury space and how we wanted to push the boundaries, not just from a wine and quality perspective, but from a brand lens as well. Some of my favourite wines that I’ve seen emerged over the last two decades include the 2010 Grange – it was one of the most complete Granges I have seen in my time. I also really enjoyed seeing the Bin 111A (a blend of Clare Valley and Barossa Valley Shiraz) come to life, released on our 175th anniversary.
How has climate change and sustainability transformed the way you make wines?
Our way of thinking has always been geared towards regenerative viticulture – leaving the land, the planet and the brand in a better place than when you received it from the previous generation. We’re always wanting to improve on what we’re leaving as our legacy. With climate change, I often say that our multi-regional sourcing philosophy is almost like an accidental insurance policy that we never realised until much later but has always been authentically part of our DNA from our fortified winemaking era. There are years where our cooler climates thrive, and there are years where our warm climates thrive. The consistency of the Penfolds House Style is possible because of the diversity in the regions that we source from.
Then we have targeted initiatives that protect Shiraz and Cabernet for the Penfolds portfolio into the future. These include making sure we’re picking the right clones, and that our clonal selection matches our site selection, our soil type, and timing of pruning. We also make sure we’re getting the right varieties in the ground in the right regions for the right wines in the right style. There’s something brave and innovative in the space and that is the enclosed nylon vineyard canopy that we’ve implemented in the Barossa Valley for some of our most prized and pedigree fruit at the Koonunga Hill vineyard, and looking at how water can be used for growing these vines in some warmer climate. We’re only 18 months into the trial – one vintage, and have a few more years to know exactly where we stand with that.
How do you think the younger generation of winemakers has influenced you, and vice versa?
For the wine industry to succeed long term, we have to make sure that the wine industry is not daunting for the next generation. I’m always keen to learn about what excites the younger generation of winemakers, what they find engaging about the category, what they want to see on their table or retail shelves, and what they want to mark milestones and occasions. The one consistent message is that of quality. Everybody is committed to making sure that the centre of gravity for our industry is always being lifted. They also love the notion of long-term cellaring, where you can have generational heirlooms, to be handed down to the next generation to mark 21st birthdays, 30th anniversaries, and more.
The other thing I wanted to share whilst I talk about longevity is my message to the younger generation starting to enjoy wine. Don’t be too afraid to open your special bottles. I would far prefer to drink a wine too young than to drink a wine too old. Whilst they can age for 30 or even 40 years, it doesn’t always have to.
