Deep opaque garnet. Aromas of blackberry, juniper berry, lavender, truffle and smoke. Full body. Rounded juicy tannins. Blackcurrant acids and coffee bitterness. Palate of cassis, licorice, cloves, blackberry jam and charcuterie. A powerful, slightly undeveloped and complex wine with dark fruit, concentration and a promising spicy finish. Drink within 10-15 years. Tasted alongside Penfolds Grange 1998 and the present wine is concentrated and not as crowd-pleasing as the matched wine.
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Cork broke slightly when opening. Dark, dense, inky red colour with slight brown edges. Menthol, slightly meaty nose with subdued hints of dark fruits. Smooth, rounded mouthfeel. Dark fruit flavours, a bit of liquorice and a little touch of vanilla. Grippy tannins at the end with hints of musk and Hubba-Bubba original bubblegum. Long finish with a bit of acidic brightness. In a very nice drinking spot with plenty of interest but still has a lot of life left in it.
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Decanted with light fine sediment, personally cellared since 2009. Initially this particular bottle was quite acidic, though there was a bountiful amount of red and blue fruit lingering in the background. Once the acidity calmed down this St. Henri was lovely, showing how new world can become one, with old world. Based on this particular well stored bottle, I would drink over the next couple of years or so.
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Interesting. The first bottle has a very friable cork through which my corkscrew pulled leaving a lot of cork fragments in the bottle. I filtered them off so the wine was effectively double decanted. It was very flat: almost all the tannins had gone and the fruit was nonexistant. Somewhat concerend I opened the next bottle the following night. The cork was much less friable still firm tannins and still good fruit but much less interesting than I had hoped. Some lavender/rosemary in the mid palate with hints of cocao on the finish but less than i had hoped for. Disapointing.
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Purchased from London. shipped to Hong Kong and stored in wine fridge for over 10 years. 6 bottles OWC and intact package. Open and pour while watching world cup Belgium vs Morocco. Color was crimson and clear. Nose was average and sweet. Tannin was a bit harsh and even disjointed. Plenty of berries but background wasn't balanced and almost medicinal taste. This was my second bottle. Previous bottle was similarly disappointing. Definitely not worth the price tag.
45 minutes later .... not much improvement.
36 hours later .... much improved with much softer tannins and even some integration. Thr harsh and medicinal palate were almost gone. One of the conclusions is that the bottle is hibernating and shut down. So I won't open another bottle in the next 2 years.
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brick red, dark ruby, in color. rich dark fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, iodine, earth, sliced meat, spice, herbs. juicy black fruits, dusty tannins, on the finish.
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What a lovely Aussie Shiraz. Don’t have many in my cellar, recently been collecting Rhone style wines from California (Alban, Sine Qua Non, Saxum). This had a very expressive nose detectable a couple of inches from the glass, all red ripe fruit and allspice. Very smooth fine grained tannins that suggested some more years of drinking yet didn’t distract at all from today’s experience. Reminded me of some older Alban Reva bottlings, particularly the 2008. Very good company indeed.
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Cork, 14.5% alc. Deep mahogany red. Perfect , firm cork that is wetted only at its end.
The wine initially opens meaty and reductive, showing little fruit and looking somewhat tired. With extended airing, the sweet fruit emerges. Star anise, a hint of iodine, blackberry, deli meats, violet and herbs.
Lovely juicy mouthfeel. Sort of creamy but not full bodied or soft. Fine, dusty tannins, and bright acid. Good length.
Opinion: Yet to develop significant tertiary complexity, and needing more time to do that. However this St Henri is drinking beautifully now, with a decent decant.
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Decanted for 2+ hrs, it still needs a lot of air to get things going. More homogenous with time, coffee with red berry liquor, just on the verge to develop tertiary aromas. Nice juiciness and tension, lovely for drinking now.
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This has been in storage for a long time… we were waiting for a good event, and 50th bday fit the bill! We really enjoyed the evening and this Magnum drained quickly! Silky smooth with loads of rich Shiraz berry notes.
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Decanted and served and some decanting is advisable . Granted not the style we usually go for this however was a lot more reserved for an early 2000s Aussie Shiraz, less sweet a bit more cooler climate feel. Good wine for sure and lovers of the style would love it. 92 from us.
