Penfolds has given us some wonderful marketing moments over the years. Who could forget the most audacious of them all – the $168,000 Penfolds Ampoule. The press release said it was ‘not only a compelling work of wine art; it also provides a truly memorable experiential and sensory engagement.’
Big words for a monumental bottle of wine, but the equally monumental price included a Penfolds winemaker flying anywhere in the world for the opening ceremony. More gobsmacking details in our post Gago Gone Gaga?
It won’t surprise you that Penfolds has struggled to surpass this Everest of wine marketing ever since, or even equal it. There was a £1.2 million, never-to-be-repeated Penfolds Collection: a flight of Granges from 1951 through to 2007 signed by their winemakers. Bigger, yes; more expensive, yes far more expensive but it didn’t make the same impact.
The World is Not Enough
Then there was a Methuselah of Grange in a special box crafted by a famous artisan, as forgettable as the lame stunts that followed, until the recent space odyssey signalled a dramatic change of direction .
‘Since the beginning, Penfolds has been looking to the stars,’ says the landing page for this red rocket. ‘Dreaming of what could be beyond. Our new limited edition rocket tin celebrates this pioneering spirit of going beyond, rather than accepting the status quo.’
Get the Penfolds side of the story HERE, and make sure you scroll down to the video. You’ll ask yourself: Is it a Space X rocket? Is it a new NASA space shuttle? Is it Superman? No, it’s a bottle of Penfolds red. What’s it doing in a tin rocket?
Back to Glass
Back on planet earth, Penfolds announced a new special: ‘One Superblend. Two Interpretations. Superblend 802.A and Superblend 802.B. It represent two unique interpretations of the iconic Australian blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. These wines are made from A-Grade cabernet sauvignon and A-Grade shiraz from a wonderful harvest; new French and American oak barrels of the highest quality …and that much-coveted ingredient, time.’
There’s more: ‘Two limited releases, made from parcels destined for our flagships. This powerful pair were (sic) released sequentially, but are (sic) designed to be collected together.’
Given the money Penfolds charges for these special blends, you’d think they can’t find a copywriter with some knowledge of basic English grammar. They do come up with some tantalising tasting notes though:
‘A grated texture with gritty tannins … acidity – more than likely aligned to the fruit descriptors noted: cumquat, pomegranate and persimmon. A grated texture with gritty tannins … and its savoury demeanour also contributing to a “textural dryness”. Dusty, shaved dark-chocolate flavours (unlike nose) and a sprinkle of chocolate dust and sweet paprika.’ Who on earth wrote this rubbish?
The Reserve Bank Edition
‘For this gift set,’ a note on the landing page says, ‘we commissioned glass artist Nick Mount to create a custom-made decanter to honour this extraordinary blend.’ It’s a lovely design that surprises with its modest dimensions, and the price for the wine and decanter package is modest as well: a mere $1500.
I think Peter Gago has shown real sensitivity to the difficult times we live in, compounded by Philip Lowe’s insistence on punishing us with ever higher interest rates. Gago could’ve gone for the super deluxe King’s Coronation Memorial Edition, but he read the mood of the Brits right, and ours too.
The punters who want something more special can always go for the Penfolds g5, a 5-vintage blend of Granges stretching back to 2010 that sells for $5000 a single 750 ml bottle. Or they could buy pitch-perfect Granges such as the 1976, 1986, 1990, 1991 or 1996 at auction for a total of $3500. Yes, 5 bottles not 1. With $1500 left over for the gift set with decanter.
