Penfolds Bin 707 at the Recorking Clinic: Cabernet’s High-Wire Act.

There’s something deliciously theatrical about a Penfolds Recorking Clinic. Picture a scene that feels like Grey’s Anatomy meets Sotheby’s - collectors arriving with dusty bottles cradled like heirlooms, lined up for triage with the nervous anticipation of auction-goers - and a hint of Last Rites drama. On the other side, Penfolds' seasoned custodians perform what is part science, part ritual: taking the cork’s pulse, sniffing for the faint heartbeat of fruit, and leaning in with the gravitas of a seasoned sommelier-surgeon hybrid. The verdict lands with dramatic flair - sometimes triumphant (“still singing with life”), sometimes devastating (“oxidised, terminal”), but always unforgettable.

It’s a ritual that elevates maintenance into theatre, reminding us that fine wine is as much about human stories, memories, and reverence as it is about chemistry. Each bottle, in its fragile, cork-bound vessel, becomes a vessel of history, emotion, and mortality - a quiet testament that even in preservation, wine demands attention, respect, and a touch of drama.

And between cork triage sessions at Sydney's Langham Hotel, the lucky few were treated to a tasting of Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon - Penfolds’ audacious symphonic Cabernet, often hailed as the “Grange of Cabernet.” Conducted by none other than Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, whose four decades at Penfolds have shaped some of Australia’s most iconic wines, the session felt less like a tasting and more like a masterclass in elegance and precision.

If Grange is a baritone, booming with Shiraz-fuelled bravado, Bin 707 is the tenor: lithe, poised, and capable of pirouetting to thrilling heights when the vintage strikes just right. Gago guided us through each pour with the attentiveness of a maestro, pointing out subtle layers of blackcurrant, cassis, graphite, and cedar, and explaining how the wine’s structure - meticulously built over 18 months in American oak - achieves a harmony of power and finesse. The tannins tap rhythmically on the palate like a percussion section keeping perfect time, while the finish glides effortlessly, a diminuendo that lingers long after the curtain falls. Each sip is a performance - part theatre, part symphony, all meticulously composed - and under Gago’s guidance, one leaves the tasting room feeling less like a spectator and more like a privileged guest at a private, vintage opera.

True to its aviation-inspired moniker - a nod that even a Qantas marketing mind would raise an approving eyebrow at the Boeing 707 reference - Bin 707 has always been a wine about lift-off, altitude, and the occasional turbulence. First crafted in 1964, it’s a wine that doesn’t bother showing up for underwhelming vintages. Years like 1970–1975, 1981, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2011, 2017, and 2020 were skipped entirely, leaving each released vintage to feel like a precious boarding pass to a rarefied Cabernet stratosphere.

At the Recorking Clinic, we strapped in for a Bin 707 retrospective - decades of Cabernet meticulously layered, each glass a tiny time machine. From youthful exuberance to the sober majesty of mature vintages, every pour revealed quirks, secrets, and a swagger all its own, reminding you that this isn’t just wine - it’s a private jet of flavour, and you’re lucky to be in first class.

Buckle in.

1976 - The Rock Star Past Its Prime

Imagine a rock star stepping off stage decades later - leather trousers still clinging, hairline receding, but charisma intact. That’s 1976 Bin 707 in a glass. Aromas of polished mahogany and roasted chestnut mingle with fleeting whispers of spearmint and rose petals, not unlike backstage memories lingering in the dressing room. The tannins, once merciless, now hum like a seasoned bassist beneath layers of cocoa, dried liquorice, and faint graphite - complex, restrained, and surprisingly elegant.

While not every bottle might have kept pace; what was proffered today swaggered as if it is still commanding stadiums. In its essence, it’s a glorious vintage - a lesson in longevity, a nod to history, and a reminder that even rock stars mellow beautifully if handled with care.

1986 - The Historical Marker

Think of this vintage as the Cabernet equivalent of Paul Keating’s “Banana Republic” speech - serious, commanding, and impossible to ignore, yet delivered with a sly flourish. The glass is a parliament of flavours: cassis in debate with dark chocolate, marzipan taking careful notes, and sage presiding over proceedings with measured authority.

