Penfolds Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
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James Suckling
This is phenomenal, with game, meat, deer and fruit. Black truffles. Wild fruit. Insane. Black and green olives. Full bodied, with big velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Amazing sliced meat and fruit character. Fabulous wine that just blows me away and makes me think of great pre-phyloxera Bordeaux of 1864 and 1865. From vines in the mid-1880s. About 10 acres. 500 cases. Screwcap.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
It’s not known exactly when the Kalimna Block 42 was planted but there are suggestions that the vines existed during the latter part of the 19th Century. They could be the oldest Cabernet vines in the world, although the famous Metala Cabernet vineyard in Langhorne Creek was known to have been planted in 1891 so could very well pre-date Kalimna. Regardless, I’ve been there and the vines are truly old. Only very rarely does Penfolds release this as a single vineyard wine, when the Cabernet is so fabulous it can’t possibly be blended. The 2004 Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon was such a vintage. Matured in 100% new American hogsheads for 13 months, it displays a very deep garnet-purple color and profoundly earthy / gamey aromas over black cherry preserves, creme de cassis plus scents of leather, pencil shavings, Mediterranean herbs, black truffles, underbrush and black olives. The elegant, medium-bodied palate is tightly-knit and led by structure with a high level of grainy tannins, very high acid and a long earthy finish. Approachable now, it should continue to evolve and drink to 2025+.
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Wine Spectator
Delicious stuff; not huge, but impeccably balanced, nuanced and tremendously long and pure. It's a cascade of currant, blueberry and plum fruit shaded on one side by subtle, toasty oak, on the other by hints of minerality and exotic spice. But it's the elegance and the length that make this a winner.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is incredibly dark, concentrated stuff from what may be the oldest (planted in 1886) continuously producing Cabernet vineyard in the world. Minty, herbal notes combine with chocolate and cassis to yield a complex, balanced whole. Despite the density of the fruit, there’s absolutely no sense of heaviness or excessive weight, and while the tannins appear creamy on the midpalate, they fan out into a silky sheen on the lingering finish. About 500 cases produced. Drink 2012–2030. Cellar Selection.
Penfolds has been producing remarkable wines since 1844 and indisputably led the development of Australian fine wine in the modern era. The introduction of Penfolds Grange in 1951 forever changed the landscape of Australian fine wine. Since then a series of stand-out wines both white and red have been released under the Penfolds masthead.
Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker and only the 4th custodian of Grange, relishes the opportunity to bring Penfolds to the world stage and is an enthusiastic ambassador and natural educator. Penfolds came to the attention of the US market when 1990 Grange was Wine Spectator’s ‘Wine of the Year’. Since then, Penfolds Grange has become one of the most collectable wines of the world and was honored to grace the front cover, once again, of Wine Spectator, with declarations of Grange as Australia’s Icon.