2021 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Max's South Australia 750 ml

For Max’s Cabernet to be named in honor of Max Schubert is a huge deal for Penfolds. Schubert isn’t just the man who created Penfolds Grange—he was an Australian wine icon, named as one of the 100 most influential Australians (across all walks of life) of the 20th century by the Sydney Morning Herald. And like Grange, this Cabernet holds to Schubert’s philosophy of blending top sites from across all of South Australia.

In 1950, on a trip to Bordeaux, Schubert got the idea to make something iconic and long-lasting, and he became dedicated to making a wine of immense cellaring potential. A year later, he settled on Shiraz as the primary grape, and made his first vintage of Grange Hermitage. But the wine was not well-received upon release, and Schubert hit a wall in 1957. The company brass was concerned that they were accumulating too much unsellable wine, and Schubert was told by Penfold’s head office to halt production of Grange. 

Fortunately for the wine world, Max’s resolve was as stout as ever. He responded to the board’s demand by moving the Grange project to a deep part of the cellar, where he made the 1957, ‘58, and ‘59 vintages in secret. Only after the board came around in 1960, and ordered Max to restart the project, did they learn that he had never heeded their order to stop!

Almost seven decades after the first vintage of Grange, it has become one of the most iconic, revered, and collectible bottlings on earth, and has earned Penfold’s worldwide recognition. Schubert, too, became an icon and this bottle pays fantastic tribute to his legacy.