Reviews
96 Wine Enthusiast -
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CELLAR SELECTION - This is the first vintage of the Australian producer's foray into Napa Valley. It is tightly structured yet supple, bursting in bright currant and strawberry flavors. Savory components of sage, dried herb and black pepper dot the palate alongside silky tannins and chocolate-laced richness. A fresh touch of blood orange arises on the finish
95 James Suckling -
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A beautiful, aromatic wine with blackcurrant, cool fruit and hints of minerals and tar. Full-bodied, yet polished and really well manicured. Long and creamy. Shows tension, energy and refinement.
95 James Halliday -
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In what Peter Gago describes in his inimitable fashion as 'the hemispherical inverse of Bin 407' this is a magnificently crafted Napa cabernet that offers allure from day one, yet great promise in years to come. Napa provenance is avowed confidently in a rich, ripe and succulent core of generous blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, even a hint of licorice. Fruit and high-class French oak tannins unite to wonderful effect in a refined and confident structure, meshing harmoniously with fruit and drawing out a very long finish.
95 Decanter -
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Bright and vibrant in the glass with deep, dark aromas of black plum grasped in a tight-fisted blackberry glove. While the body is fashionably lean, the initially tight flavours relax to a plush embrace. More is revealed as the wine opens up in the mouth: sumptuous fruit that remains firm and politely behaved, a chew of tobacco and deliberate oak tannins that bite in the tail.
93 Vinous -
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The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 704 is rich and effusive, with all of the personality of the vintage on display. Sweet spice, mocha, dark raspberry jam, licorice and leather all take shape in the glass. Medium in body, with bright acids, the 2018 will drink well with minimal cellaring. It is another super attractive wine in this new lineup from Penfolds, but it is also a bit tight and in need of a few years in bottle.
96 Somm Journal -
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Muscle and grace delineate a wine that is making history, in the footsteps of its forebearer, Grange. The
blend of 87% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% South Australian Shiraz are building blocks for
this multi-dimensional creation, ten years in the making. Balanced and expressive in recognizable
southern and northern hemisphere accents, aromas of fresh dark berries, apple tart, and a tang of
piquant spice, lead to headier notes on the palate. Licorice, slate, and molasses pave a path with staying
power. Plum preserves and a twist of basil, cigar leaf, and hazelnut determine a lengthy, exhilarating
finish.
Technical Details
- BlendCabernet Sauvignon
- WinemakerPeter Gago, Stephanie Dutton and Andrew Baldwin
- CountryUS
- RegionCalifornia North Coast
- AppellationNapa Valley
- Aging/Cooperage16 months in new 40%, 1 yr old 60% and seasoned French oak barrels
- Alcohol14.5%
- PH3.7
Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 704 Napa Valley 2018
Cabernet Blends | US
WE96, JS95, JH95, D95, VN93
Too late, we are SOLD OUT!
This is a classic, old-school leaning example of Napa Cab and we just loved it. The macerations are short and the oak well balanced, so it remains fairly transparent (not inky and over-extracted), full bodied and tightly coiled and quite structured. There is plenty of up-front cassis, cherry, mocha spice and licorice here to keep it approachable for near term drinking, but it is clear that this wine is not showing its best stuff yet, only hinting at its really bright future with more time in the bottle. There is a serious refinement and class here with tons of energy and verve, a truly exciting debut release from Penfolds. We bought as much of this wine as we could, but we're afraid it will not be enough! While it lasts!
About the Producer
This brand new project from Penfolds is decades in the making and combines wine from California and Australia with master winemaker Peter Gago at the helm. The success of Penfolds has been driven by the generations of visionaries and innovators and this project incapsulates just how innovative and iconoclastic this producer really is, always pushing the boundries of what is possible.