Penfolds Penfolds Bin 704 Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 750ml

The fruit for the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 704 is from across Napa Valley, and the classy fruit is shaped by French oak (40% new) and firm tannins through the finish. This is supple and sweet and shows blood plum, raspberry, red licorice and even cocoa. The wine is long and lingering and shapely. Sophisticated.

Milk chocolate oak tannins, typically Napa. Red currant, mulberry, anise and a whiff of menthol, the structural latticework an edgy beam across the finish. While this is distinctly full-weighted, it is more savory than most wines from the region due, perhaps, to the challenging vintage conditions and the need for abstemious fruit selection. Handled very well. I like it. Drink or hold.

This soft-edged version leads with cedar shavings, lightly mulled red tea and sandalwood notes, with a core of understated red currant and cherry preserves. Reveals a lingering savory edge. Drink now through 2027. 6,091 cases made. (James Molesworth)