Its structure nods firmly to Bordeaux - tight, disciplined, and architecturally sound - but there’s a distinct Aussie generosity running through it: fruit still plump, still sweet, like an actor who hasn’t missed a cue even decades on stage. 1986 is the vintage that reminds you patience isn’t just a virtue - it’s a privilege. Age has polished its edges, but the energy remains; it’s a marker in history, both for the vines and for the era that shaped it.

1990 - The Heavyweight Champion

If Bin 707s were pugilists, 1990 would be Mike Tyson at his prime - raw power, coiled energy, and an aura that commands respect before the first sip. The wine hits the senses like a perfectly timed uppercut: inky cassis, rich mocha, espresso, and dark tobacco, punctuated by the salty punch of plums. Tannins wrap around your palate like a velvet glove that still packs a punch - unyielding but strangely seductive.

There’s weight here, yes, but also precision: every note measured, every layer purposeful. Brooding and fathomless, it demands engagement rather than casual sipping; you don’t drink 1990 - you square up to it. Only the confident emerge unscathed, carrying both the thrill and the bruises of the experience. This is a vintage that reminds you why Bin 707 is revered not just for elegance, but for unrelenting power.

1991 - The Lap of Honour

If 1990 was a heavyweight in the ring, 1991 steps onto the court with Roger Federer-like poise - effortless, precise, and unapologetically elegant. Blackcurrants glide across the palate with the suppleness of a perfectly timed backhand, underpinned by earthy tar, hints of rose petals, and a floral flourish that lingers like applause.

This is Cabernet that doesn’t need to roar; it charms with finesse, structure, and harmony. Balanced yet expressive, 1991 is the vintage that proves elegance isn’t a concession - it’s a winning strategy. With each sip, you’re reminded that patience, precision, and timing can elevate power into poetry.

1996 - The Architect

Not a showstopper, not a headliner - think of it as a Frank Gehry sketch brought to life in wine: angular, intriguing, and somehow impossibly elegant. Layers of black cherry, cedar, chinotto, leather, and rose drift through the glass like corridors in a modernist building, each revealing new angles with every swirl.

It’s a wine of patience and precision - less about instant gratification, more about witnessing structure gradually blossom into harmony. With inky density, subtle torque, and a poise that rewards careful observation, 1996 is the vintage for those who delight in the slow reveal, where complexity is the real applause.

1998 - The Firecracker

This Bin 707 pops and snaps like a vinyl needle skipping on a jazz riff-blackberry and cassis collide with mocha, rose petals, and zesty mandarin peel. A flash of pomegranate brightness dances through the density, keeping the palate electric and alive.

Exuberant yet disciplined, it’s a vintage that flirts with chaos but never falls apart - tannins act like a conductor, corralling the riotous flavours into a symphony that only reaches full force at the crescendo. 1998 is a reminder that Cabernet can have personality, charisma, and a cheeky grin, all in one glass.

2004 - The Blacksmith’s Vintage

Imagine a forge at full throttle - cassis, dark chocolate, and cedarwood mingling with the tang of heated iron. This Bin 707 arrives with calloused hands, muscular yet chiselled, the kind of wine that feels like a Rodin sculpture in liquid form. Graphite and smoky undertones hint at power restrained, while layers of black cherry and espresso tease the patience of anyone trying to tame it too soon.

2004 is a vintage built for the long haul: every sip suggests decades of slow, deliberate unfolding, a wine that earns its complexity like a blacksmith earns his craft. It’s strength tempered with grace, a Cabernet that whispers ambition even when it’s at rest.

2006 - The Ballet Dancer in Armour

This Bin 707 pirouettes across the palate: cassis and mulberry inky and precise, gliding over whispers of espresso, toasted walnut, and a hint of graphite. There’s restraint here - coiled and taut, a wine wrapped in an iron corset - but elegance seeps through every fold. Imagine Margot Fonteyn rehearsing in chainmail: every movement measured, every leap underpinned by strength that belies the grace.

