Kym Tolley's early years were significantly influenced by the extended family's involvement in their various wine businesses. The Tolley's winery was an early focus – and Kym's first years of work experience in and around the winery, with an entire vintage, confirmed Kym's lifelong connection and passion for the grapes and the wine.
This enabled him to understand the heart and drive of the Penfold-Hyland and Tolley family and their legacy to the world wine industry. These profound family influences drew him towards his own long and involved wine journey.
The Penfold Experience
Kym has cherished the experience working at the Penfold winery in the 70s, and 80's under the guidance of some of the most creative and humble yet revered wine men of the Australian 20th century.
The Penfold experience was made up of many moments; the style of red wine and winemaking techniques was a unique experience and left an indelible mark on him as a person and a winemaker.
Kym Tolley's indelible imprint began 50 years ago in 1973 at Penfolds Grange Vineyard in Magill, Adelaide, helped by his great uncle, Jeffrey Penfold-Hyland, Max Schubert, John Bird and John Daveron at Auldana, Magill. These titans of wine pervaded the air with a sense of calm and gentlemanly demeanor that impressed and influenced him immensely.
Max Schubert was the Chief Winemaker at Magill Winery, the hub for premium red wine production. Wines such as Grange, Bin 389 and Bin 707 had their home at the Grange site. John Daveron was a legendary winemaker in his own right and was the creator of Penfolds St Henri Shiraz.
As a trainee winemaker, he understood the Penfold winemaking technique from the cellar floor to the tasting bench. The Magill winemaking team was full of experienced men who had spent their whole lives making wine for Penfolds. There was a 'feel' for the making of red wine that became apparent to Kym over time. It was not just the science or the technique, nor taking these processes and applying them elsewhere; there was a palpable and integral passion and pride taken in work to produce unique wines. Wines of substance.
Living in Barossa further developed his skills, then in Sydney at Minchinbury and Tempe Champagne facility.
His horizons were further broadened by a study tour that included a European vintage at Charles Heidsieck/Henriot champagne house in France. The tour involved some time spent in Bordeaux at many legendary Chateaux, where Kym learnt the traditional French Bordeaux style has its roots in the soils and climate but, most importantly, in the passion and experience of its winemakers in nurturing the fruit from the vineyard, to the winery, and from fermentation to maturation.
This time in Bordeaux drew Kym’s attention to a growing sense of what he would aspire to do in the future with his winemaking. What impressed him was the fine tannin structure that complemented the regional and sub-regional characters of the wines, and is reflected in is current winemaking style.
The ‘art of winemaking meets tradition’ is the secret to what Kym has always endeavoured to do.