The Grandfather name dates back to 1915, when an oak cask containing the finest blend of available Tawny material was set aside for the exclusive use of the Penfold family. This wine was known as The Grandfather due to the age of the oldest Tawny in the blend. With each vintage varietal batches are selected for Grandfather. These batches are individually aged in seasoned old oak casks before being blended together at 14 years of age. This blend is then introduced into the ‘Grandfather Solera’. This Solera consists of six stages that are designed to fully integrate all components offering consistency and freshness with a final minimum average blended age of 20 years.

Specially selected South Australian vineyards. Many of the vineyards selected for the production of Grandfather have been doing so for well over 25 years. These vineyards are selected for their consistently high quality and reliability year after year.

As Grandfather is produced using a Solera system it will always retain every variety used over the years, albeit in small amounts. Of the some 13 varieties identified the major varieties which form the backbone of the blend are Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro and Cabernet.

Penfolds Chief Winemaker - Peter Gago.