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Tasting notes
You can feel the richness to the texture even on the nose, and this feels very much a modern style. Things are just revving up at 15 years old, underlining the potential of great Australian Cabernet - you would find a ton of Médoc classifieds in the 2008 vintage that are far more evolved than this. Chewy tannins, espresso, liquorice, slate-scraping tannins, mint finish. So good, it's a slow build, slow burn, a one point upscore from my last tasting. 100% new American oak for ageing.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Charred sandalwood, mocha and cedar, this starts with generous red cherry, roasted plum and raspberry but deepens to blackcurrant fruit through the palate as the fresh acidities pull things into line, and the grip exerted on the tannins becomes clear. I get a touch of heat on this, more than the other vintages tasted in the lineup, but the character remains hugely impressive, ready to drink but will still benefit from carafing. Unfined and unfiltered, just racking every few months during ageing. 100% new American oak, chief winemaker Peter Gago.
Coonawarra mainly. Dusty, energetic, polished fruit. Cool and firm. Spearmint. Clean. Very pure. Wafting and rejuvenating the palate. Directed with some mintiness. Fresh as a mountain stream. (JR)
Matured in 100% new American oak, the 2008 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon gives pronounced notes of creme de cassis, cedar and blackberry preserves over a fragrant undercurrent of crushed mint, eucalypt, violets and forest floor. Very concentrated, rich and structured in the mouth, it has a firm level of chewy tannins, crisp acid and a long oaky finish with some spiciness coming through. It really needs time for the oak to integrate and should drink best 2014 to 2024+. Importer: Treasury Wine Estates, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-4500
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.