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  • Country ranking ?

    119
  • Producer ranking ?

    75
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    from 2025
  • Food Pairing

    Roasted venison fillet with beetroot pure and parmesan

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The Story

St Henri is a time-honoured and alternative expression of Shiraz, and an intriguing counterpoint to Grange. It is unusual among high quality Australian red wines as it does not rely on any new oak. It was created in the early 1950s (first commercial vintage 1957) and gained a new lease of life in the 1990s as its quality and distinctive style became better understood. Proudly, a wine style that hasn’t succumbed to the dictates of fashion or commerce. St Henri is rich and plush when young, gaining soft, earthy, mocha-like characters as it ages. It is matured in old, 1460 litre vats that allow the wine to develop, imparting minimal, if any oak character. Although a small proportion of Cabernet is sometimes used to improve structure, the focal point for St Henri remains Shiraz. 

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Wine Information

Autumn and winter were dry and cool across South Australia. Below long-term average rainfall continued throughout spring and all through summer. The climactic conditions slightly delayed the start of the growing season in the Barossa Valley and other warmer regions. However, budburst, flowering, veraison and harvest were all earlier than is usually expected of Coonawarra. Warm conditions prevailed in the early part of the summer allowing vines to develop healthy canopies and good bunch set. Some late rain in January and early February was a welcome relief. Temperatures in spring and summer were above the long-term average, resulting in an early harvest for shiraz. More than 80% of McLaren Vale had been harvested by mid-March. Cool February conditions in the Adelaide Hills ensured ripening was steady and the slightly early start to vintage was a result of a mild and dry growing season. Grapes across all the main growing regions were able to ripen evenly and develop desirable flavours.

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

2016 St Henri Shiraz ($135) - At times, St Henri can be the very best wine
of the annual release. The 2010 and 2012 are compelling evidence of this.
Stupendous wines. Then you'll get an '11, which really does let the side
down. 2013 and 2014 were stars, 2015 a little less so. 2016 was a very fine
vintage in South Australia and for Penfold's, so much was expected.

A 95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet blend from the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, McLaren
Vale, Clare, Coonawarra and Magill Estate, it had 12 months in large old oak
vats - at least fifty years old.

My initial thoughts were that this is a very fine wine, but is it a typical
St Henri? Penfold's say yes. Not sure I'd have got close, if served blind. A
lovely array of flavours - licorice, plums, florals, spices, blueberries,
roast vegetables, garden herbs and a hint of chocolate. Complex, subtle,
great length, finely constructed, this is star. A wine needing a lot time.
Cracking wine, definitely. St Henri, maybe. Does it matter? 96

  • 96p

Deep, purple colour. INtense jammy nose with spicy, mocha and dark chocolate aromas. Full-bodied, dense and refined palate with silky smooth tannins, jammy red fruit character, and long harmonious finish. Drinking superbly already, but will evolve even more in next 5-7 years bottle ageing. If enjoyed now, decant for 3 hours and serve at 17-18°C with grilled beef and fillet of venison. JL 96p (12/2020)

  • 95p

Deep ruby. Blueberries and spices, liquorice, nuanced, detailed, faintly scented, some violets, layered with gorgeous notes, almost graphite deep down. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark fruity, rich, layered, nuanced, bright and refreshing, superb texture even if structure behind, beautiful balance between concentration and depth and structure, long. 97

  • 97p

95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Magill Estate. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.72. 12 months in 50-plus-year-old large oak vats. Autumn and winter were dry and cool across South Australia. Below long-term average rainfall continued throughout spring and all through summer. The climactic conditions slightly delayed the start of the growing season in the Barossa Valley and other warmer regions. However, budburst, flowering, veraison and harvest were all earlier than is usually expected of Coonawarra. Warm conditions prevailed in the early part of the summer allowing vines to develop healthy canopies and good bunch set. Some late rain in January and early February was a welcome relief. Temperatures in spring and summer were above the long-term average, resulting in an early harvest for Shiraz. More than 80% of McLaren Vale had been harvested by mid March. Cool February conditions in the Adelaide Hills ensured ripening was steady and the slightly early start to vintage was a result of a mild and dry growing season. Grapes across all the main growing regions were able to ripen evenly.
Dark crimson with black notes. Really lovely, thick but fresh ripeness. Glorious! Great. Dried grasses and freshness. Beautiful, composed stuff. Creamy texture. Luscious but not fat nor heavy. Just a little bit of chewy liquorice on the end.

14.5%

  • 93p

Medium deep colour. Lovely fragrant claret style wine with exuberant fresh red cherry redcurrant, mulberry cassis aromas and roasted walnut complexity. Well concentrated and generous with inky cassis mulberry fruits, smooth velvety tannins, attractive viscosity and richness on the mid-palate and fine integrated acidity. Finishes powdery firm with superb mineral length. A hugely evocative wine; true to the original blueprint, spirit of style and the classic Penfolds multi-regional template. Delicious to drink now but should age beautifully.

  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Magill, South Australia

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