-
96
/ 100
Campbell Mattinson -
93
/ 100
Wine Enthusiast -
93
/ 100
Wine Spectator -
92
/ 100
Vinous
Red
Classification
Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety
1998
Vintage
1.5L (Magnum)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
South Australia,
Region
14.5%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
96 / 100"This monumental 1998 version of Bin 707 was tasted as part of the Penfolds Rewards of Patience tastings in 2007. I don’t have information of where each vintage is sourced from but I will fill that in later. This is a ‘wow’ wine. Mint and blackcurrant, strong and straight. Oak here has been majorly consumed – though what wouldn’t succumb to such a boom of gorgeous, dark fruit flavour? Big tannin, big minty fruit, quite phenomenal. Length and purity. A star. 2030."
- Campbell Mattinson
93 / 100
"The rich blackberry, vanilla and toast nose sets you up for a lush, supple wine and this one does not disappoint. Full and dense, it offers rich black-cherry and cassis flavors on the palate, and a huge finish with fine-grained tannins. Very well poised for its size, it’s approachable now. Nevertheless, it will be much more nuanced and show more finesse in 5-8 years. Keep for a decade or two, maybe more."
- Wine Enthusiast
93 / 100
"Firm in texture, with an open feel--a transparency--to the red berry, cherry and herb flavors. Has an aristocratic structure, with ripe tannins and a floral quality to the finish. *Highly Recommended*"
- Wine Spectator
92 / 100
"Saturated bright, deep ruby. Captivating aromas of blackcurrant, lead pencil, tar, vanilla, mint and bourbon; the oak contributes an incense quality without overpowering the wine other aromatic components. Supple, juicy and intensely flavored, with bright, ripe acids framing the fruit and giving the wine lovely inner-mouth perfume. Lively and consistent from start to finish. Finishes very long, with ripe tannins and a note of bitter chocolate. A particularly strong vintage for this wine."
- Vinous
Tasting Notes
An outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and more approachable than the 1996 Grange which was tasted along side it, as part of a tasting of the Penfolds Super Premium Red wine releases. Opaque, crimson colour with a black heart. Superb aromas.
The Cabernet is obvious from the first sniff - sophisticated, very refined, yet surprisingly open at this stage. Aromas of cedar, blackcurrant, tobacco and violets, with just the faintest trace of leafy Cabernet as an end note. The palate is tight knit, with dusty Cabernet dry tannins perfectly matched to the classy blackcurrant, cedar and liquorice flavours. On the back palate the leafy character reappears but is handled as a complexing layer of flavour, rather than the usual mischievous fault that it can be. Outstanding length and depth of flavour. Very concentrated, with exceptionally long aftertaste of cedar, tobacco and blackcurrant. A Classic 707 from the Greatest Vintage of the last century.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity