Ranked #3 of 47 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra
96/100
5 Stars
Huon Hooke
Deep red colour with a tinge of purple, the bouquet spicy and reserved, with cassis notes peeping through. The wine is savoury and dry, with fine but persistent tannins lending substantial grip. Mulberry, as well as blackberry and cassis, then a tinge of bitterness seemingly from oak tannins on the finish. A superb cabernet, showing more oak and concentration than Bin 407.
Tasted: 28/08/2018
Drink: 2020 to 2043
97 Points Robert Parker
Leafy cassis notes mark the nose of the 2016 Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon. It's also floral yet dense and concentrated. Full-bodied and rich on the palate, it exudes class and balance at the same time. It's a super expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from one of Australia's premier regions for the grape variety, ending on lingering notes of cocoa, cassis and pencil shavings. Drink 2020 - 2040.
Source: Robert Parker.
97 Points James Halliday
Matured for 13 months in new French hogsheads. Very much in Penfolds style as opposed to John Riddoch - which is as it should be, of course. The bridge it thus creates gives the wine a considerable elegance (and balance despite the use of 100% new oak). The length can be missed, too, because this is a sleeper that will shine brightly in the years to come as one of the best wines in the portfolio.
Published 01 August 2019 Drink to 2046.
Source: James Halliday.