Penfolds, St. Henri Shiraz, South Australia

NA more restraint style. Overall pretty soft. Starts savory. Needs some time to open up the fruit alley, really after 3 hours, some raspberry and blueberry emerges. Better on day 2 and holds up well until day 3.

2014 vintage

What a lovely mature, yet vibrant wine of 35 years old showing the ageing potential of St Henri. Still good acidity keeping this wine fresh. A lovely claret style wine with leather and cocoa, and silky smooth tannins. Could sip on this for hours.

1991 vintage

Cork wasn’t great, it had turned like a fortified. A bit cloudy but still drinkable - just. Tertiary notes, leather tobacco earthy prune cigar box graphite minerals forest floor dried fruit stone raisin - I reckon would have been a pearler but the cork had not quite lasted I gave it 3 stars as just drinkable

1996 vintage

Superb and still at its top. Suggest at least 2 hours decant.

2005 vintage

From a magnum. Spicy red and black fruit, tannins quite evident but well resolved, there's real complexity and a long finish. At its peak but on this showing there's several years ahead.

2005 vintage

Decanted 3.5 h prior to tasting. Raspberries, red currants, dark chocolate, espresso, peppermint. Soft and full. Could have used a tad more acidity, but still a terrific St. Henri.

2014 vintage

Beautiful balanced Aussie Shiraz

2005 vintage

I last reviewed this wine 2 years ago (June 2023). My rating is unchanged. It is still a lovely wine and shows no sign of being over the top. Does have a lot of sediment and I would suggest at least 2 hours of decanting. Well worth the wait.

2005 vintage

5/25. This 2014 St. Henri Shiraz from South Australia offers a rich array of fruit flavors, including raspberries, blueberries, and cherries, complemented by licorice, peppermint, and brownies. It finishes with notes of espresso and bitter chocolate. The tannins are round and sweet, with soft acidity. While not the strongest vintage, it is solid and enjoyable. It is recommended to wait another five years to open for optimal enjoyment.”

2014 vintage

Decanted for two hours, with a good dose of fine, syrupy sediment, personally cellared since 2008. This bottle “my only” was singing tonight, restrained by Aussie Shiraz standards, pleasant bouquet, plenty of dark fruits, balanced by graphite, black pepper and cocoa notes, very nice, smooth, long finish. Certainly mature at 20 years, but should hold for a number of years!

2005 vintage

Solid wine. Plenty of time to go.

2014 vintage

I had this in, idk, 2002? And now again 23 years later. VERY clearly the same wine. More integrated now, but the fruit was so recognizable. Still fruity, concentrated, deep, poised, complex: burnt rubber, eucalyptus, plum, blackcurrant, leather. Really warmed up after about an hour. So perhaps not even fully mature yet?. 70

1999 vintage

The excellent structure and almost vibrant fruit shows how a struggle year can produce a better cellaring wine than a “ premium “ year like the year before 1990 which wouldn’t have been as nuanced or refined

1991 vintage

Very flat. List all fruit. A pity for such a good wine

2014 vintage

For sure past best for me. Drink up

2005 vintage

Beautiful. Will be drinking well for some years yet.

2005 vintage

Double decanted off considerable sediment an hour before consumption. Level still into neck, crumbly, spongy cork. Fully mature with leathery spice characters, gentle cedary oak, medium weight and a medium/long finish. Seems a lot of variation with this year I must say. Drink up.

1996 vintage

Truly amazing aged St Henri at 25yo. So delicate for an Aussie shiraz. Amazing smoke and pepper combo on the nose with a long eucalyptus inspired finish. My last bottle sadly. Can’t see improvement from here but also no rush.

1999 vintage

For my palette, it might be the best wine in the Penfolds lineup. Blackcurrants, raspberries, forest floor, bright acidity, dark plums, leather, licorice, cigar box. If I had another bottle, I would open it in 5 years. Great wine.

