2021 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2021 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon is from Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. As I smelled this, I thought, "Gee, this smells good!" Usually, I find the presence of American oak to be distracting and ill-matched to the leafy, detailed Cabernet fruit. Here, there has been a significant proportion of French oak (25% new) and a lesser proportion of American oak (12% new oak). You get dark chocolate, berry compote, resin, stewed rhubarb, cassis, crème de menthe, soft-eating licorice and black olive tapenade. All regions have a warm climate, with the exception of Adelaide Hills, of course. In this cooler year, the fruit is mouth-filling without being heavy. Saturating. Lovely. Creamy. Big! Excellent.

Two thousand and twenty one is a fantastic vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 that brings together fruit from Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. The wine shows a lovely presence, with every piece in its place. It opens with expressive cassis, chocolate mint and graphite with well-proportioned oak. A composed and well-structured palate follows, with genuine tension intertwined with tremendous brights of fruit before a cedary, youthful and surprisingly long finish. There's killer balance from start to finish.

From vineyards in Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. Overall, summer and autumn conditions were cooler than average, allowing grapes to ripen slowly. Aged for 12 months in French (25% new) and American (12% new) oak hogsheads, with the balance in one-year-old French and American oak hogsheads. TA 6.3 g/l , pH 3.67. Very dark purple. Minty, pyrazine nose. Very juicy start – almost soft and certainly sweet – and then a pinched, drying finish with definite vegetal notes. A bit short. Wait. (JR)