South Australia, AustraliaI taste St. Henri and marvel at its elegance, restraint, and majesty year after year. For the uninitiated, this is Penfolds’ ode to old oak. For 65 years, St. Henri has been an iconoclast. 2018 is one of the greatest yet expressions of shiraz that avoids the toasty, buttery, caramel flavours that dominate the standard Aussie style. Instead, the focus is upon pure, unadulterated shiraz fruit, burnished in big seasoned 50 year old, 1460 litre wooden casks. A classic multi-regional blend, fruit is fused from Barossa, McLaren Vale, Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare, and Adelaide Hills. The riveting aromas detonate with red, black, and blue fruit, adorned with savoury wafts of tapenade, dried mint, espresso, and licorice. Impossibly expansive in the mouth with colossal fruit, superb juicy freshness, melting tannins, exotic spice, and a finish that already takes the breath away. Yes, it is young and a bit rigid now, but also shockingly easy to sip at this stage of life. It’s hard to imagine a better deal for $150 than St. Henri. Finesse, elegance, power, and prestige, and good for another 10 to 20 years in the cellar, this will make a beautiful gift for the deserving. If you plan to breach the bottle this year, open, decant and let breathe for a good hour, then pour into massive glasses and pair with a simple roasted leg of lamb or beef.Tasted: 06 December 2021Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$149.99
750ml
BCLS
AB
$149.99
750ml
select private retailers
MB
$149.99
750ml
Manitoba Liquor Mart
ON
$149.95
750ml
LCBO
QC
$149.95
750ml
SAQ
NB
$149.99
750ml
NBLiquor
NS
$149.99
750ml
NSLC
NF
$149.99
750ml
NLLC
Producer: PenfoldsDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits Grape: Shiraz/SyrahCSPC: 510875UPC: 012354071773
South Australia, AustraliaSt. Henri was first made in 1957 commercially, but its history dates to 1888-1889. The style never changes, and in 2018, it joins a quartet of superstar vintages: 2016, 2010, 1990, and 1971. St. Henri has always been an alternative expression of Australian shiraz that wants to be considered among the highest quality shiraz in Oz. The trick is it has to be done without the use of any new oak. It is no easy task, but after nearly 65 years, St. Henri has proven that using no new oak is not only possible but can produce sublime wines. One of the tricks is mixing in a small proportion of cabernet sauvignon to support the structure without impacting the shiraz coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley, and the Adelaide Hills. The use of very old wooden vats completes the story. In 2018 it showed its true colour sporting a freshness that lifts the fruit and feeds the wine that winemaker Peter Gago says you can drink tomorrow or drink it in 50 years. Balanced, lush, savoury, and spicy, its fruitcake flavours preview a highly polished red with generosity and suppleness to beat the band; a classic vintage of S.t Henri. You can almost re-crush its rich fruit in your mouth. A wine to slat away another decade or two.Tasted: 10 September 2021Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$149.99
750ml
BCLS
AB
$149.99
750ml
select private retailers
MB
$149.99
750ml
Manitoba Liquor Mart
ON
$149.95
750ml
LCBO
QC
$149.95
750ml
SAQ
NB
$149.99
750ml
NBLiquor
NS
$149.99
750ml
NSLC
NF
$149.99
750ml
NLLC
Producer: PenfoldsDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits Grape: Shiraz/SyrahCSPC: 510875UPC: 012354071773
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