'A grade' cabernet, 85.1% from Napa Valley, 4.9% from Barossa, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale. Matured 16 months in 80/20% French/American new oak barrels. While assembling the best cabernet he could put together with his team in the Napa, Peter Gago declared, 'it's all arms and legs, and we can't just throw it together!' He had some Grange and Bin 707 parcels with him for benchmarking and suggested throwing a little in. 'I was more than astonished that this proportion brought it together.' 14.9% Australian looks suspiciously like an attempt to keep it over the threshold of 85% Californian material, but Gago refutes this suggestion. 'We tried 20%, but 14.9% was correct.' The result has been dubbed, 'Wine of the World,' a deep and powerful cabernet of full purple hue that speaks of the density and magnitude that is Penfolds, intricately interwoven with the the sweet fruit lusciousness and ripeness of California. Deep, sweeping strokes of blackcurrant, cassis, black licorice, coal steam and long-lingering satsuma plum all coat the palate. It's wrapped in a confident wave of Penfolds tannins, firm, fine and instilled with great endurance, framed in dark chocolate and coffee bean oak. A grand spectacle with monumental presence and impressive line and length. The standout of the release, Peter's favourite, and mine.

Lots of blackberry, currant, light chocolate and hazelnut. This is rather dense and plush, but shows impressive layers of tannins that have a rough-velvet texture. Juicy and intense fruit. The grapes come from the AVAs of Rutherford, Calistoga, Oakville and then spread across Napa. 14.9% comes from South Australia. A global wine. In the end, it’s nicely toned and curated. Needs three or four years to come together. Try after 2025.

DAVID SLY: A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, combining 85.1% fruit from the Napa Valley (predominantly from Oakville, Rutherford and Calistoga AVAs) and the remainder from several of Penfolds’ South Australian vineyards, moving it beyond the expected Napa Cab expression to instead exert its own unique personality. The Australian component introduces rich, lifted aromas of blueberry and blackberry, and a more opulent fruit presence. It adds freshness and vibrancy to the dense Napa body, resulting in a vivacious, cheery red still bound by firm tannins. MATTHEW LUCZY: 96 points (Tasted in Los Angeles on 28 Jan 2021) Black-fruited and herbal on the nose, with aromas of huckleberry, oregano, pencil lead and vanilla. The texture is both fleshy yet spry, with a brilliant red-fruited acidity floating above a muscular, chocolate-driven core. Blackcurrants, mint and cedar on the finish, which is equal parts mouthwatering, thick and grippy. Aged entirely in new oak for 16 months, 80% of it French, 20% American.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 149 is a blend of fruit from Rutherford, Calistoga and Oakville plus 15% South Australia Cabernet. Inky, deep and unctuous, the 2018 is a total knock-out. Although quite opulent and rich in feel, the 2018 also has tons of backing structure to balance things out. All the elements come together effortlessly. It was aged in 100% new oak, 80% French and 20% American. -- Antonio Galloni

A good portion, 85.1%, of this "Wine of the World" comes from America. In fact, the American component all comes from Napa. "There are some great vineyards going in here," Peter Gago informed me. "We are buying some fruit for this, but most of it comes off our own vineyards." By "own vineyards," Gago refers to the considerable land holdings of Treasury Wine Estates, which now owns such iconic Napa names such as Beringer, Sterling Vineyards and Stags’ Leap Winery. The major component of this component, 28%, comes from Rutherford, with the other components "cherry picked" from across the Napa region. So, that is the American wine part of this wine. The remaining 14.9% of this wine is from Australia—A1 grade Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia, to be precise. Then the wine was fermented in barrel, like Grange, using 80% American oak and 20% French oak, 100% new. It was matured in the oak for 16 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 149 slips gracefully out of the glass with notions of wild blueberries, blackcurrant cordial and mulberries with an undercurrent of Indian spices, sandalwood, cigar box and dusty soil plus a touch of garrigue. Full-bodied, rich and decadently played in the mouth, it has firm, rounded tannins and bold freshness supporting the voluptuous layers, finishing long and spicy. The adaption of some of the Grange "formula" (for want of a better term) of winemaking seems to lend more of an Australian style to this wine, although there is no mistaking the Napa Cabernet fruit profile in all but the texture of the tannins, which are more typical of Australia. It's a true chimera! 1,393 cases were made. - LPB

This wine is a blend of grapes from Napa Valley (85.1%) and South Australia (14.9%). A tannic structure gives way to a welcome juiciness of tangy cranberry and currant flavors. French and American oak aging impart a moderate level of toast and vanilla tones, with accents of cedar, dried herbs and black pepper chiming in. The bright acidity lasts through a long, supple finish. VIRGINIE BOONE