Penfolds

Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

• 

  Vintage 2012
  94 points MW

The grapes came from Wrattonbully, Padthaway, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Langhorne Creek, partially barrel-fermented before spending 14 months in 22% French (100% new) and 68% American (19% new, 16% 1yo, 43% seasoned) oak hogsheads. A very interesting wine; it''s not until the finish of the palate and aftertaste that the leopard''s spots become clear. From this point you need to work backwards to finally arrive (on reassessment) at the bouquet, which has developed the cassis and plum fragrance it initially lacked, likewise the juicy fruit of the mid-palate.

• 

  Vintage 2012
  95 points Halliday Wine Companion

I find myself more and more attracted to Bin 407 as a wine. In the Penfolds line-up it always or increasingly stands clear as a celebration of its variety more than of the Penfolds house. This release is dusty, flecked with tobacco, sweet-fruited and perfectly polished, but it’s all olive tapanade and herb and stem through the finish. There’s ripe fruit and sweet oak, but there’s leaf, and therefore life. This release lingers beautifully, has a sense of precision to its structure, and should age grandly.