2014 vintage

A rich array of fruit, including raspberries, blueberries, and cherries is at the forefront of this 2014 St. Henri. The dense almost liqueur-like fruit is complemented by sweet licorice, peppermint, and brownies. It finishes on dark notes of espresso and bitter chocolate. Tannins are round and sweet, and the acidity is quite soft. The 14.5% is present but not allowed to come through across the wall of flavors. This is an uncomplicated – in the best sense of the term …

2014 vintage

certainly mature at almost twenty years of age and just how I like shiraz - the tannins are resolved and the fruit has lost all its hard edges and maybe starting its slow decline - delicious

2005 vintage

Brought this to New Ubin Seafood (Stevens) for a wine dinner with my mates. Theme for the evening: Aussie wines from 2005. Brick red in colour with mature notes of plums, blackberries, forest floor, mocha, milk chocolate, and a touch of tobacco and vanilla. A very well made wine. Good structure and moderate energy to generate sustained interest. Sipping on this wine is akin to the appreciation of time. The maturity of the wine coupled with the skillful hands of …

2005 vintage

Wow

2005 vintage

Gift donated for Jesus Cares fundraising dinner

1996 vintage

blackish inky plum red, medium clarity, ruby hue Nose: plum, blueberry, licorice, fruit cake, cinnamon, wet earth, mocha, wet earth, touch oak Pal: plum, blueberry, licorice, fruitcake, vanilla, mocha, earth, juniper berries, bay leaf, touch oak Feel: medium, savory, round Finish: medium T8

2005 vintage

Opened Jan 2024 A great St Henri but still too early , give it 5 more years to let the development evolve . If you like them on the fresh side then go for it.

2014 vintage

Opened this to pair with a reverse seared New York strip. Was afraid of opening it too early with less than 1 hour of decant, but I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it over the hour and half at dinner. Rich and smooth with sweet tannins, which were not excessive nor bitter. Satisfying nose of red fruits and mocha. Thanks to the use of very old oak vats, it is not a tannic or jammy style typical of Australian shiraz. …

2014 vintage

3 hour decant, opened up after 5 hours. Expressive wine, and slightly ahead of a 1990 Penfolds Bin 707

2014 vintage

Screwcap, 14% alc. Medium ruby with a touch of purple. Squishy blackberry and plum, dill, malt, a hint of leather, five spice, crushed leaves, and pencil shavings on the nose. Ripe, juicy and slippery on entry to the palate, the wine provides a linear surge of supple fruit flavour and finishes with slightly drying chalky tannins. The acid provides a definite freshness. It shows some oak surprisingly, for a St Henri. Opinion: not overdone by any measure; this St Henri …

2005 vintage

In the glass, this wine presents a deep garnet hue, exuding aromas of dark fruits, plum, blueberry, liquorice, and a hint of menthol. On the palate, it feels as though it's on the cusp of its aging curve, yet it still offers a vibrant burst of fruit upfront, transitioning to savory nuances in the mid-palate and finish. The presence of sharp tannins yet to polymerize suggests there may still be more life in this wine.

2005 vintage

V nice - as per last set of notes. Need to slow down rate of drinking as this has plenty of years in front of it yet.

2005 vintage

Delicious now (Aug 23 but will definitely keep for 5 ish years

2005 vintage

Decanted off the - huge! - amount of sediment and re-decanted back into the bottle, which was a good move. Very classy Australian shiraz, still very youthful - I imagine 5 more years and it would show much more tertiary character. Typical nose and palate of caramel, coffee, plum jam, liquorice, furniture polish, very well knit, a touch of leather coming through. Very, very smooth. For me I will always prefer the more savoury Rhone style - I find Australian …

2005 vintage

Should have an "I love it" button. Probably my favourite Penfolds wine when taking all factors, including cost, into the equation. Lots of sediment and I would recommend decanting at least an hour, preferably longer, before drinking.

2005 vintage

Drank alongside a 2009 Jonata El Alma, which had an edge over this. I left this get about an hour of air. On this showing, it was lacking some of the elegance that I recalled it having (might have been because half the bottle was already sucked out via the coravin, leaving less wine to absorb the remaining oxygen & accelerating its growth curve).

