Penfolds
About Penfolds
Established in 1844, Penfolds is Australia's most important winery with a star-studded cast of wines, including Grange, St Henri and Bin 707 Cabernet to name just a few. The wines are famed for their cellaring potential and are derived from vineyards across the Barossa region and South Australia. Penfolds wines quite rightly dominate the auction house, Langton's, Classification of Australian Wines.
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South Australia | 1 | 95 (DC) | $451.00 | |||||
Decanter (95)Baby Grange gets its moniker as components of the blend are matured in the same barrels as the previous vintage of Grange. But with Cabernet Sauvignon the main player (53% in this vintage), it is more a Baby 707, especially as it always benefits from wine originally destined for that cuvée as well as Grange. A beauty of a beast, whose imposing tannin structure and abundantly ripe fruit need time. Powerful, inky blue and black berry fruits dominate the nose and palate, alongside bergamot freshness, earthy tapenade, exotic spices, iron filings and lots of black pepper. Coconut richness from 12 months in US oak hogsheads (37% new) and fine cocoa powder tannins add grip and linger long. Released at £71. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (DC) | $133.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)The happy marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon (51%) with Shiraz (49%) rarely looks as cosy or integrated than in this stellar example. A generous mid-palate shows off fine long fruit flavours from the slow-ripening 2022 vintage, with ruddy Shiraz ripeness in step with the more tannic bite of Cabernet Sauvignon’s blackberry and mulberry adding a moreish savoury note. With 36% new American oak hogsheads used for 12 months’ maturation, there’s just enough oak-influenced spice to provide adequate seasoning to the deep, pure flavours. |
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South Australia | 1 | 94 (JS) | $520.00 | |||||
James Suckling (94)A very confident expression of cabernet sauvignon, this has a briary, red-toned core of fruit with redcurrant, raspberry and blackcurrant aromas, as well as a cedary-oak thread and some pomegranate notes. The palate has a very sleek, long and juicy feel with elegant tannins carrying fully ripe red-plum and dark-cherry flavors. A great 407. Will age well for 15-plus years. Drink or hold. Screw cap. |
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South Australia | 1 | 98 (DC) | $492.00 | |||||
Decanter (98)Cabernet Sauvignon has provided a high point in Penfolds tastings through recent years, and this beauty seduces from the first whiff. Showing note-perfect varietal aromas, with a breeze of ripe purple fruit over fresh, leafy herbs and rich red earth, the perfume is full and persistent. The entry is sharp and arresting, with fruit purity on point and channelled down the right corridors by supple tannins and a clean acid seam. It shows exemplary balance through to the long finish. Released at AU$110. |
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South Australia | 1 | 18.5+ (MJ) | $99.00 | |||||
Matthew Jukes (18.5+)Drawn from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wrattonbully, this is a seriously focussed and complete Bin 407 with impressive length, and it manages to retain control to the very end. There was no Bin 169 or Bin 707 made in 2020, so this wine (and Bin 389 below) has scooped up the very best Cabernet from the estate, and there is no doubt it is a very special creature indeed. Delicious and savoury, the tannins pinch the palate, and it remains reassuringly dry and firm while on the finish, allowing the palate to open up beautifully on the nose. This is a huge success in 2020. |
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South Australia | 1 | 18.5+ (MJ) | $484.00 | |||||
Matthew Jukes (18.5+)Drawn from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wrattonbully, this is a seriously focussed and complete Bin 407 with impressive length, and it manages to retain control to the very end. There was no Bin 169 or Bin 707 made in 2020, so this wine (and Bin 389 below) has scooped up the very best Cabernet from the estate, and there is no doubt it is a very special creature indeed. Delicious and savoury, the tannins pinch the palate, and it remains reassuringly dry and firm while on the finish, allowing the palate to open up beautifully on the nose. This is a huge success in 2020. |
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South Australia | 95 | 96 (HWC) | $487.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (96)A multiregional wine matured in French (25% new) and American (12% new) oak for 12 months. It seems like cabernet sauvignon is uniformly very strong in this year's Penfolds releases. Here, Bin 407 shines – crimson in the glass with plush, varietally true characters of blackberry, mulberries and cassis with hints of fine spice, scattered herbs, tobacco leaf, dark chocolate, cigar box, licorice, bay leaf and cedar. Concentrated yet balanced and poised with a fine tannin framework and bright, energetic line finishing with grace and a sense of latent power. One for the long haul and a strong release. |
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South Australia | 1 | 95 (HWC) | $328.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (95)Deep purple-red; a wonderfully fragrant, powerful and intense aroma proclaiming Cabernet Sauvignon at the height of its youthful power leads on to a formidable palate, crammed with fruit and oak, but with tannins to lose (as the Californians are fond of saying). Needs years to begin to give of its best but will sweep all before it before it is finished in its show career. Top gold medal winner at the 1997 Sydney Wine Show. |
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South Australia | 1 | 92 (VN) | $334.00 | |||||
Vinous (92)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. |
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South Australia | 2 | 92 (VN) | $2,190.00 | |||||
Vinous (92)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. |
