Stylish, smooth and well bred, this elegant, if slightly one-dimensional cabernet has a dusty, slightly confectionary bouquet of small red berries and cedary oak with smoky undertones. ItÕs long and pliant, with bright, fresh and juicy red berry flavours underpinned by dusty, fine-grained tannins, finishing with freshness and focus.

Tightly knit and artfully balanced, this pristine, if slightly minty cabernet reveals a faintly herbal bouquet of cassis, red berries and sweet cedary oak. Full to medium-bodied, itÕs long and gentle, with almost a sappy expression of sweetly ripened red berries, cranberries and plums underpinned by pliant, dusty tannins and cedar/vanilla oak. It finishes with pleasing length and a vital acidity.

Dusty, minty and herbal notes of cassis, blueberries and violets underpinned by cedar/chocolate/vanilla oak and a whiff of graphite offer moderate but not great intensity. Fine-grained and drying, its dark, linear palate of minty cabernet fruit, polished oak and crunchy tannins are rimmed by herbaceous, greenish notes and lacks the genuine depth and structure to be rated more highly.

Australian cabernet for the Chinese palate, with a front label that even mimics the Chinese lead of dating the labelÕs first vintage. Luscious, ripe and minty, itÕs steeped in ripe red and black berries and dark plums offset by a background of fresh, faintly smoky cedar/vanilla/dark chocolate oak. Juicy, gluggy and sweetly fruited, with undertones of menthol and dried herbs, itÕs smooth and polished, revealing a very un-Penfolds-like spine of pliant, loose-knit tannins, of modest strength but easy-drinking suppleness. Stylistically itÕs a mile from its first vintages and the Bin 707 which Penfolds still claims itÕs inspired by. That said, if you want an opulent, ready-to-go cabernet with almost Napa-like plushness and fatness, this is your wine. Personally, IÕd favour the classic 2018 Black Label from Wynns Ð a far superior wine at a fraction of the price.