2019 Penfolds 'Bin 407' Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia
COLOR Deep, lively red NOSE Instantly cabernet, exposed by fragrant violet, lavender, blue fruits and a waft of red apple blossom. And yet there’s much more with scented illuminations of: Baked delights – Danish pastry/croissant and rye bread crust. A Mediterranean ratatouille – laced with thyme, oregano and pulped olive. Chamois, new-buck leather. Cedar – yet any oak presence certainly respectful of fruit. PALATE Medium-bodied. The complete package: Fruit: Juicy redcurrant jelly, dark plum (and plum acidity), fresh rhubarb. Acidity: ‘Just right’ – a lively and lifted conveyance from initial lip-contact to sated ingestion. Tannins: Integrated, polished-graphite tannins Oak: Seamlessly hidden/concealed oak. Melding well with fruit. Overall, cabernet balance and definition, sans exaggeration.
Penfolds has a very long and meandering history, and represents generations of winemaking knowledge in action. In 1844, Dr. Christopher and Mary Penfold planted vineyards at Magill Estate near Adelaide. The first Penfolds wines, from the 1800s, were made from newly established vineyards around Adelaide and made for the enjoyment of new South Australian colonists. During the first part of the 20th century, Penfolds gradually added significant acreage and became a household name across Australia. It exported table and fortified wines throughout the Commonwealth. After a visit to France in 1950, Penfolds chief winemaker Max Schubert dreamed bigger, wanting to dramatically expand the winery’s export presence, as the French had. The iconic Penfolds Grange came forth in 1951, leading to a remarkable parade of wines that would bring Penfolds wines worldwide acclaim for their richness, consistency, and longevity.
Decanter
Cabernet Sauvignon has provided a high point in Penfolds tastings through recent years, and this beauty seduces from the first whiff. Showing note-perfect varietal aromas, with a breeze of ripe purple fruit over fresh, leafy herbs and rich red earth, the perfume is full and persistent. The entry is sharp and arresting, with fruit purity on point and channelled down the right corridors by supple tannins and a clean acid seam. It shows exemplary balance through to the long finish.
Wine Spectator
Polished from top to bottom, this red boasts fine-grained tannins, offering a generous core of blackberry and cassis flavors that show accents of cured black olive, sandalwood and vanilla-laced cedar, with a whiff of peppermint and dried sage, all harmonious on the long finish. Drink now through 2035. 13,596 cases imported.
James Suckling
An amalgam of redcurrant and blackcurrant aromas with cedary and leafy tones, dark berries and pepper and plenty of oak strut. The palate has a deep vein of black-fruit flavors, as well as plum and chocolate. Bold extract. A blend of Padthaway, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley. Drink now. Screw cap.
Wine Advocate
While the 2019 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon shows ample concentration and ripe tannins, there's a pervasive herbal note. While some will call it Cabernet's varietal character—and I won't dispute that a bit of pyrazine is indeed endemic to the Cabernet family of grapes—balance is key. To this taster, there's just a bit too much mint and other green stuff for me to go gaga over the 2019 Bin 407. It's still an excellent wine, with plenty of weedy cassis fruit, a ripe, lush feel on the medium to full-bodied palate and a velvety, dark-chocolate finish. Sourced from Padthaway, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley, it spent a year in a combination of French and American hogsheads.