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Majestic bottle. Again 375ml. Still so fresh and lively - great fruit character. Red and dark berries. Liquorice, Tar, Leather. Still some puckery acid. Structured and balanced. Borderline 95pt. Special! and best St Henri experience in awhile I think.
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375ml format...initially opened a month ago (no note) under Coravin. Still beautiful and simply more-ish. Perhaps deeper and more brooding than expected (perhaps Coravin effect) - it took a little air time to integrate. Smooth, plum and dark berries with with savoury meaty/tarry edges. Really engaging.
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Really great wine. Not massive but chock full of well balanced flavor and good structure. Very classic Barrossa Shiraz character.
Deep garnet color, a little bricking but not too much.
Medium+ nose of juicy blackberries and plums, pepper and leather
Full bodied and quite a long finish, medium+ acid (a touch more than expected) and tannins, tannins have softened and are pleasant, coating the teeth, cheeks and tongue. Still very juicy, flavor just like the nose. Lots of fruit, lots of leather, pepper p, some charcoal and tar.
Drank over 3 days and while it certainly lasted I thought it was just as good on day 1.
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Starting to go garnet on the edge, although the core is still pretty dark. On the nose, ripe black fruit, dusty, black pepper, bacon, a touch hot. . Juicy, ripe, but not overly so. Sweetness well balanced by acidity. Soft. Ripe black berries. Fig. Very harmonious and so easy to drink. Sweet spices, roast meat. Good length, but not exceptional. Clean, dry finish. Could probably go on a few more years before peak, but an excellent drink now.
Decanted. Appearance: dark inky purple starting to turn. Nose shows notes of redcurrant and blue fruits, roasted meats, quite savoury, a hint of vanilla with very little oak as expected for this wine. The palate is medium bodied, lacks some mouthweight, soft tannins but a shortish finish. Drinking nicely. I normally enjoy this style of wine but this one didn't do it for me.
Last two bottles corked. This one tonight was singing after 6 hours. I may have even changed the Duck’s view on St Henri and the old red caps. Still had some mouldy musty corky notes, but once it cleaned itself up and opened the windows it was lovely. 10-15 years a sweet spot for St Henri. If you have any, have a look but be careful to let It sit for 6 hours open. 4.5/5. Drink now to 10 years. The screwcap vintages of this cuvée will be very long lived.
Solid red purple with slight bricking at rim. Teaspoon of sediment or more. Cork 1/5 up, a slightly musty smell off of the cork. I thought was being paranoid, but Duck picked the corky smell blind.
Day two, morning... An MW friend taught me to always keep a small taste for the morning of the day after to fully assess its quality. The night before, especially with friends and a lot of wine had, is not the ideal time to judge a wine. Given the amount of sediment in the bottle, I poured the last 50mls in to a wine glass and left it overnight for sediment to settle. In the morning I get up very early, so the house is quiet, helping with focus. Old and new all at once. Pennies acidity keeping the full bodied wine fresh, sappy, leather, undergrowthy, with earth big wide fan of dark spice and fruit. Love the iron notes, and the slight praline edge that I see in top Bordeaux. Is very long, interplay between iron, tannins, savoury, leafy, and fresh fruit and perky acids see this as a nice halfway point. Will live another 16 years cork willing, but try to catch it between now and then. Alcohol fully folded in to the wine today. This wine has really found its balance slowly as it breathes. Excellent to exceptional. 4.6. Now to 15 years. Will take the other two bottles to the clinic, that musty cork and track record I want to know where my last bottles stand. Day three... Put the score one point higher based on day three. Tannins are still quite raw and mouth filling, carrying a huge wave of savoury Shiraz spice and an amazing depth of meaty flavours. If you drink this all on night one you are missing out on how good this wine is. Like the kids in the marshmallow test, wait and you’ll see a much better wine.
I really hope the bottles I have left are the ones with the good corks. The good bottles of this wine are sublime and are as good as any Australian wine in market style preferences aside. Thank you Penfolds for putting under screwcap for domestic market. Not so much for the recent price increases. 4.6 out of 5. 96pts.
