Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia, 2018  

100% Cabernet Sauvignon with 20 months in new American oak hogsheads. 

Nose:

First impression: An automatic ascent of cabernet sauvignon varietal fruits laced with classic Bin 707 barrel-ferment and formic markers. 

Fruit and derivatives: Scents of boysenberry ice-cream, black forest cake, dark black cherry/kirsch... and zabaglione, pana cotta notes hovering above.

Oak: Contribution noted via the release of sandalwood, frankincense and whetstone sharpening block graphite aromatics.

Lasting impression: Vivid. Elemental. Beckoning

Flavours & Palate:

A solid cabernet core immediately apparent, with fruits to the fore (juicy blackcurrant) and a wrinkled, black olive concentration. Texturally, the fine weave of a tapestry – a thread of rhubarb/cranberry natural acidity, wrapped around a mesh of slinky tannins. (A perception of skin and seed tannins only, despite 100% new oak. No doubt the wine’s gloss and sleekness render this misconception). Complexingly, a dark chocolate graininess, cedar and a savoury disposition contribute to the layering, length and longevity potential of this wine. Complete.

Bin 707 perfectly reflects the Penfolds ‘House Style’ through a cabernet sauvignon lens: intensely-flavoured fruit; completion of fermentation and maturation in new oak; expressing a Penfolds understanding of multi-vineyard, multi-region fruit sourcing. Bin 707 was first vintaged in 1964.

Full-bodied and with proven cellaring potential, Bin 707 retains a secure place among the ranks of Australia’s finest cabernets. 

"In case readers weren't aware, Bin 707 is always aged in new American oak, like Grange. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 features plenty of vanilla on the nose, backed by concentrated cassis fruit. It's full-bodied, velvety and richly tannic, clearly meant to have two decades (or more) of longevity. Marked by ripe fruit, a notable lack of herbaceousness, and lavish oak, it's out of step with current trends in Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, but it's no less delicious and all the more unique for that." Rated: 97+/100 Points Joe Czerwinski Wine Advocate July 2020