1999 vintage

NobleRottersSydney - mostly Penfolds (Fix, St James, Sydney) : {cork, 14%} [DavidH] At least a generation young than the 98, unsurprisingly. Big nose of cherry liqueur and plums. Touch of vanilla. Opened up further with time. The familial resemblance to the 98 is there, but this seems to have more extract and oak generally, with medium/high dusty tannins, and medium/full weight. Flavours follow the nose. Medium/long finish. Hard to believe it’s nearly twenty years old though. Likely will be better …

2005 vintage

Under screwcap this was an excellent Shiraz. Heaps of black and blue fruits. Full bodied without being OTT. Oak a whisper in the background. Lick of boot polish and leather for complexity. My only quibble was the lack of 'personality'. If it had one I would say "High Quality Aussie Shiraz", perhaps this was onlt stark in the ontext of the other wines tried alongside it. Standalone excellent. Still plenty of improvement to come.

2005 vintage

深宝石红，闻香有青味，桉树气息，成熟黑果，入口酸度高，单宁紧涩，酒液有一点回甜，桉树的味道明显，些许烟熏质感，草本的青味混合着黑果香气，结构感不错，后段有些回苦，对我来说愉悦感稍微弱了点，在今天众多充满表现力的酒面前稍显平淡。

2014 vintage

Cork, 14% alc. Signed by Penfolds winemaker, Peter Taylor. Auction purchase in the early 2000s. Medium garnet/ pale ruby. Some bricking. Level into neck. Cork damp all through, and completely disintegrated upon opening with an Ah-So. minimal ullage. Sweet, damp earth, cherry, blueberry, leather, licorice, light soy sauce. Hewn oak. Tannins largely resolved, slightly grainy. Savoury and dusty palate with dried sour edged fruit. Acidic line. Losing some fruit, and likely over the crest, but still life left. A bottle …

1996 vintage

Tasted alongisde 2019 which had softened & drinking very well now!

2014 vintage

Well rounded, soft tannins. Not as full bodied as expected. Need to consume now.

2005 vintage

Unbelievable, savory, olive, dark fruit, wonderful aroma, long lasting finish.

2014 vintage

Double decanted for 2-3 hours. A fairly relaxed but polished Aussie Shiraz. Not a bruiser. While clearly new world it is relatively restrained compared to some of its Barossa siblings. Lots of polished sweet black fruit with some savouriness and a hint of spice on the palate. Alcohol is in check. Tannins are resolving nicely with a hint of powder. In the zone now with a good decant, but should be fine to hang on to for another 10 years.

2005 vintage

Not over the hill, but at the back end of the prime drinking window. Mature tertiary notes are starting to take over the primary fruit that I think these wines are best known for. Structure is still there and overall a great wine. Would have been a 95+ if I had got to it a couple of years ago.

2005 vintage

Lovely wine. Soft tannins, well structured. Lots of gas in the tank. Luscious purple colour. American oak on the palate leading to a blackberry finish. Mocha and pepper on the mid level. Very flavourful.

2014 vintage

Took a few hours to open up. Was pretty flat to begin. At the darker end of the fruit spectrum. The older oak treatment ensures there’s some enjoyment here. You can still see a bit of the house style bleeding through, but nowhere near as much as its masculine, balltearing brethren. Has some upside for the future too.

2014 vintage

17th April 2022 Surprisingly dry..is it too young? Strange that it is this dry for this youthful wine..will try again soon.,

2014 vintage

This bottle had a clear oxidative streak next to cooked fruit and torrefaction. I think think it was representative

2005 vintage

Ready to go, gave a few hours decant. Some savoury earthy notes with touch of liquorice. Plenty of fruit still. Seems a little simple. Not brash and decent enough. Can drink with or without food.

2005 vintage

1ere fois que je dégustais ce vin. Je m’attendais à ce qu’il soit plus corsé (explosif), mais non, tout en finesse et avec une belle longueur ! Le nez est fruité et intense. Très bon vin 👍🏼

2014 vintage

Are you sure?

Penfolds, St. Henri Shiraz, South Australia

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews