![Penfolds Quantum Bin 98 "Wine of the World" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Napa Valley & South Australia)- [JS 98] [WA 97+] [DM 96] [WE 95]](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/products/penfoldsquantumbin98cab18-w-2_{width}x.png?v=1623782690)
Penfolds Quantum Bin 98 "Wine of the World" Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
(Napa Valley & South Australia)- [JS 98] [WA 97+] [DM 96] [WE 95]
Regular price $900.00 Sale price $599.99 Save $300.01
Founded by a young English doctor in 1844, Penfolds has 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 standout wines, both white and red, have been released under the Penfolds masthead. Under the direction of master winemaker, Peter Gago, Penfolds is now found in every major wine market in the world. Extraordinary wines such as Block 42 and Bin 60A have also been released during his tenure. Penfolds wines are now widely celebrated for their diversity and quality across many price-points. The strength of Penfolds is that the wine comes first. Penfolds' range of table wines is utterly Australian, evoking a generosity of spirit and the beauty of the Australian landscape...and now it's all American too!
As Peter Gago put it in an interview with James Suckling, these wines say "we love the fruit [of California]. We love the microclimates. We love the vineyards and we want to dabble with that. And we have."
Notes From the Winemaker:
Penfolds Quantum Bin 98 is the culmination of a 20-year collaboration between Northern and Southern hemispheres. The flagship wine of our California Collection, Quantum is a true wine of the world, unbound by country, vine, or time.
A powerful expression of the Penfolds blending style, Quantum is made with carefully selected grapes sought out for their intense flavor and well-structured tannins. The result is a wine that defies convention and expectation, offering equal parts grace and complexity.
A powerful expression of the Penfolds blending style, Quantum is made with carefully selected grapes sought out for their intense flavor and well-structured tannins. The result is a wine that defies convention and expectation, offering equal parts grace and complexity.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Rich malt, bone marrow, and a complex spectrum of dark berries make up the aromatic core. These slowly fuse with notes of blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberry complemented by sugared pastry, cinnamon apple, and piquant punches of mild horseradish cream and Dijon mustard.
Palate: A blue-berried wash and glistening film cover the palate with a viscous, supple texture and succulent acidity. Flavors of graphite and hazelnut provide an exotic intrigue, with a whisper of sweetness that grows over time with air.
Regions:
87% Oakville Diamond Mt District AVA, Napa Valley, CA
13% South Australia, Australia
Grapes: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Shiraz
Palate: A blue-berried wash and glistening film cover the palate with a viscous, supple texture and succulent acidity. Flavors of graphite and hazelnut provide an exotic intrigue, with a whisper of sweetness that grows over time with air.
Regions:
87% Oakville Diamond Mt District AVA, Napa Valley, CA
13% South Australia, Australia
Grapes: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Shiraz
Ratings & Reviews
98 Points - James Suckling:
"What sticks with you about this global blend of Napa and Southern Australian wine is the intense and transparent purple and blue fruit. Lots of blackberry and blueberry aromas with some stones and flowers, such as violets. Its a very layered and intense wine with very refined, creamy and chewy tannins. Full and very impressive. Very Penfolds. Mouth-filling texture. Its made mostly from Napa grapes and predominantly from Oakville and Diamond Mountain. About one-fifth is from South Australia. Aged in 80% new American oak and 20% new French. Try after 2026." (January 2021)
97+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a good amount of swirling to unlock slowly emerging scents of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves, blueberry compote and cassis with fragrant suggestions of vanilla pod, violets, coconut, crushed rocks, pencil lead and clove oil. Medium to full-bodied, the generously fruited palate explodes in the mouth with ripe, juicy black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and a lovely burst of freshness, finishing long and spicy. It is mostly all fruit and American oak at this youthful stage, but I imagine that like Grange, its real appeal comes with bottle age. I would give it at least five years to allow the oak to marry and tertiary nuances to emerge, then drink it over the next 20 years or more. To manage expectations—this doesn't taste like Napa or South Australia. It doesn't even taste like the 2018 vintage here in Napa. It really is its own thing, which I suppose is the point." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (2/18/2021)
96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Decadent aromas of blackcurrant, black plum, hot gravel, and cocoa nib. A seamless, polished texture leads to a palate of boysenberry, raspberry, toffee and charcoal. The finish is charred, chewy and tenacious, with lingering notes of coffee and graphite the blend is aged for 16 months only in new oak, 80% of which is American, 20% French. There is an overall grace to its currently primary nature, showing great poise and restraint." - Matthew Luczy (January 2021)
95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"The inaugural release of this red combines 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Shiraz, using grapes from both Napa Valley and South Australia. Dark and brooding, it delivers a smooth, textured palate of bright red fruit and supple, integrated tannins, with meaty undertones along a continuum of black pepper, graphite and leather." - Virginie Boone (4/1/2021)
"What sticks with you about this global blend of Napa and Southern Australian wine is the intense and transparent purple and blue fruit. Lots of blackberry and blueberry aromas with some stones and flowers, such as violets. Its a very layered and intense wine with very refined, creamy and chewy tannins. Full and very impressive. Very Penfolds. Mouth-filling texture. Its made mostly from Napa grapes and predominantly from Oakville and Diamond Mountain. About one-fifth is from South Australia. Aged in 80% new American oak and 20% new French. Try after 2026." (January 2021)
97+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a good amount of swirling to unlock slowly emerging scents of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves, blueberry compote and cassis with fragrant suggestions of vanilla pod, violets, coconut, crushed rocks, pencil lead and clove oil. Medium to full-bodied, the generously fruited palate explodes in the mouth with ripe, juicy black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and a lovely burst of freshness, finishing long and spicy. It is mostly all fruit and American oak at this youthful stage, but I imagine that like Grange, its real appeal comes with bottle age. I would give it at least five years to allow the oak to marry and tertiary nuances to emerge, then drink it over the next 20 years or more. To manage expectations—this doesn't taste like Napa or South Australia. It doesn't even taste like the 2018 vintage here in Napa. It really is its own thing, which I suppose is the point." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (2/18/2021)
96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Decadent aromas of blackcurrant, black plum, hot gravel, and cocoa nib. A seamless, polished texture leads to a palate of boysenberry, raspberry, toffee and charcoal. The finish is charred, chewy and tenacious, with lingering notes of coffee and graphite the blend is aged for 16 months only in new oak, 80% of which is American, 20% French. There is an overall grace to its currently primary nature, showing great poise and restraint." - Matthew Luczy (January 2021)
95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"The inaugural release of this red combines 87% Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% Shiraz, using grapes from both Napa Valley and South Australia. Dark and brooding, it delivers a smooth, textured palate of bright red fruit and supple, integrated tannins, with meaty undertones along a continuum of black pepper, graphite and leather." - Virginie Boone (4/1/2021)