February 9, 2024 - Still drinking very well
September 5, 2023 - Still drinking well
August 29, 2023 - Cabernet and friends: Deep nose of cassis. A slight herbal twist on the palate, dry grippy tannins and acidity, long. In comparison with previous bottles, this one didn't have the burnt wood note that so many Penfolds (esp Bin 28) has, which is good - that note doesn't sit right with me at all.
June 27, 2022 - Monthly tasting - Cabernet Sauvignon / Blends (JM (SL)): Tasted blind, under cork. Almost opaque and without any bricking. Wears its Penfolds origins boldly, with ripe blackcurrants and prominent toasty burnt oak notes. Chalky mid to full-bodied tannins (likely a good dollop of added tannins?). Persistent blackcurrant fruit. In a good spot and will carry further ageing, although suspect it will just mainly soften. Should go another 10 years comfortably. [DS]
July 31, 2021 - this wine is done in the classic Penfolds way. rich deep texture strong long finish complex on the nose and the pallet. i feel that the average score for this wine is low.
July 19, 2021 - Decanted and left to stand for a couple of hours, leaving a small amount of sediment in the bottle. Deep red in colour, with a subtle fruity nose. Very smooth in the mouth, not noticeably acid or astringent, and matched perfectly with a roast leg of lamb. I only wish I had another bottle stored away. Perfect for drinking now.
March 9, 2021 - Translucent garnet with a touch of brick. Muted nose; blocky in texture with broad chalky tannins, big orb of dark fruit on the midpalate, with air develops some Chinese medicine notes. Some bitter notes emerge as the wine warms up, better to watch serving temperature on this one. Probably needs another 5 years or so for the tannins to recede somewhat and the fruit to unwind. Professionally cellared since release.
February 9, 2021 - Totally integrated tannins, smooth finish. Holding up well, 5+ years left but drinking well now. Get stuck in!
February 6, 2021 - This fell short of expectations, still a good wine but....
Inky dark colour, no bricking, muted nose with hints of black fruit & cedar. Smooth tannins, fruit too restrained & not balanced overall.
January 23, 2021 - Well stored since purchase (on release) and the cork was perfect with almost zero wine penetration. Decanted 3h prior. Very dark, opaque colour. Restrained nose but spice, rather than fruit, came through with time. The palate was full of dark berry fruits - blackberry, blueberry, some dark cherry. Soft with totally integrated tannins. Good with food (rare sirloin) but we kept most of the wine until later. It was smooth, with an inky character developing on the palate before the fruit kicked in. Quite long but, even given a few hours to open, it was not the mind-blowing Cabernet I expected after the remarkable ‘96 and ‘98 we have loved in the past.
Lovely, soft, balanced, enjoyable Cabernet but without the expected complexity, and not a great 407.