1964 ««««« Drink now/soon.
Medium-deep crimson. Lovely developed cassis, cedar, sous bois and roasted walnut espresso aromas with graphite and soy notes. Well-developed sweet fruit, demi-glace, soy, roasted walnut sous bois and coffee flavours with fine lacy/filigreed tannins and integrated fresh acidity. A remarkable wine in suspended animation showing freshness and beautiful maturation characters. Made from 100 percent Block 42 cabernet sauvignon.
A lovely smooth/supple aged beauty. (JH)
Beguiling and enchanting. Rosehip, brushwood, soy, garden beet, sweet herbal notes and an intricate fine weave of tannins and acidity. (NB)
1965 ««« Past.
The fruit has now faded and the tannins are out of balance.
1966 ««««« Drink now to past.
A classic Penfolds vintage. Old-fashioned Coonawarra wine with choco-berry, asparagus, sage aromas, some meaty complexity and fine-lacy textures. Variable but some good bottles around.
1967 ««« Past.
A bittersweet wine, with some richness of flavour but the tannin structure usually dominates.
1968 «« Past.
Very advanced cigar box, tobacco and herb aromas with fading fruit and fine chalky tannins. Not one to keep.
1969 « Past.
An early drinking wine with most bottles now well past their best.
1970 TO 1975 (Not made)
1976 «««« Drink now to soon.
Medium-deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate and praline aromas with cassis and graphite characters. Beautifully balanced wine with inky cassis, roasted chestnut and sweet oak notes, fine loose-knit chalky tannins and a touch of dried tobacco. Still fresh and beautiful for the time being.
Pungent floral/violet, dark cherry aromas with exotic spices/minty/tobacco notes and creamy fine tannins. (JR)
Beautifully framed mature fruit with some crushed dry leaf among the brambles, cedar and tobacco. Holding good shape. (NR)
1977 ««« Drink now to past.
Still holding but the tannins are dominating.
1978 «««« Drink now.
The best bottles are still showing lovely cassis, plum, demi-glace and tobacco aromas, attractive density and supple fine-grained textures.
1979 ««« Drink now/past.
A leafy old cabernet. Sturdy rather than supple. Beginning to dry out.
1980 «« Drink now to past.
Dense powerful and tannic wine, with the fruit leaning into tertiary tobacco and leather notes.
1981 (Not made)
1982 ««« Drink now.
A controversial year with exaggerated cassis, roasted nut aromas, plenty of new oak and fine-grained tannins. Performed well in ROP Edition 7, but bottles are variable.
1983 «« Drink now to past.
Tough and quite astringent, with the fruit losing generosity and richness. The fruit was picked early to avoid the summer s heat and the tannins were always too powerful. Its ABV of 11.2% tells the story.
1984 ««« Drink now.
An evolved wine with plentiful dark berry, tobacco and spice notes with supple loose-knit chalky tannins. A mellow wine that has been ready to drink for a long time now.
1985 ««« Drink now.
Grippy, earthy and tight with attractive richness of flavour and cedar complexity.
1986 ««««« Drink now to 2030.
Medium-deep crimson. A beautiful cabernet with leafy cassis, capsicum, chinotto and cigar box aromas. Well-concentrated leafy cassis and capsicum flavours, fine loose-knit grainy tannins and underlying mocha oak complexity. Finishes chalky firm, long and sweet. A mature Bin 707 with classic Coonawarra bloodlines.
Still intact with plentiful dark fruits, capsicum and autumnal notes, grippy tannins, attractive richness and bright acidity. (NB)
Particularly fresh and vibrant with blackcurrant fruits and fine tannins. (JH)
1987 «««« Drink now.
Medium-deep crimson. A fresh and complex wine with cassis herbaceous aromas and mint nuances. Concentrated and substantial with evolved fruit and fine grainy/sinewy tannins. Won the Adelaide Trophy at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show. Still drinking quite well.
T H
E R
E W
A R
D S
O F
P A
T IE
N C
E
T H
E W
IN E
S
/
B IN
7 0
7 C
A B
E R
N E
T S
A U
V IG
N O
N
8 38 2