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From .375. Dark purple. Nice nose of blackberry, cedar and earth. Beautiful palate of smooth balanced flavors of blackberry, earth, charcoal and cassis. Not sweet; just delicious.
Another bottle. Coravin sample and tried alongside a couple of Bordeaux.
Deep dark fruit. Blackberry, downunder burnt soil, but the overwhelming feature is the strong sweet licorice nose. Sweet almost jammy fruit, good acidity and resolved tannin. Too sweet compared to Bordeaux side by side. On second thoughts an enormous sweet licorice nose. As I have a few more bottles and it will be interesting to see where this goes…
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(Cork) popped the cork and decanted for 6 hours for Easter lunch. Having read some concerning notes from others I was interested to see how this was travelling. Perfect condition showing little age, some brown rimming, leather, Xmas pudding and plum. Well balanced with the tannin only starting to appear and the wine take shape in the last glass. This looks like it will last an age, only bother for me is that it didn’t hold much interest. I’m happy to leave another 5-8 years pending the cork gods being kind.
Blueberry, eucalyptus and earthy notes. Concentrated with a medium finish. Mint, blackberry and olive aftertaste. Powerful with fresh acidity. Good structure with chewy tannin. Drink now-2025.
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Something of the rich Penfolds house style on the nose, but some pleasing meaty complexity lurks behind the veneer.
Soft and approachable on the palate, and superficially just feels just a little too much so, but there are velvety tannins lurking with a faint bitter edge, and there is just enough acidity to stop it being clunky.
The other bottles will sleep, as this confirms the assumption I'd want to keep these for longer. Yes it could use some more complexity, but it is early in its life still.
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Tasted this about 3 years ago and found it porty. Time has helped and I find this has settled down a little. While still on the 'warm side,' and a big wine, it's not a caricature, like so many frankly average SA Shiraz's can be. A boat load of black fruit backed up with fruitcake spices, chocolate, and pepper on the nose and palate. The wine is round and palate coating but there's just enough acidity to drive it across the palate and keep you coming back for another mouthful. Drunk over two days, this was better on the second. I think this very drinkable now but may well improve over another 5 years. Thanks Cliff.
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There was blackcurrant and menthol on the nose. It was ripe on the palate, with good body and some tannins on the finish. This is still youthful, and whilst quite enjoyable now, should improve further.
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Medium amber, brownish. Wow, this looks and smells very mature. Lots of tertiary notes with nutmeg, cloves, leather, autumn leaves, cured meat. Alcohol and body on the high side but just about enough acidity to tame it. A solid but not grand Barossa wine. I wonder if all bottles are this evolved.
last of four bottles and by far the best. the winemaker has a reputation for making wines that age very well and that was certainly my experience. For a moderately priced wine it can certainly last. Loved the wine.
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Coravin sample. Dark fruit, graphite, touch of scorched earth, stones, licorice. In the mouth a touch of tobacco and a fruit core that has definitely moved away from the primary stage. Eucalyptus is there but also rich fruit, quite good acidity and fine tannin. Medium+ body. Long balanced finish. Drinks well now but no hurry at all. Bottle opened a year later with consistent impression.
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Decanted 1hr, could have been much longer. Unique by Aussie standards, subdle, even elegant, not unbordeaux like, mineral/terroir driven, lots of graphite, stone, cassis, dark cherry, the other side of Aussie Shiraz, no decernable oak, a food wine.
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Stunning bottle. decanted for about 3 hours. Drunk with venison with a chocolate sauce. Bi big fruit, blackcurrant and chocolaty with wonderful redcurrant high notes. Long. Silky tannins. Easily has another 10 years left
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beaut nose of black plum, dark cherry, cloves and purply blue violets. cedary caramel oak, leather and dark earth with very grippy tannin. Well made wine! A baby!
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Still far too young and like many of the 2004 vintage hanging onto its robust tannins. Needs min 5 years otherwise it's just a waste. Time will tell if a butterfly emerges or not.
