Penfolds - Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon - 1996

Tasted at the Penfolds Rewards of Patience tastings held in late 2007. It’s a single block, single variety, single region wine made from some of the oldest living cabernet sauvignon vines in the world. It’s not a huge wine – but it is exquisitely put together. Very little sign of oak. Lovely tannin, pure varietal expression, first signs of leathering, lots of leaf and currant, but in a delicate way. Its delicacy really surprised me. This is fast heading into ethereal territory, and can be drunk from now – and will enter its long peak from about five years on. Makes complexity look easy. A treasure. 95 Points/Drink 2012-2035 - Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front