2019 Penfolds Quantum Bin 98 Cabernet Sauvignon

98 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion

“A stunning follow-up to the inaugural 2018 Quantum release featuring superb cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley and South Australia. Matured in American (80% new) and French oak (20% new) barriques for 16 months. Deep, impenetrable purple/crimson in the glass. Such a beautiful-smelling wine. Opulent blackberry, black cherry and satsuma plum meld with hints of Christmas cake, baking spices, panforte, vanillin oak, licorice, pressed flowers, air-dried meats, espresso and earth. For all its head-spinning fruit depth and purity, there is a sense of grace here, a savoury elegance that reveals itself slowly on the finish with a fine, kinetic tannin framework that shows a ferruginous sheen at its edge and a sails onwards for some time. There is a sense of Penfolds being on to something quite special with this wine, a wine whose structural poise bodes very well for a long future.”

97 Points - Angus Hughson, Vinous

“The 2019 Quantum Bin 98, a richly endowed and thoroughbred blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from California and South Australia, is classic in every way. It's an iron fist in a velvet globe with its decadent blackcurrant, licorice and chocolate aromas. It has a strong, sweet backbone of oak. All the pieces are in unison. A striking palate, with powerful fruit and rich tannins, drives a full-throttle but beautifully balanced package through to a long, energetic and gravelly finish.”

95 Points - Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate

“The 2019 Quantum Bin 98 is a blend of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and South Australian Shiraz (8%). The wine is intense and concentrated, but there is levity on the mid-palate, which is interesting among all the intense fruit! For all the exuberance, there seems little exaggeration; the wine is long, fine and persistent. No Quantum was made in 2020. It matured for 16 months in American oak (80% new) and French oak (20% new). 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.”

93 Points - James Suckling

“South Australian and Napa fruit. A large-framed salubrious wine, reminding me of the sort of thing airlines should pour at the pointy end of the plane: impactful, with an emphasis on the fruit. Coffee-bean American oak nuances drift to a sweet, sappy finishing oozing creme de cassis, raspberry bon bon, boozy dried fruits, milk chocolate and licorice strap. A long finish driven by force of personality over freshness. A powerful, chunky sort of thing. A crowd pleaser. Drink or hold.”