Penfolds Bin 407 is an elegant style with clear varietal blackcurrant, cassis aromas, fine-grained firm tannins and underlying savoury oak. First produced in 1990, Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon is based on a rigorous selection of multi-regional South Australian fruit. The wine is matured for 12-14 months in a combination of new French oak and American oak hogsheads with the remainder aged in seasoned French and American oak.
Deep, bright red/purple colour, fresh and youthful, with a very clear-edged Cabernet varietal nose featuring mulberry, crushed leaf and cassis. The palate is medium to full-bodied and very elegant, with abundant fine tannins, with oak very much in the background. The tannins are ample and firm-ish but relatively mild. (Wrattonbully, Coonawarra, Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley. 12 months in French and American oak, 35% new.) 93 points, The Real Review.
"Matured for 12 months in French (25% new) and American(10% new) hogsheads. Bright colour; a testament to the formidable skills and experience of the Penfolds winemaking team: five very different regions (Wrattonbully, Coonawarra, Padthaway, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley) and a Magimix assembly of oak treatments. The bouquet is utterly convincing, as is the genetic expression of cabernet sauvignon on the long, powerful, medium-bodied palate - which brings with it a silver platter of cabernet tannins."
96 points, Wine Companion (August 2017)
"Pure cabernet. It boasts its variety. Bay leaves, assorted dry herbs, blackcurrant, redcurrant, vanilla and cedarwood. It puts on a powerful display of flavour in pure, long, elegant form. Bankable cabernet: place this in an appropriate environment and it is guaranteed to mature well over the long term. It just has that balance, that form, that key set of cabernet components. Perfume, power, pull-through of tannin, persistence."
95 points, Wine Front (October 2017)
"Deep, bright red/purple colour, fresh and youthful, with a very clear-edged cabernet varietal nose featuring mulberry, crushed leaf and cassis. The palate is medium to full-bodied and very elegant, with abundant fine tannins, with oak very much in the background. The tannins are ample and firm-ish but relatively mild. (Wrattonbully, Coonawarra, Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley. 12 months in French & American oak, 35% new.)"
93 points, The Real Review (September 2017)
"Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 407 is a little reticent at this stage, offering glimpses at black berry, black plum and pencil shavings notes with hints of menthol, earth and cloves. Full-bodied, concentrated and packed with black fruits and cedary flavors, it has a firm structure of grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long."
91 points, Wine Advocate (November 2017)
"Screams cabernet and shows attractive leafy, cassis and mulberry fruits with some mint and florals also in the mix. There's an air of freshness and poise here, smells even-handed and composed, the palate has a core of fine tannin with an exterior of more strident and deeper-set bolder tannins cutting the wine an impressive outline. Drink 2020-2030."
93 points, JamesSuckling.com (October 2017)
South Australia is the driest state on the world’s driest continent. Covering almost 1 million (984 377km) square kilomteres, it represents 12.8% of the Australian land mass. Sweeping plains are intersected by a spine of relatively low lying ranges, the Mount Lofty/Flinders Ranges which extend through the heart of the State. Over 50% of the state is elevated at under 150 metres. The Great Artesian basin covers almost one-third of the State. The major river is the River Murray which lethargically makes its way into the Southern Ocean. This water mass has a moderating effect on climate, particularly in the southern regions of South Australia where most vines are planted.
Summers are generally hot and dry with relatively mild nights. Winters are cool. Rainfall occurs mostly during late autumn/winter (May, June, July, August). Drought and salinity are major concerns.
The principle wine regions in South Australia are; the Adelaide Hills, Barossa (comprising the Barossa and Eden Valleys), Clare Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Coonawarra and the Riverland. Vineyard expansion has also extended to Wrattonbully, Mount Benson, Bordertown, Robe, Southern Fleurieu and the Flinders Ranges.
It is a tradition for many wine companies to make multi-district blends from South Australian fruit – the idea of house style taking precedence over regional definition. Penfolds pioneered this concept. The vagaries of vintage variation can be evened out by fruit selection, ensuring quality at a high level. However there is debate that this concept comes at the expense of the ‘soul’ of the wine. Penfolds Grange is probably the most famous multi-district blend and is an excellent counter-argument.
Andrew Caillard MW, Langton'sPenfolds
Penfolds is probably the most extraordinary of the world’s wine brands with an enviable reputation for quality at every price level. The original Penfold was an English doctor who, in 1844, planted grapes at Magill, now a suburb of Adelaide. However, it was not until the late 1940s that Penfolds began to forge a reputation for red wine.
The Penfolds house style emerged from a fortified wine producing culture and evolved as a winemaking philosophy which has had a profound effect on the entire Australian wine industry. Many of the techniques initially adopted to make Penfolds Grange would become part of the wider Penfolds winemaking culture. The number of techniques employed in the research and development of Penfolds wines is astonishing. Max Schubert and his team pioneered: major advances in yeast technology and paper chromatography; the understanding and use of pH in controlling bacterial spoilage; the use of headed down/submerged cap fermentation and the technique of rack and return; cold fermentation practices; the use of American oak as a maturation vessel and perhaps most critically, partial barrel fermentation. Nowadays, the use of American oak and barrel fermentation for instance is considered traditional Barossa winemaking practice!
Today, Penfolds house style embraces the concept of multi-regional blending, optimum fruit quality, the use of fine-grained American or French oak, barrel fermentation and maturation. Overall, the Penfolds style is about highly-defined fruit aromas, fruit sweetness, ripe tannins, richness, power and concentration. The number of iconic wines that have emerged from the Penfolds stable over the years is remarkable. Bin 389 a Cabernet Shiraz blend released in 1960 is now considered the quintessential Australian wine blend. Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz and Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz released in 1962 pre-empted the contemporary enthusiasm for regional definition by about 25 years. Improved vineyard management, site selection and winemaking brought about subsequent releases of Bin 707 and Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon. The Penfolds Wine Making Philosophy is the accumulation of more than half-a-century of knowledge and winemaking practice initiated by Max Schubert and subsequently refined by Don Ditter, John Duval and Peter Gago. Their collective commitment to multi-regional and vineyard blending contributed to a consistency of style and quality that has cemented Penfolds reputation as the foremost producer of premium age-worthy red wines in Australia.
