Penley's Estate
Cabernet Franc 2020
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"Penley Estate is one of the finest Coonawarra producers, fashioning wines of greater richness, nuance, and aging potential than most of their peers." - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
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High praise indeed, considering Coonawarra is arguably the best production region in Australia for Cabernets. Famous for its terra rossa soils (red soils due to high iron content) and the cool winds from the nearby Southern Ocean make it the perfect climate to grow premium cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. Coonawarra runs nine miles long by one and a half miles wide, consisting of a thin band of vivid red earth overlaying soft limestone that runs nine miles long by one and a half miles wide. The soil drains well, behaving like sand, which regulates the vines' amount of water. The limestone restricts the root growth, which helps with the quality of wines being produced. With cold winters and a long, cool ripening season, the grapes can slowly develop flavor and tannin ripeness. Unique to this small cigar-shaped plot of land that owes itself to millennia of land movement. |
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The Coonawarra region was once under the ocean until the ice age froze the water into polar ice caps, causing the shoreline to recede. After the ice age, the land that rose above sea level was limestone. All the region's soils sit on top of this limestone base. After the melting of the ice caps exposed the limestone, winds coming off the ocean blew silt from nearby plains, creating light clay rich in nutrients. This clay oxidized into the renowned red-colored soil. The strip of terra rossa runs north to south through the region and is a small stretch of land – 116.8 miles long and around 1.1 miles wide, and about 19.7 inches deep. Coonawarra is from the Aboriginal language, meaning "wild honeysuckle." |
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Penley Estate is one of only 36 wineries in Coonawarra. Continuing a family tradition that spans five generations, the winery was established in 1988 when the Tolley children continued the winemaking heritage of their pioneering families, Penfold and Tolley, both storied names in the Australian wine industry. It all started when Reginald Lester Tolley (son of a local winery and distillery owner) rolled up to a function in his red sports car. Judith Anne Penfold Hyland (from the Penfold wine family) was suitably impressed by the car and rather taken by the man behind the wheel. Sparks flew, romance blossomed, and Penley was conceived (as a business name) in 1947 after Reginald and Judith married. |
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Penley Estates came to life in 1988 when the children of Reginald and Judith (Kym, Bec, and Ang) bought a plot of land in the famed Coonawarra region and planted Cabernet grapes. Kym worked as a winemaker at Penfolds and needed a more creative, hands-on project with 240 acres of estate vineyards producing terroir-driven wines. Their first vintage of 1989 Phoenix Cabernet, won a Gold Medal at the Adelaide Wine Show. The start of a long list of highly decorated wines. In 1995 they built a new winery at Penely Estates with all the bells and whistles to put that 1945 red sports car to shame. |
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In 2015 Kym decided to retire, and sisters Bec and Ang, rather than sell the winery, in true Penfolds/Trolley style, bought more vineyards and went on to revitalize, reinvigorate and refresh the wine. They brought on winemaker Kate Goodman, who is regarded as one of Australia's best contemporary winemakers. Thanks to her successes at Penley Estate, Kate was named 2018 Winemaker of the Year at the Australian Women in Wine Awards. That was also the year Penley Estate's Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon was named one of Wine Spectators' Top 100 wines. Penley Estates has garnered the reputation as one of the region's leading Cabernet and Shiraz producers, so says Robert Parker and others. |
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Goodman is the kind of winemaker that thinks outside of the box. "Kate originally came to us and said, 'I reckon you've got some fabulous Cab Franc,'" says Ang. "I frowned and said, 'Straight Cab Franc. Really?'. Anyway, she produced this Spring Release Cabernet Franc. It just knocked my socks off. It was amazing. A lot of people in Coonawarra were coming to have a try to see what it was like." The industry took note of the innovative red winning Best Alternative Red Variety at South Australia's 2018 Limestone Coast Wine Show. Interesting in that cabernet franc is rarely seen as a stand-alone varietal wine. Penley has 45 acres planted in Cabernet Franc as opposed to 164 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Goodman pursues a water deficit program promoting water stress before veraison, followed by sufficient moisture to see the vines continue functioning throughout the late fall harvest. In conjunction with hand pruning, this program ensures balanced vines with healthy canopies and crops of small, intensely flavored berries at yields of around two tons per acre (small by Australian standards). Kate uses whole bunch fermentation, partly carbonic, in enclosed temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, which adds to the floral fruit aromas and flavors cabernet franc is known for. Only 1,000 cases are made, of which 200 cases are imported to the U.S.
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Youthful, modern, and vibrant. This unoaked Cabernet Franc is driven by a fragrant fruit profile. Bursting with complex whole bunch characters, violets, Turkish delight, and spice. The palate is juicy and delicious, with a textural framework of tannin supporting the core of intensely flavored fruit. A generous and flavorsome wine for any occasion. |
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This wine shows oodles of bright cherry, clove, and star anise, with a soft floral note and a hint of reduction. The palate is medium in weight but with a feathery quality to the fruit, raspy tannins, and a powdery texture. At the close, it shows a lovely, long finish that tastes like Chinese Five spice. Layered, likable, and full of personality, this makes for fun, youthful drinking now but should age until 2030 at least. *Editor's Choice* Wine Enthusiast 92 pts
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Penley’s Estate Cabernet Franc 2020
To be fair, we love Cabernet Franc wines. Right Bank Bordeaux, Red Loire Valley wines, that's just the kind of freaks we are, and I know there are a lot of you out there that fall into that camp. So we were really excited to try this wine. We initially tried it months ago, and just to make sure, we tried it again this morning. This wine does not disappoint. Floral rose petal aromas with spice, youthful fruit on the pallet, balanced acidity, minor tannins, and a dry finish. This wine brings a smile to your face and is a party waiting to happen. As you can imagine, we have limited quantities, and at this price, I am pretty sure it will go quickly.
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*Sale price is on 6 or more bottles, wine is packed in a 12 bottle case |
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Orders must be done by replying to this email. The reason is that I need to keep control of the inventory in one central spot. Emailing or calling your favorite wine geek at one of our four stores may not get your orders in on time to be counted or processed and creates a helter-skelter for us to get you the wine. For the same reason, ordering on our online Web Store is linked to our regular price, and this sale price is only offered on the email platform. It is also why it takes me some time to respond due to the deluge of orders that I sometimes get. We haven't reached the efficiency or volume of Amazon yet, and in this pandemic environment, simply operations sometimes prove difficult. Thank you in advance for your patience. |
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Let me know your preferred store for pickup: Attleboro, Norwood, Sturbridge, or Swansea. If you don't state the store, I will assume you are picking up in Sturbridge.
Place your order now while you've got everything in front of you. Reply to this email along with your name and which store you want to pick it up.
I will confirm your order via email when it is ready for pickup. Please give us at least 48 hours to respond. Stay well, cheers!
—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist
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Monday-Thursday
9AM to 9PM
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Friday-Saturday
9AM to 10PM
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We reserve the right to limit quantities. You must be at least 21 years of age to purchase/consume alcohol. Please drink responsibly. Not responsible for typographical errors. Rebate quantities are subject to limitation by the manufacturer. These alcoholic beverages may be subject to payment of Connecticut or Rhode Island Alcoholic Beverage Tax and Connecticut Use Tax, and may be subject to seizure as contraband. |
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