2018 Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
Aged for 16 months in French oak (40% new). Glossy, flawless nose where the fruit is pristine, pampered even. Pulls of the trick of being super-ripe yet satisfyingly savoury. Holds its alcohol with more integration than the Bin 149, for me. No herbal hints here – in fact, the fruit has all the limelight, while any complexity is still waiting in the wings. A great pleasure to drink now, albeit at the expense of future potential. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
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. Drink after 2024, but so beautiful already. Hard not to drink.
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. (AG)
"A hemispherical mirror image of Bin 407," Penfolds's chief winemaker, Peter Gago, said with a smile. It was only then that I got that 704 is 407 backwards. "We are able to access vineyards in Napa that others can’t access," he went on to say, referencing Treasury Wine Estates' considerable landholdings in this region. Beringer, Sterling Vineyards, Stags’ Leap Winery, Beaulieu Vineyards, etc. "We have sensitively used small amounts from our top vineyards—requested rows in the Burgundian model." Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 704 was aged mainly in French oak, 40% new, for 16 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vibrant Morello cherries, crushed black and red currants and boysenberries scents, followed by touches of cedar chest, menthol, dried roses and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has an approachable, grainy texture and a lively line lifting the black berry flavors on the bright, pure finish. Among the recently released quartet of USA/Californian wines under the Penfolds banner, this has the clearest sense of identity (other than Penfolds). It is a well-made Napa Cab with its own take on the typical style. 14,171 cases were made.
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.