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The most intriguing Australian wine I recall tasting...ever, and I do not recall greater enjoyment from a 'Shiraz'. The wine shows a eucalyptus note up front, and that is the only reason why I would think 'Australia' if blind. Otherwise, it delivers one of the purest expressions of Syrah that I have come across, and features mind-bending layers. Perfectly ripe, not excessively so, exceptionally harmonious and balanced. A wine of the earth, the conveys notable smokiness, scorched earth, and a veritable umami river. Medium plus to high acid and surprising tannins provide thought provoking lift, structure, and depth. This magnum could have aged for another fifteen to twenty years. 95-96.
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Right now this is just too sweet and concentrated - think liquid quince. The initial impression is of blackcurrent and some pepper, but then spice cake, liquorice and honeysuckle follow in waves before a subtle but persistant and long finish of chocolate-juniper. The structure is very impressive - very heavy (but fine/ripe) tanins and high acidity. This will age wonderfully - and it does need lots of time in bottle... I do not think this will peak before 2025. With air the aromatics really start to shine. 93pts now, but I would expect this to be ~95pts in 10yrs. Drink 2022-2032, and open magnums from 2025. I still prefer this bottling, when fully mature, to Grange.
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Deep solid red. Nice ripe fruit, plums and blackcurrants, very smooth, a hint of darker spice but subtle. Supremely smooth, fleshy but not heavy, balanced, refined tannins and a long clean crisp finish. Classic St Henri. Pure ripe fruit flavours, no evident oak, dark fruits like blackcurrant and plum, a bit of fruitcake and light tar/licorice. Drinks nicely now but will last forever.
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Every facet of this wine exudes both power and clarity, built on four towering pillars of complex and utterly delicious fruit, brightly refreshing acidity, deep and smooth tannin, and an incredibly caressing mouth feel. Tasted from a magnum bottle. Pitch black in the glass out to the rim. Magnificently intense aromas of concentrated black cherry, blackberry, and black plum that make the mouth water with the joys of anticipation. The sip is liquid silk swaddled around delicious black fruits. As might be expected when upfront flavors are dominated by rich fruit, whirlwinds of acidity and tannin sweep through the mouth only after the swallow, and these are not mouth stripping but instead stimulate a flow of saliva that bathes the body of the wine with a wonderful juiciness. Dryness comes back strongly only at the end of a crowning finish that goes on for minutes.
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The drinking window on this wine has always been long and my experience in drinking this wine young was not rewarding. It has probably entered it's drinking window now. It tasted like an amarone, very sweet, rich, smooth. I'll try my last bottle in a couple years.
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Back from my travels in Myanmar (a vinous desert) and grabbed this from my cellar to see if it matched my original note from September 2015 made at a Spectator Winemaker's Dinner. It did, but even after a 2.5hr decant clearly needs longer to develop to full potential than my original thoughts - a LOT longer. Will not touch next bottle till 2020 and expect this wine to hit 93+?+ with ease. Superb potential.
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Decanted about 30 minutes which was not enough. Drank over a couple of hours and it started to open up slowly. Still young. Very tight structure with warmth. As usual with penfolds more classic old school-ish than a lot of warm Shiraz character. Some white pepper but very discreet.
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Tight on opening, but tannins mellowed out with some time in decanter. Ripe and sweet blackberry and black cherry, licorice, coffee, wet tobacco leaves, some leather, dried (provencal) herbs and some lovely spice. Complex and complete, with plenty potential for further development.
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Decanted for about 3 hours, with traditional rib of beef (it was very good beef!) Incredibly tight on opening - almost no nose except for distant peppermint (yes, weird, but it was there). Dark and dense in colour. Tannins still tight ont he first taste with high peppers and fruits in the distance - a tantalizing presence rather than in your face. It worked very well with the food. Overall a wonderful bottle of wine but I will wait another 5 years before opening the next bottle.
