| Parkhill Cellars Penfold Special Bin Dinner at Matteo's (10/8/04) - dense, opaque, dark ruby red. Nose: intense but focused cassis and plums. On the palate: Massive, focused, powerful, with layers and layers of concentrated cassis, blackberries, blood plums, rich dark chocolate, monolithically and seamlessly integrated with savoury, coconut/vanillin oak, with just a touch of cigar box. Despite the power, intensity and incredible structure, the wine is silky smooth and well rounded. Drinking beautifully with a very long finish - so good now it is hard to imagine that it can and will improve over the next decade or two! Undoubtedly the best Australian Cab Sauv that I ever had the privilege to taste. According to a very knowledgeable guest at tonight's dinner, the Block 42 cabernet bush vines are the oldest in Australia, if not amongst the oldest in the world and very low yielding. Cabernet from this block has been used in all except 3 vintages of Grange. So special were the grapes in 1953 that the unique 'Grange Cabernet' was made that year, an equal to the famous shiraz-based Grange. The Block 42 Kalimna Cab Sauv has not been released as a single block wine for 33 years (the last time as Bin 64 in 1963), although the 1964 Bin 707 was (according to the Rewards of Patience 5th Ed.) entirely sourced from this amazing block. (Wine #6, the 1st Red Wine Bracket with main course.) |
