Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Color: Impenetrable black with a concession of purple at the rim. Nose: Saturated dark fruit flavors of blackberry/mulberry fuse with notes of dark chocolate,Ribena and licorice. The chocolate spikeunfolds with air, revealing cocoa bean and cherry liqueur components. The overt, aromatic contribution from the legendary,ancient Kalimna Block 42 vineyard offers soul,purity and character. The 100% new oakcontribution is of academic interest only -it is completely absorbed. Palate: The palate displays an oscillation andjuxtaposition between a solid, assertive andmuscular first read more...impression, and later, an opulent,saturated and succulent demeanour. Blackberryand loganberry fruit flavors glide across asupportive continuum of tannin and oak to reveala profound synergy of Blackforest cake and bread& butter pudding flavors. What's promised onthe nose is revealed on the palate - perceptionsdelivered. Food pairings: Ideal with rare roast lamb cutlets.    (hide)

Color: Radiant, deep, dark red. Nose: There is no second guessing the variety here - pureCabernet fruit aromas abound. Notes of beetroot,capsicum and blackcurrant leap from the glass,and with air, sarsaparilla. Oak is barelyperceptible, yet sits confidently in thebackground. Palate: Firm, complex and ripe, Cabernet fruits areframed and complexed by notes of soy and freshlytanned leather. The 2005 Bin 407 is a balancedwine with a substantial mid-palate - impressivelyso for a 100% Cabernet offering. InterwovenFrench and American oak artefacts of vanillin,cedar and lemon complete read more...the offering. Food pairings: Ideal with hearty meat dishes.    (hide)

This is one of Australia's top 10 wines. Ripe, intense-flavoured fruit fermented and matured in new American oak for 15 months. Opulent, flamboyant wine with definitive varietal characters: exaggerated blueberry/blackberry and cranberry fruit.

Wine Spectator rating: 88

No written review

May 2008