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Spectator Winemaker's Dinner with Penfolds' chief winemaker Peter Gago - 108 Brasserie, London. Limited note taking. Taut, concentrated, pure sweet blackberry/dark hedge fruit with great grip and spice. Slight heat but becoming velvety. No obvious oak (matured in very old large oak foudres). Grape tannins starting to smooth out. Close to hitting a very long and developing plateau. Start drinking next year and enjoy its development up to 30 years (minimum) from vintage. Outstanding with potential. 93+?+
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Cork was in excellent condition. Decanted for 6 hours. Lots of black fruit here - mainly in the riper plum and blackberry spectrum. A little porty. There are some earthy tones and dark chocolate too. Not a lot of spice and pepper notes but they were there if you went looking for them. This is mostly about the fruit though... and texture. Very smooth across the palate with a round, sensual feel. Broad shouldered though and clearly medium to full bodied. Lacking a little acidity and drive for me. Will be very interested to see how this ages - while drinking OK now, I think it'll be better in 10 years, having gained more complexity and a mellowed fruit profile.
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Fresh with great structure and fine grained tannin. The purity of fruit is impressive. Blackberry blueberry flowers mint and earthiness. Still quite young in profile. Long fruity finish with tons of black licorice and a hint of black olive paste.
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From magnum. Still tannic but lovely fruit and coffee flavours made it a great bottle with the grilled sea bass. I will wait another 5 years for the next bottle.
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Well done and ready to drink, but not very exciting. I was expecting sooo much more after all these years of careful aging in the cellar. Will definitely last for 10-15 more years...but how much more can it improve...not much in my opinion.
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NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds prior to 2005 (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} (David) No decant. Plummy and ripe. Smells big, but restrained; like a V12 engine idling at 900rpm. The medium/full-bodied palate has opened up a little at a decade old; it’s balanced, with plum and blackberry flavours, medium dusty tannins, a touch of pine/oak flavour, and a polished, long-finishing texture. Made the preceding Bin 389 taste woodchippy and coarse. This was a much acclaimed vintage on release; I reckon this has got another decade at least before it reaches a peak. Should be awesome with time.
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Dense purple colour but some reddishness on the rim, just showing signs of some age.
Notes of coffee, liquorice, violets, plums, some smoke - is this the start of a more roast meat character in its later years?
Super smooth on palate, really good acidity will see it age for a long time, tannins are smooth but present - although like some other reviewers they are clearly not abundant.
Lovely to drink now, I have three bottles and six magnums left, will try another bottle in a couple of years, the wine will easily last for another 10-15 years or more
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Dinner with some Penfolds wines (Magill’05/RWT’04/StHenry’04) - WOTN for me, it needed almost 2hrs in the decanter to start shinning. First comes with coffee action, but later develops deep and rich juicy profile, there were distinctive red berry/ cherry character at some stage, although the flavor profile was on the earthy tones most of the time.It stays really fresh and inviting throughout the long dinner, the depth of the flavors were captivating and the wine was getting better and better confirming the long life ahead.
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This bottle, though drinkable was a disappointment, one dimensional with hints of menthol and medicinal notes. This bottle was dry by Aussie standards but lacked the complexity I was expecting.
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Decanter 30 minutes. Opaque dark garnet in colour. Blackberry spice and all things nice, licorice, black currants. Medium mouthfeel, a lighter more feminine drink than the middleweight champion '04 389 of last night. Blackberry, black currant, dark cherries, a mouthful of black fruits and savoury finish.
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Dense purple colour, tightly coiled fruit with oak on the nose that follows through on the palate. Not in the plush style, more raw and energetic. Under cork. Drinking well. Has more years ahead
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Decanted 1/2 hour before consumption. Roasted coffee and cassis with smoky undertones. Palate was very dense with very fine tannins. As noted by JEFFAL66, the wine was slightly high in acidity and tart. Very elegant and balanced wine. Will do better with further ageing.
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Mature jam session. Unsure where this was 5-8 years ago but, 10 years in, it's drinking balanced, fairly acidic and tart. With potent fruit backing, an elegant Shiraz with commendable balance. 14.5% but not feeling too heavy. Watch for full residue in the bottle. Great value at $15 in PA a couple years back.
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this exudes class, dark in colour, lovely nose predominantly of blueberry . nice mouthfeel suggests a long life ahead. can see why this wine has doubled in price over the last 6 years. delicious
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With the pending release of the much heralded 2010 St Henri, thought I should turn my attention to the equally regaled 2004.
