CHAPTER 20 | 1950s – Boom Times Again
removed new-oak flavours from all its new casks and barrels, including its substantial collection of what it termed ‘old English oak casks’ and American oak hogsheads, by treating the timber with an alkaline agent. (In 1952, Penfolds advertising boasted that ‘if placed end to end, these casks would stretch over 35 miles’.) Penfolds also invested heavily in new equipment, such as refrigeration and high-grade stainless steel. Previously, many wineries had experienced problems with metal contamination, especially from copper and iron fittings and fixtures. The development of stainless steel for wine storage vessels, instead of oak casks or vats, led to the gradual loss of business for cooperage businesses, starting in the 1950s, changes that would be mirrored across the wine industry as businesses began to scale up their operations to meet the increasing demand for fine table wine. The importation of chardonnay in 1958 by Penfolds for planting in the Hunter Valley led to the new P58 clone (Penfolds 1958), said to be a mass selection of Montrachet vines from Burgundy. Penfolds had been aware that the prized historic Dalwood vineyard was in economic decline because of increasingly poor soil health and ageing vines, some of which were 120 years old. Since 1938, the original vineyard had been the source of shiraz for the claret-type Penfolds Special Bin 9 Hermitage, rebadged Penfolds Dalwood Hermitage with the release of the 1953 vintage. The importation of the virus-free P58 chardonnay (distinct from P58 cabernet franc) probably followed an enlightened prediction that both red and white table wines of varying styles would take off. Red wine grew steadily during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the development of Dalwood white burgundy, marketed as ‘the red wine drinker’s white wine’, was also successful. Although it was based primarily on semillon and blanquette, widespread plantings of P58 chardonnay highlighted a belief that the variety would become increasingly important in the Hunter Valley. The release of pinot riesling (chardonnay semillon) during this era reflected, too, the availability of material and the mindset of winemakers. The acquisition of the Wybong Vineyard in the Upper Hunter Valley in 1961, its renaming to Dalwood Estate, and the sale of the old Dalwood vineyard in 1968 highlighted confidence and new outlooks and directions. It also marked a golden period in the Hunter Valley with new vineyard plantings. The installation of stainless steel temperature-controlled fermentation tanks resulted in modern, clean wines and foreshadowed the transition to varietal labelling, although this was still some years off. Meanwhile, the P58 chardonnay clones, a rare European importation of that time (versus from California), acclimatised very well to Australian conditions (much like MV6) and grew successfully in many regions, including the Hunter Valley, Mudgee, Beechworth, and Mornington Peninsula. P58 is known to be richly flavoured and creamy textured when grown in optimum conditions.
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