This is a much anticipated vintage for St. Henri, and it does not disappoint. The complexity of fruit here is stunning, together with a very complex and playfully fragrant, spicy edge with graphite, roasted coffee and woody spices, framing a core of very fresh blackberries, red and dark cherries and blueberries. So fresh and brimming with fruit aromas. The palate has a stunning array of deeply fleshy fruit flavors with a superb sense of length and powerful, ripe tannin, underpinning vibrant, fleshy fruit that is beautifully assembled in a refined, elegant and impressively pure mode. So long and pure. Silky and elegant. A real masterpiece, taking its place among the finest vintages like 2010, 1990 and 1971. 95% shiraz and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Drink over the next three decades.
The St. Henri cuvée is always brought up all in neutral oak casks, and the 2016 is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 690 cases produced. This was a great vintage for South Australia, and this blockbuster sports a deep purple color as well as a dense, powerful, meaty bouquet of smoked black fruits, chocolate, bouquet garni, bay leaf, mint, and plenty of earthy minerality. Reminding me of an Hermitage from the likes of Delas Frères, it’s full-bodied and incredibly concentrated, with a stacked mid-palate and loads of ripe tannins. Backward and mostly potential at this point, it’s nevertheless a thrilling Shiraz readers should give 4-5 years of bottle age and it will knock your socks off over the coming two decades.
The 2016 St Henri Shiraz is one of the finest St Henris I've ever tasted, rivaling the likes of the 1986 or 1976. It's concentrated and rich, the essence of South Australia Shiraz (although it's been lightened by the addition of 5% Cabernet Sauvignon), unleavened by any new oak. Dark and tarry, it delivers notes of espresso and black olive, plummy fruit and roasted meat. Full-bodied and dense on the palate, it ends long, dark and savory.
Shows plenty of oomph and verve to the core of blackberry and blueberry flavors, with pops of minerally loam, licorice, black pepper and oolong tea. The tannins are fine-grained and dense, but this remains fresh overall, delivering vibrant juiciness that lends focus and energy to the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2035. 690 cases imported.
The latest St. Henri has all the polished, chocolaty plushness Penfolds is so known for, but this bottling is particularly comfortable in its own skin, and seems set for a longer time in cellar than Penfolds Grange. It’s denser, with more earthy, olivey, charred oak notes than the brand’s most famous wine-and also wildly more affordable-with fleshy plum and brambly berry fruit woven into those more barrel-derived secondary notes. Despite its velvety opulence, it’s not bombastic. Tannins are muscular and spicy and also precise and refined, knitting together the plump fruit. Drink 2023-2040 and likely longer. (Cellar Selection)
If Grange is a Penfolds icon, St Henri is its loyal sidekick, always without the cloak of new oak - an echo of the so-called ‘Hidden Granges’ when Max Schubert was denied new oak by the Penfolds board. Deep, dark and brooding in colour, its pure, liquorice-spiced Shiraz fragrance shines through on the nose. As mentioned, this is unadorned by new oak, but its chocolatey richness and power - buttressed by 5% Cabernet Sauvignon - is in no way diminished without it. It displays concentrated opulent, spice-laden dark cherry and cassis primary fruit, texturally seamless and savoury with a fine spine of acidity and firm, chewy tannins. Excellent long-term ageing potential. Drink with lamb steaks. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.
Inky ruby. Expansive black and blue fruit, vanilla, baking spice and floral scents show superb clarity and pick up a smoky nuance with aeration. Stains the palate with sweet blueberry, cherry-vanilla, allspice and fruitcake flavors that show a suave blend of richness and vivacity. Finishes with outstanding energy, steadily building tannins and strong persistence.
Winery Notes
Colour: Dark brick-red core, crimson on rim.
Nose: A wine that immediately invokes interest – its nose endearingly captivating/enticing/intriguing.
Fruits propelled from glass – black cherry, mulberry, blackcurrant, boysenberry … and more. A subliminal waft of star anise and savoury spices (not sweet) hover above. Palate: Instant delivery, demands attention. Engulfs palate ... ever so deftly. No intimidation. A pure-fruited retronasal continuum from the first sniff to the post-ingestion back-palate.
Pre-arrival
Case Only
