Antonio Vivaldi's stirring The Four Seasons–which paints a vivid musical picture of birdsong in summer, thunderstorms and peasant dances–holds near-universal recognition even with those who have little musical inclination (myself). This widespread familiarity makes it a prime canvas for reinterpretation by countless performers and conductors many centuries on. 

Yet in 2012 when Max Richter released "Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons", it wasn't a mere rearrangement. Richter had recomposed The Four Seasons entirely, retaining recognisable motifs from the original, but drastically altered rhythms, harmonies, and repetitions. It's a provocative contemporary masterpiece entirely on its own.

(Source: Deutsche Grammophon)

And this was the metaphor invoked by Penfolds' Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, when I asked him to describe to me the recently unveiled collaboration between the renowned Domaine de La Chapelle of Hermitage's storied Syrah vineyards, and the iconic Penfolds of Australia. You hear some familiar notes, but they come together in a way you've never quite experienced before.

The Grange La Chapelle 2021 is the latest, and perhaps the most ambitious, cross-continent blend in Penfolds' resume. It is composed of equal parts French Syrah and Australian Shiraz sourced respectively from the estates of Domaine de La Chapelle in Hermitage, France and Penfolds' prized plots from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Clare Valley - some of these vines dating back to the 19th century and had been blissfully untouched by phylloxera which had once devastated European vineyards.

Wine lovers might immediately grasp the intriguing idea behind this collaboration. After all, Syrah and Shiraz are two sides of the same coin-technically the same grape varietal, but cultivated in different corners of the globe and thus expressing their identities in strikingly different ways depending upon terroir. In France's Rhône Valley, Syrah is renowned for its elegantly structured reds, peppery spice, minerality, and a savoury depth. Meanwhile, in Australia, Shiraz thrives in abundant sunlight, producing wines famed for their powerful, fruit-forward intensity, brimming with dark berries, ripe plums and richness.

It was this duality that sparked the imagination of Caroline Frey, Chief Winemaker of Domaine de La Chapelle, and Peter Gago, the driving force behind Penfolds. They posed a provocative question: What if these two radically distinct wine-making traditions were reunited in a single bottle?

Domaine de La Chapelle itself has a mythic status amongst seasoned collectors of French wine. Its legendary Hermitage La Chapelle stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's most coveted bottles, known particularly for its astonishing longevity and its tension between power and elegance.

On the other hand, Penfolds' Grange holds an equally iconic status and most certainly stands as Australia's most prestigious wine today, capturing the essence of Australia's greatest Shiraz with its dense, concentrated character, structure and similarly long ageing potential.

We were given the opportunity to attend the launch of the inaugural 2021 vintage of the Grange La Chapelle in Singapore. It was a rare chance-not just to taste this prestige blend, but to sit down with the minds behind it.

After our tasting, we also got the chance to have a brief conversation with Peter Gago and Delphine Frey, co-owner of Domaine de La Chapelle and sister to Caroline Frey, to learn more about the story behind the Grange La Chapelle collaboration.

Delphine Frey and Peter Gago, leading our tasting of the Grange La Chapelle 2021.

But before that, let's first taste this remarkable prestige blend ourselves.

Wine Review: Penfolds Grange La Chapelle

50% 2021 La Chapelle, Hill of Hermitage, Rhône Valley (20% new oak) blended with 50% 2021 Grange from a collection of select vineyards in Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley (100% new oak).

The winemakers' vintage conditions for 2021 offer two very different narratives. The grapes sourced from La Chapelle in 2021 saw a vintage of restraint and finesse, made under more pressure, with spring frost and persistent rains, before conditions became warmer and drier in mid-July onwards. In contrast, Grange 2021 saw near-perfect conditions with more stable climate, optimal rainfall and warmth during budburst and flowering, and crucially, no heatwaves during ripening. To some degree, you might say that Penfolds' secret weapon of regional blending plays a role in ensuring a supply of high quality fruit.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Dense blood red core with purple hues at the edges.

Aroma: Sheer elegance and expressiveness - a vivid, layered bouquet that felt like burying my nose in a bowl of rich potpourri, lavender and crushed rose petals, all laced with a gentle sweetness of vanilla that was already super well-integrated. Exuberant, lively primary fruit notes of red and black berries, with trace sarsaparilla and a sheen of liquorice. Everything felt incredibly smooth and almost velvety, with a polished density of some sweet oak and toffee notes following.

With air, the nose deepens further into richer and darker territory with dark cherries coming into sharper focus, earthiness of fresh soil, and those subtle, slightly tangy malolactic fermentation notes. Eventually, dark chocolates, coffee grounds, punctuated by more classic European oak notes if powdery tobacco box. There's a gentle push of spices and herbs along with mild minerality. Some highlights of violets keeping this a little lifted.

Taste: Smooth-textured, with a medium body that's focused rather than weighty. Immediate notes of racy, vibrant red fruit, moving towards lively plum, skin and all, and brambly notes that bring out structure and texture. Tannins are lightly grippy, a little assertive as expected at this age, but fairly well-balanced by the richness of fruit, especially when compared to the more brooding, layered profile of classic Grange.

This seamlessly transitions into more herbal and spicy notes, with sarsaparilla, mint, star anise and a hint of rosemary, and throughout, the plum skin-tannin backbone lingers, leaving a pleasing tension on the palate. Lively acidity is evident from the start, and though it slowly yields to those creamy, malolactic notes, the freshness never fully disappears.

Finish: Persistent long after swallowing, tapering out slowly with a subtle touch of sweet oak and those creamy, warm malolactic milk sugars. There's a clean, mineral streak, with continued grippiness and a hint of herbal freshness, all underpinned by a long, smooth bitterness that reminded me of burnt ends, hazelnut, dark chocolate, and even a little lager hop character. It just keeps going with bitterness evolving and mingling with the wine's inherent fruit and some savoury dark soy depths.

My Thoughts

My immediate reaction was simply: what a layered and fantastic nose! There is so much going on, and all of it remarkably harmonious right from the start.

That sense of creaminess and the fine-grained tannins really stood out on the palate for me. And even now, as Peter Gago described it, the wine is still in its "puppy fat" stage, showing off a core of lively red and dark fruits and a level of concentration that's seriously impressive. I know I'm not the only one saying this, but it's impressive how seamless it all feels, as if this blend is a wine entirely of its own, not just a meeting of Grange and La Chapelle but a genuine synthesis.

Compared to a classic Grange from the same vintage, which usually brings more density, oak, and dark chocolate, I'd say this wine is more lifted, more elegant, more refined, and perhaps a little more approachable. I have to agree with Peter's Max Richter metaphor: just like that recomposed Vivaldi, you can't pick out Grange or La Chapelle individually here; everything coalesces into a plush, silky fruit core with complex fresh herbs, violets, calibrated oak, and a truly fine tannic structure. And it all works together in a sort of understated symphony.

This will mature impressively in the decades to come. And considering the warm and dry 2022 vintage of Hermitage which is resulting in some really concentrated and ripe fruits, it'd also be interesting to see how the Grange La Chapelle 2022 contrasts with this Grange La Chapelle 2021 when both wines have come of age.

The Grange La Chapelle 2021 is priced at SG$3,200 per 750ml bottle. It is now available through the Grange La Chapelle website.

@CharsiuCharlie