Penfolds : Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

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.

Appealing for its density and concentration, with black olive, sage and laurel bay leaf notes up front, leading to a core of dense blackberry and plum flavors. Accents of rose petal, fresh earth and crushed pine needle, plus malty Assam black tea hints, linger on the finish, where the tannins apply an appealing, firming grip. Drink now. 1,450 cases imported.

Inspired by Bin 707, this cuvée, first launched in 1993 with the 1990 vintage, takes Penfolds’ multi-regional blending philosophy even further by also including Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Adelaide Hills, while dialing down the oak – here 12 months in French (25% new) and American (12% new) hogsheads. A supremely cool, classy wine this vintage, with a perfume that seduces from the start. Gorgeous, layered aromas and rich flavors of Black Forest gâteau, rosemary, pencil lead, boysenberries, violets and exotic tobacco. Lovely, cleansing acidity prevents any heaviness, and the oak sits in the background, adding a quiet cedar tone and a superfine tannin structure. Hard to resist now, but it will mature beautifully. The best-value wine of the range – a no-brainer at this price. Released at £75.

Very Australian, bearing riffs on tea tree, black olive, sage and eucalyptus. All Aussie bramble, with tempering elements of clove and a gush of blackcurrant at its core. The tannins, spearmint and compressed. A bit drying, despite the wine's fuller weight. And yet for those seeking liquid Australiana, this is worth its weight in gold. After all, it could come from nowhere else. Drink or hold.

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.

The 2021 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, Barossa Valley, and Adelaide Hills and was aged in a mix of American oak (12% new) and French oak (25% new). It has a deep garnet-purple color and soars out of the glass with flamboyant notes of black cherry compote, dried mint, blackberry preserves, and warm cassis, plus hints of tobacco leaf, graphite, and iron ore. The full-bodied palate shimmers with energy, delivering a racy backbone and fine-grained tannins, finishing on lingering red berry and minty notes.