1998 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum Winery: Penfolds Vintage: 1998 Region: Multi Regional SA Bottle Size: 1500ml Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon Price: $550.00

Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon is the Cabernet equivalent of Grange: ripe,intensely-flavoured fruit, fermented and matured in new American oak, and expressing the Penfolds policy of multi-vineyard, multi-region fruit-sourcing. Named by an ex-Qantas marketing man, the first Bin 707 was the 1964 vintage. The wine was not made from 1970 to 1975 (when the focus shifted to Bin 389) nor in 1981, 1995 or 2000 (when fruit of the required style and quality was not available). Big and long-lived, Bin 707 has a secure place among the ranks of Australia's finest Cabernets. Packaged in laser-etched bottles from the 1997 vintage.

Regional Source Coonawarra, Padthaway, Kalimna and McLaren Vale.

Vintage Conditions The growing season started late in South Australia due to cool spring weather, although conditions were generally frost and disease-free. Early, very warm summer weather led to an early vintage, especially in northern inland areas, with excellent fruit quality across all regions. An outstanding vintage.

Grape Variety Cabernet Sauvignon

Maturation 15 months in new American oak.

Winemaker Comments: John Duval

Colour Deep, dark red, almost opaque.

Nose Concentrated creme de cassis and damson plums to the fore, with floral aromas in the background. Nutty oak complexed by barrel-ferment characters.

Palate An opulent, flamboyant wine with definitive varietal characters: exaggerated blueberry/blackberry fruit, but without jamminess, layers of flavour, obvious but balanced oak and pronounced, chewy, ripe tannins. Impressively long in flavour, without reliance on alcohol. A wine to challenge the great 707s of 1996 and 1990.

Wine Analysis Alc/Vol: 13.5% Acidity: 6.60g/L pH: 3.48

Last Tasted 15 Dec 2000

Peak Drinking 2010 - 2020

Food Matches Ideally suited to Cheese, Lamb