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.
Medium deep crimson. Really attractive pure cassis, blackcurrant pastille aromas with roasted chestnut, herb aromas. Delicious cabernet wine with seductive cassis, dark plum fruit, fine grained yet slightly grippy tannins and beautiful roasted chestnut oak notes. Finishes inky, firm and long. A very expressive wine with impressive density, balance and vigour. Not as powerful nor as concentrated as Bin 707 but classical in dimension. This is benchmark Bin 407 with the promise of longevity. 97 points – 14.5% alcohol - Drink 2020 – 2040.
97 points, Andrew Caillard MW (October 2018)
A sensational Bin 407 that masterfully articulates varietal precision with outstanding concentration and presence. This is a vintage that will turn heads from the moment it’s lobbed into the wine world, and will flatter incrementally as it uncoils over the coming decades. An exact core of bright, crunchy yet oh so dense blackcurrant and cassis fruit is intricately woven in a fine web of magnificently full and enduring tannins. In line, length and sheer jubilation, this is one of the greats in the lineage of 407. The best buy of the current release. Drink 2031-2041.
96 points, Tyson Stelzer (October 2018)
And then the violets bloomed and the vanilla pods burst and a red sea of cassis gushed into focus. The dust, the bay, the docks of tobacco; you could sit on this and grow old alongside. This shows the Marananga release of the same vintage how to present your house for sale. There’s mint in the bathroom and an overflow to the fruit bowl but the end effect puts you at ease and makes you want to buy. Balance. Elegance. Length. We’re gliding to the left and we’re gliding to the right; the shoes are shined and there’s a sheen to them springs. This is a beautiful presentation of cabernet sauvignon.
95 points, Campbell Mattinson (October 2018)
Deep, bright red/purple colour, with youthful clarity and freshness. The bouquet is mulberry, blackcurrant and blackberry scented, very cabernet but also rich and ripe and minimally leafy. The wine is full-bodied and the tannins are very assertive, coating the entire mouth and leaving a drying sensation that lingers. There are smoky, mocha and graphite touches on the aftertaste. The farewell lingers for a long time. This is a long-term Bin 407.
95 points, Huon Hooke (October 2018)
Unusually pure and focussed in spite of its multi-regional origins, this is a Bin 407 which feels like the fruit has all passed through the same flavour-silhouette so that it layers effortlessly in the glass. Well made and harmonious this is another wine which is polished on release but, this time, it has the energy and tension to age well.
18+ points, Matthew Jukes (October 2018)
Slightly herbal and leafy on the nose, the deep, currant-scented 2016 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon blends fruit from five different regions of South Australia. It's medium to full-bodied, with soft, measured tannins and true Cabernet identity. Aged in French and American oak, there are some cedar and mocha notes apparent on the nose and finish, but the cassis fruit carries the day.
90 points, Joe Czerwinski (October 2018)
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.
