Winery: Penfolds
Region: South Australia
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2008
Your Wine Guy says:
This is the baby brother of the 707, and was born due to the increased availability of top quality Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. The 407 is black crimson in colour with aromas of blackcurrant, chocolate mint, cedar and spice that tempt the nose. The palate is full bodied and loaded with ripe blackcurrant fruit, a touch of liquorice and some spicy cedar on the back palate too. Very well integrated fine grained tannin structure. The 2008 has excellent length with long ripe blackcurrant and spicy cedar aftertaste. A great example of the 407; Penfolds Senior Red Winemaker Steve Lienert predicts that the 2008 Bin 407 could be the best release since the first 1990 vintage.
95 Points YWG Drink to 2021+
Critics say:
“A very seductive wine with scented blackcurrant, mocha, mint, sage aromas. The palate is rich and flavoursome with ample blackcurrant, mocha favours, cedar, sage flavours, firm fine grained tannins and integrated savoury oak. Finishes long and sweet. A lovely wine.”
94 Points Andrew Caillard MW
“Somewhere along the line it was decided that Bin 407 would charge up the asking-price charts. It was a strange decision given that it’s one of the least loved of the mainstay Bin reds – on top of its scattered region sourcing – but in fairness, the quality of the wine has improved in recent years.
This is clearly a better wine than either the Bin 28 or Bin 128 offerings this year. It’s a medium-weight wine of structure and class. It tastes of blackberries/blueberries, polished cedary/smoky oak, dust and violets. It all feels seamless and integrated. There’s better quality oak here – or oak that is more to my preference, anyway. Tannin is stringy and chalky but the juiciness of the fruit makes it all seem tidy and fresh. If I tasted this in a wine show I’d plonk a gold medal on its head – so to speak – in a heartbeat.”
94+ Points Drink 2014 - 2022 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
The winemaker says:
"When it gets warm, head south! Coonawarra, Robe, Wrattonbully & Padthaway contribute the lion's share of grape sourcing for this 2008 offer." " Penfolds Chief Winemaker - Peter Gago.
Colour: A deep, bright red.
Nose: As its stylistic template demands – varietally expressive: An initial rush of black olive, graphite, blackcurrant, lavender. And more... tomato puree paste and caponata (Mediterranean
olives / capers / anchovies). Scents of cinnamon, sandalwood. Oak?
Palate: A continuum spawn from that initially promised aromatically, with more fruits evident, and
polished leather complexities already awakening. At once defined, linear (like the 2007 vintage), yet
more assertive with stately Cabernet grip and presence. An even and full mid-palate, skirted by
prominent tannins. A solid finish, neither astringent nor hot... veiled in fruits and the spoils of a ferment long since complete, a 13-month elevage and a 21-month sojourn in bottle. Peter Gago
Winery/Label Information:
“Better with air-pour vigorously and swirl energetically, sans spillage! Insider information: 2008 Bin 407 - Invest! One for the cellar.”
Penfolds Senior Red Winemaker, Steve Lienert, predicts that the 2008 Bin 407 could be the best release since the first 1990 vintage. In 2008 fruit was sourced from the south-east corner of South Australia, which enjoys a southerly latitude and the cooling influence of the Great Southern Ocean. Parcels were selected from strong Cabernet Sauvignon regions such as Coonawarra, Robe, Wrattonbully and Padthaway. The Bin 407 has reached a new level of quality. - Penfolds |