2006 is a classic sleeper vintage: it doesn’t demand attention, yet rewards those willing to linger. Under its disciplined surface, subtle floral notes and cedar hints emerge over time, promising decades of performance, endurance, and refined poise. A Cabernet for contemplative sipping, where patience is the ultimate dance partner.

2008 - The Shape-Shifter

2008 is the Bin 707 that keeps you guessing - tight at first, then unfolding with the sly grace of a magician’s silk scarf. Blackcurrant and mocha mingle with sage and cedar, while a subtle ferrous note - like tracing the tip of a fencing foil - adds a flash of intrigue.

There’s generous volume and effortless flow, yet every sip reveals precision and control beneath the swagger. It’s a modern classic: confident, adaptable, and layered, with the sort of magnetic charisma that makes you want to revisit it again and again. Like a wine that doubles as both the headline act and the encore, 2008 rewards patience and curiosity in equal measure.

2010 - The Perfectionist

2010 arrives like a masterclass in restraint and precision - Bin 707 dressed in Savile Row tannins, each sip tailored to the millimetre. Cassis, espresso, spice, and a whisper of liquorice weave together in a tapestry that’s both exacting and inviting. Harmonious, elegant, and lingering, it’s a symphony where every note is perfectly tuned, yet never feels forced.

This is the vintage that makes you lean back and acknowledge the craft: Penfolds is flexing, but with sophistication rather than swagger. A wine that teaches you that perfection isn’t about flamboyance - it’s about timing, balance, and the confidence to let decades of meticulous work speak for themselves.

2012 - The Coiled Spring

2012 arrives like a vintage with a secret gym membership - muscular yet restrained, dense yet teasing. Blueberry, cola, chocolate-mint, and whispers of fresh herbs swirl together, opulent but buttoned-up, as if the wine is politely refusing to reveal all its tricks at once. There’s tension here, a latent energy that hums beneath the surface like a coiled spring ready to vault from the glass.

This is a Bin 707 that flirts with patience - call it the wine equivalent of a chess grandmaster smirking before the opening move. Early tasters are rewarded with aromatic intrigue and textural depth, but the true thrill lies in its evolution over decades, promising both mischief and mastery for those willing to wait.

Closing Thoughts - Cabernet with Altitude

Tasting Bin 707 at the Recorking Clinic was a masterclass in wine as slow-motion theatre. Some vintages strutted with bravado, others murmured like an intimate soliloquy, and a few coiled themselves with the suspense of a tightly wound spring. Each pour charted not just the evolution of Cabernet in Australia, but Penfolds’ audacious spirit: taking Bordeaux’s benchmark grape, swathing it in American oak, and transforming it into something unmistakably, unapologetically Australian.

Not just poured - deployed. A 50-year crescendo of caramelised orange peel, toasted nuts, and subtle old oak that lingers long enough to make your memory blush.

If Grange is Penfolds headline act - booming, operatic, and impossible to ignore - Bin 707 is the charismatic understudy, polished yet sly, capable of stealing the scene with its balance of structure, finesse, and a subtle wink. A reminder that fine Cabernet is less a static object and more a living performance, one that rewards curiosity, patience, and a taste for the dramatic.

The proceedings of the Recorking Clinic culminated in a few delightful surprises, chief among them a taste of Penfolds 50 Year Old Rare Tawny - a liquid relic that deserves its own footnote in the annals of wine lore. Amber-hued and impossibly complex, it offered toasted nuts, caramelised orange peel, and the ghost of Madeira, each sip a meditation on patience, craftsmanship, and the art of ageing. It was a reminder that Penfolds’ legacy isn’t just bold Cabernet or iconic Grange; it’s a commitment to narrative, history, and nuance in a glass.

Needless to say, this little number was a sly showstopper - one of those wines that doesn’t shout, but lingers. It invites hushed admiration, sparks animated debate, and triggers the existential pondering.

Hours after the final sip, I am still smacking my lips, chasing echoes of caramelised nuts, sunbaked orange peel, and whispering hints of old oak - proof that some wines don’t just finish in the glass; they finish in your memory.

---

Words by AW.

Photos courtesy of Penfolds.