Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Gift Boxed)

The wine is poised, taut and offers exemplary focus, balance and intensity, along with great length, power and finesse. This is a truly superb 707, finishing as intensely as it started. It will provide pleasure for the long haul, at least 20 to 30 years.

As ever, a powerful, solid statement of cabernet intent. Bin 707 rarely takes prisoners in its youth, the beauty comes with age, something to remember, although it looks like the usual 20 months in new American oak hogsheads is now (and has been in recent releases) a more reasonable 18 months. Subtle winemaking changes are afoot at Penfolds across a number of its wines. Lift off in blackberry compote, cherry chocolate, nutmeg, bay leaf, sage herbals, iodine and Mediterranean black olive savoury notes. The vinous pulse quickens, flavours become more elevated to taste, especially so across the middle palate with earthy, bracken notes on the rise in tandem with rosemary, thyme and leaf against a solid background of black fruit intensity. Dense tannins rule. A blend of four regions – Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and McLaren Vale – from a cool vintage. A memorable finish with lingering woodsy spice.

There’s an argument to say that this is the absolute archetype of the Penfolds style. Peppermint, vanilla, blackcurrant, bay leaves and woodsmoke, peppercorns wrapped in milk chocolate, black olive characters diving beneath the sweet headiness of the fruit and oak, graphite aspects too. It’s beautiful fruit, made in the Penfolds style, with sweet-balanced tannin leading out to a long, poised finish. This is a muscular red wine with the smoothness of oil. It looks good for drinking even now, as intense as it is, but it will outlive most of us.