It has been mentioned to me that the Penfolds Bin 707 is the poor man’s Grange – but I just don’t see it. I am skeptical as a Grange is a shiraz whilst the 707 and 407 are cabernet sauvignon. I would argue the 707 is the cabernet sauvignon equivalent of Grange whereas the Bin 389 as a shiraz is indeed the poor man’s Grange. So now that this is sorted, is the Bin 407 the poor man’s 707?

Then there are the prices, a 2010 Bin 407 will set you back about $120 and a 2015 vintage is about $79 whereas a 2014 Bin 707 won’t leave you much change from $499 at current prices. Fortunately these are not up in the Grange price ranges with a 2013 around the $722 price range. So now we have the prices sorted out what about the wine?

The tasting notes tell me the fruit was sourced from Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, Robe, McLaren Vale, and Padthaway. The cabernet fruit was matured for 12 months in new French oak (23%), new American oak (10%), 1 year-old American oak (18%) and 2 year-old American oak hogsheads (45%). The tasting notes informed me the 2010 vintage is drinking well between 2014 to 2038 but I won’t be waiting that long.

This is a full-bodied wine with a granular tannin structure, balanced acidity and a cassis/blackcurrent nose with dark chocolate palate. I would expect this to soften out as the wine ages in the bottle with the current deep magenta colour to change to a brownish hue on the rim. I must admit, I do like to put good reds down but you have to be careful to not to overdo it.