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South Australia | 1 | 91 (VN) | $1,605.00 | |||||
Vinous (91)Very deep ruby-red. Deep, opulent aromas of ripe blackcurrant, dark plum, mulberry jam and violet, along with overt but nicely integrated oak notes of vanilla, chocolate and cigar box. Sumptuous, soft and ripe, long and creamy. Steeped in crushed ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Richly endowed cabernet, with plush, smoky coconut and vanillin oak, but tightly woven around a linear spine of firm tannins. A softer, sweeter and earlier-maturing vintage for Bin 707. |
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South Australia | 1 | - | $342.00 | |||||
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South Australia | 3 | 94 (VN) | $456.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)Opaque ruby. Intensely perfumed aromas of dark berry preserves, cherry pit, licorice and mocha, with a suave floral overtone. Sappy cherry-vanilla and cassis flavors reach every corner of the palate and become spicier and sweeter with air. Finishes smooth and long, with resonating spiciness and a persistent note of candied cherry. |
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South Australia | 2 | 98 (HWC) | $2,060.00 | |||||
Halliday Wine Companion (98)Sourced from Coonawarra, Padthaway, Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully and the Adelaide Hills; the fermentation is completed in new American oak hogsheads, whereafter it is matured in those hogsheads for 14 months. There is amazing depth to the purple-crimson colour. Its full-bodied colours are nailed to the mast immediately the wine enters the mouth; it’s strange how the cabernet of this wine marries with the American oak, providing the ultimate Christmas cake of aromas and flavours; one of its great strengths is the tannin structure that gives the wine its exceptional length (and mouthfeel along the way). |
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South Australia | 1 | 96 (VN) | $1,610.00 | |||||
Vinous (96)Glass-staining ruby. Intensely perfumed red and dark fruit liqueur, floral oil, coconut and cured tobacco qualities on the highly expressive nose. Offers palate-staining, still-primary cherry-vanilla, blackcurrant, coconut and fruitcake flavors that are lifted and sharpened by an undercurrent of smoky minerality. Gains weight with air while retaining energy and finishes sweet and extremely long, with reverberating cherry and floral notes and supple, slow-building tannins. |
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South Australia | 2 | 97 (WA) | $1,640.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)Sourced from McLaren Vale (41%), Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Padthaway this vintage, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707 spent 18 months in 100% new American oak hogsheads prior to bottling. Scents of vanilla, cedar and celery seed seamlessly swirl around dark notions of cassis, plum, coffee and cocoa. There's a touch of mint, but it fits well within the context of the wine. Full-bodied, concentrated and rich, this wine looks to have at least two decades ahead of it. The finish is truly special, with beguiling hints of maple syrup balanced by a smooth, enveloping wash of softly dusty tannins. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (JA) | $410.00 | |||||
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)Beautiful fragrance here, curls seductively out of the glass, primary character to the fruit with violet, peony and greengage plum, opening to mouthfilling blueberry, raspberry puree, crimson vibrant and sculpted character, gripping and just waiting to deliver joy. A total baby but chiselled and ready to age, this is a stormingly great wine. 100% new American oak. Tasted twice Bordeaux and Paris. Peter Gago winemaker. 100% new American oak for ageing. |
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South Australia | 1 | 97 (JS) | $432.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)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. |
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South Australia | 9 | 97 (JS) | $2,305.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)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. |
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South Australia | 1 | - | $537.00 | |||||
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South Australia | 1 | 92+ (WA) | $588.30 | |||||
Wine Advocate (92+)Deep garnet-purple in color and sporting a very forward and expressive, creme de cassis-led nose with hints of dried mint, dark chocolate and cigar boxes plus a whiff of dried herbs following, the full-bodied 2010 Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, concentrated and classic Barossa Cabernet style shaped by medium to firm, grainy tannins and crisp acid. It finishes very long. Drink now to 2015+. |
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South Australia | 1 | - | $105.00 | |||||
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South Australia | 4 | 97 (WS) | $637.00 | |||||
Wine Spectator (97)A massive wine, majestic in its proportions,combining power and grace in equal measure. Flavors of plum, blackberry, chocolate and pepper, with hints of cedar, licorice and mint, swirl through the exotic finish. Tannins swarm but don't overwhelm the finish, which echoes all day and night. Best from 2004 through 2020. 9,800 cases made. -HS |
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South Australia | 1 | 97.5 | $2,540.00 | |||||
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South Australia | 1 | 99 (WS) | $2,560.00 | |||||
Wine Spectator (99)Powerful, aristocratic and impressive in the way it gathers up its flavors and lets them hang on and on. The range starts with black cherry, blackberry, exotic spice and mineral, and moves on to dark licorice, pepper and subtle gamy notes. Then it all comes together and picks up speed on the lingering finish. Best after 2007. 9,000 cases made. |
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