Decanted for one hour, quite a lot of sediment. Dark red garnet in colour, almost opaque. Heady load of dark fruit, licorice, leather, hint of white pepper, a sweet fragrance lifting all in unison. Medium- full body, silky mouthfeel up front, cracking pure fruit blackberry, raspberries, cherries, white plum, very moorish. Seamless mid-palate moving to mild acidity on the tongue, hardly notice the mild chalky tannins in the background of the endless finish. The best vintages of St Henri are all about the fruit, and this is very integrated, well balanced and delicious.
Many suggest decanting for four to six hours and the '04 has really got its boogie on in the last two years.
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Fabulous nose of blackberry with big floral elements and a touch of alcohol. Dark purple and no tannin. Blackberry, earth, pepper and spice. From .375 ml. No tannin. Looking for some more fruit but a nice wine nonetheless.
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First bottle, still inky, dense red, big wine, old style Penfolds. Beautifully balanced fine tannins. Full of spices on nose. Rich, heavy (coming after some delightful pinot). Tasted more like a 3 year old than nine year old. Put away for five years before trying again.
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Classic St Henri - full flavoured but elegant. No shortage of fruit but tightly structured in a totally pleasurable way. At times the slightest distracting tinge of oak. Thoroughly enjoyable and a great accompaniment to our BBQ. 375ml format
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I may have had an off bottle because this was seriously evolved.... raisiny, port-like.... not bad, but not at all what my previous experience was (5 years ago) with this wine. I am no expert on VA but this is what it seemed like.... disappointing overall, given its reputation.
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Mini Astralis vertical vs. Kaesler & Penfolds St Henri (New Ubin Seafood): Dark and opaque, still young with purple hues. The nose is still primary with plenty of dark fruits and blackberry. Nice full bodied on palate, big fruits, blue berry jam and blackberry. Still very young at this stage. It has long and fine aftertaste.
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Light body, requires decanting for one hour before drinking. Dark garnet in colour, earthy taste. My preference is the '05 Mount Edelstone. Cellar is a work in progress.
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Update: This was even better after 5 days in the fridge. Complex fruits of blackberry, dark plum, blueberry, finished with hints of cherry cola. Mouth coating and decadent, without being overdone. Not sure this will pair with food all that well, but based on this bottle should be even better in maybe 5 or so years.
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Decanted 2hrs, could not drink this when first poured, way to much VA, poued back into the bottle, corked it and refrigerated. Much better the next day, loads of blue fruit, blackcerries, mint minerals and vanilla, may need to wait awhile on these.
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Red colour with slight purple tinge. Black fruit, spice, licquorice, all spice and leather on nose. Similiar taste with a rich, meaty savouriness. Great balance and a long finish. Excellent wine with many years ahead but drinking well now.
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Clear dark ruby in colour. Clean med nose of Black fruits and spice. Dry, med acidity, smooth tannins, underwhelming on palate. flavours of Black cherry, vanilla, and spice. med finish. Drank fr 375ml bottle, so not sure if this accounted for some of the lack of wow.
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Dark purple/black in colour. This wine has the most amazing lifted aroma - filling up the room. Cherry, plums, blackberry and spice on the nose. Unfortunately, I don't think the flavours lived up to the smell. Blackberry, plums, dark chocolate, spice and vanilla in the mouth. Silky tannins but only medium bodied with medium length. It may have been a case of excessive expectations, but this left me wanting more. Maybe it's on a bit of a flat spot at eight years old? Its still a very good wine. We'll see I suppose in a few years.
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Beautiful nose. Very complex aroma and flavors of dark fruit, meat and earth. The grippiest yet smoothest tannins of the top flight of wines of the night. Longest finish and most contemplative wine of the night. My #1 and the groups #1 of the night.
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Aerated for a few hours, this was one of the best wines we've had in a while, we've been getting away from 'Shiraz' per se, but this blew our socks off with it's intensity, balance and overall quality - Black, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, pepper, plum, spice and vanilla, impecably balanced, complex, velvety smooth on the palate with amazing length, outstanding (94 Points).
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Aromas of bright red fruit, baking spices, and a whole lot of oak. Sour cherry and cranberry on the palate. The amount of oak that comes through overshadows any qualities of the fruit. ($18)
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From one of Australia's most well know producers this wine is made with fruit from the Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek and Adelaide Hills. The 2004 vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon matured for 16 months in trademark large, old oak vats.
