Penfolds - Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 2022

JAMES SUCKLING: "Rather seductive aromas of cedar and bark with blackberries, blackcurrants, light milk chocolate and stone. Full-bodied, very round and polished. Tight, focused tannins at the end. Ink and baking spices. Finished fermentation in American oak and aged 18 months. Try after 2027."

FALSTAFF: "Überaus komplexe, vielschichtige Nase. Muskatnuss, Zwetschge, Vanille, dunkle Kirsche, etwas Eichenholz. Am Gaumen rund und ausladend mit reifem, feinem, aber spürbarem Tannin. Reife, perfekt integrierte Säure. Extrem lang und vielschichtig auch das Finale. Macht jetzt schon Spass, ist jedoch noch etwas vom Ausbau markiert. Kann viele Jahre reifen."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "I recently tasted through a vertical of Bin 707, back to the very first vintage made in 1964. I have had some older vintages of this cuvée in the past, and once the 1964 vintage, but never a full suite. It was immediately obvious that the American oak élevage works very well in the cuvée over time, and it has the capacity to be an incredibly elegant wine. I did note that the alcohols have slowly risen over time, from as low as 12% alcohol from the 1960s, through to 13.5% in the late 1990s. As we progress through the 2000s, the wine sits at around 14% to 15% alcohol. This does make me wonder about the longevity of the wine over time, as those older wines were just so lovely in their delicacy and claret feel. So, to this 2022 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon. It is more structural, firm and restrained than the 2021 before it, and while the oak is pronounced and firm, the wine expounds symmetry, proportion and length. Don't drink it for a while though, unless the oak is the aspect you seek. It matured for 18 months in American oak (100% new)."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Glowing dark purple. Intensely aromatic. Smooth, ripe-tannined cassis liqueur. Limpid. Long. With marked spicy sweetness before those tannins come galloping in. Definitely for the long haul."

DECANTER: "With its rich swirl of blackberry and black olive, this flagship Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from multiple regions (Coonawarra, Barossa, Padthaway, McLaren Vale) provides lots of savoury pleasure in the mid-palate, but little of the elevated pretty aromas that defined the outstanding 2021 vintage. There’s plenty of drive and persistence through a long palate, finishing politely with fine-grained, elegantly groomed tannins."