Penfolds Max's Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon

Max Schubert spent 18 years as Penfolds' Chief Winemaker building the house's blending doctrine — the philosophy that winemaker judgment, not a fixed plot, defines quality. This wine carries his successor's name as a deliberate nod to that lineage. Sourced from Barossa Valley's ancient, deep alluvial and sandy loam soils — phylloxera-free ground that allows ungrafted old vines to push roots deep, concentrating fruit without irrigation stress. The Kalimna property, 290 ha with 153 ha under vine, anchors the Shiraz component alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, the same two varieties that define Bin 389 higher in the range. Winemaking follows Penfolds' multi-vineyard blending protocol, with the Cabernet Sauvignon component adding structural backbone to the Barossa Shiraz's characteristic mid-palate density. Oak maturation uses barrels previously seasoned within the Penfolds system — the house's signature method of imparting integration without overwhelming primary fruit. Special feature: unlike single-appellation Australian reds at this price, Max's is an explicit exercise in the same multi-regional, winemaker-led blending philosophy that governs Grange itself — house consistency over terroir declaration. Approachable on release, with the structural architecture to reward 3–5 years of cellaring.