Dark purple in the glass, this wine shows fruit cake, tobacco and intense spice aromas on the nose. The palate shows cherry fruit, vibrant acidity, subtle oak and a warming finish.
Very tasty, but not as amazing as I was expecting for such a great vintage.
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Dark color. Blackberries, sage, rosemary and vanilla toast. This has a powerful mouthfeel, it is big and rich, but has some structure. The finish is good, with plums. This is my first St.Henri, and I expected a bit complexity. I agree with the comment that descibing it as a "old world" version of Grange is an overstatement - this is still Australia.
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Pours out saturated to black, but it's quite pliant once you taste it. This has more energy to it than most wines that are so richly constituted. Still, the notion that this is the old-school counterpoint to Grange is a little overstated. It certainly has a modern polish to it with its gloss and its lack of pretty much any perceptible structure at all -- the tannins are burnished down to a barely perceptible wisp. A gleaming package with no rough edges, I can see how it could make a fine base for the development of some tertiary elements (especially given how fragrant the leftovers are the next day), but there's certainly no backwardsness getting in the way of enjoying it for what it is now.
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Bright reddish purple ruby, it gave off a little sediment, but nothing alarming for an 04. The alcohol was hot for my nose, but there was nice black cherry, cooked strawberry, blackberry. red licorice, and some vanilla toast on the nose. But the fruits were slammed down by the astringent oak, making the fruits angry and sour, tossing some spice and pepper back at the winemaker out of spite. Off balance.
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4/7/2024 - Araldinho Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep opaque garnet.
Aromas of blackberry, juniper berry, lavender, truffle and smoke.
Full body.
Rounded juicy tannins. Blackcurrant acids and coffee bitterness.
Palate of cassis, licorice, cloves, blackberry jam and charcuterie.
A powerful, slightly undeveloped and complex wine with dark fruit, concentration and a promising spicy finish. Drink within 10-15 years.
Tasted alongside Penfolds Grange 1998 and the present wine is concentrated and not as crowd-pleasing as the matched wine.
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1/7/2024 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Cork broke slightly when opening. Dark, dense, inky red colour with slight brown edges. Menthol, slightly meaty nose with subdued hints of dark fruits. Smooth, rounded mouthfeel. Dark fruit flavours, a bit of liquorice and a little touch of vanilla. Grippy tannins at the end with hints of musk and Hubba-Bubba original bubblegum. Long finish with a bit of acidic brightness. In a very nice drinking spot with plenty of interest but still has a lot of life left in it.
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1/6/2024 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still a ripping SA Shiraz.
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10/21/2023 - wineshaman wrote: 91 Points
Decanted with light fine sediment, personally cellared since 2009.
Initially this particular bottle was quite acidic, though there was a bountiful amount of red and blue fruit lingering in the background.
Once the acidity calmed down this St. Henri was lovely, showing how new world can become one, with old world. Based on this particular well stored bottle, I would drink over the next couple of years or so.
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10/16/2023 - BobMcK wrote: 85 Points
Interesting. The first bottle has a very friable cork through which my corkscrew pulled leaving a lot of cork fragments in the bottle. I filtered them off so the wine was effectively double decanted. It was very flat: almost all the tannins had gone and the fruit was nonexistant. Somewhat concerend I opened the next bottle the following night. The cork was much less friable still firm tannins and still good fruit but much less interesting than I had hoped. Some lavender/rosemary in the mid palate with hints of cocao on the finish but less than i had hoped for. Disapointing.
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9/16/2023 - Isaac D wrote:
Mediterranean herbs, Blackberries, blueberries, dark plums, cooked plums, hint of leather. Beautiful beautiful stuff. Has plenty of time to burn. 96+
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2/14/2023 - lim.calvinb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Coravin sample.
3 hour decant works as noted by previous posters.
Tastes like a 10 year old Amarone I have in the cellar - are aged Shiraz supposed to taste like this?
Sour cherries, plum, dark stewed/dried fruits, some vanilla, casis, licorice and tobacco on the nose. Palate confirms aromas.
Still high acid with integrated tannins, high alcohol gives the wine enough weight and heft.
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2/11/2023 - Volleyball Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good but a bit lacking in Pizzaz compared with the arkenstone drunk just before
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1/13/2023 - chbeaumont wrote: 93 Points
Deep; showy, resplendent reined in fruit; polished, sassy. Real depth. Plenty left in the tank.
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11/27/2022 - timbo9313 wrote: 88 Points
Purchased from London. shipped to Hong Kong and stored in wine fridge for over 10 years. 6 bottles OWC and intact package. Open and pour while watching world cup Belgium vs Morocco. Color was crimson and clear. Nose was average and sweet. Tannin was a bit harsh and even disjointed. Plenty of berries but background wasn't balanced and almost medicinal taste. This was my second bottle. Previous bottle was similarly disappointing. Definitely not worth the price tag.
45 minutes later .... not much improvement.
36 hours later .... much improved with much softer tannins and even some integration. Thr harsh and medicinal palate were almost gone. One of the conclusions is that the bottle is hibernating and shut down. So I won't open another bottle in the next 2 years.
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7/26/2022 - JJKinch wrote: flawed
From half bottle. Dried sediment on side of bottle. Possible heat damage.
Dark fruit, roasted fruit. Chocolate. Think this was heat damaged.
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7/14/2022 - affordableCollector wrote: 93 Points
brick red, dark ruby, in color. rich dark fruit, blackberry, dark cherry, iodine, earth, sliced meat, spice, herbs. juicy black fruits, dusty tannins, on the finish.
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6/30/2022 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a lovely Aussie Shiraz. Don’t have many in my cellar, recently been collecting Rhone style wines from California (Alban, Sine Qua Non, Saxum). This had a very expressive nose detectable a couple of inches from the glass, all red ripe fruit and allspice. Very smooth fine grained tannins that suggested some more years of drinking yet didn’t distract at all from today’s experience.
Reminded me of some older Alban Reva bottlings, particularly the 2008. Very good company indeed.
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2/26/2022 - chbeaumont wrote: 92 Points
Deep; smart, understated, classy; polished, sleek, the antithesis of Oz gung-ho Shiraz. This has plenty of depth & merits more time. Yet to peak.
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2/1/2022 - colinscellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark fruit and sweet licorice notes stood out. Lots of tannic grip still present, so should have a lot of years to go yet.
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10/3/2021 - mphatic Likes this wine:
Cork, 14.5% alc. Deep mahogany red. Perfect , firm cork that is wetted only at its end.
The wine initially opens meaty and reductive, showing little fruit and looking somewhat tired. With extended airing, the sweet fruit emerges. Star anise, a hint of iodine, blackberry, deli meats, violet and herbs.
Lovely juicy mouthfeel. Sort of creamy but not full bodied or soft. Fine, dusty tannins, and bright acid. Good length.
Opinion: Yet to develop significant tertiary complexity, and needing more time to do that. However this St Henri is drinking beautifully now, with a decent decant.
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8/31/2021 - Lyubomir Lefterov Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2+ hrs, it still needs a lot of air to get things going. More homogenous with time, coffee with red berry liquor, just on the verge to develop tertiary aromas. Nice juiciness and tension, lovely for drinking now.
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7/25/2021 - mpricher wrote: 92 Points
This has been in storage for a long time… we were waiting for a good event, and 50th bday fit the bill! We really enjoyed the evening and this Magnum drained quickly! Silky smooth with loads of rich Shiraz berry notes.
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7/24/2021 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and served and some decanting is advisable .
Granted not the style we usually go for this however was a lot more reserved for an early 2000s Aussie Shiraz, less sweet a bit more cooler climate feel. Good wine for sure and lovers of the style would love it. 92 from us.
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6/20/2021 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Majestic bottle. Again 375ml. Still so fresh and lively - great fruit character. Red and dark berries. Liquorice, Tar, Leather. Still some puckery acid. Structured and balanced. Borderline 95pt. Special! and best St Henri experience in awhile I think.
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1/30/2021 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 93 Points
375ml format...initially opened a month ago (no note) under Coravin. Still beautiful and simply more-ish. Perhaps deeper and more brooding than expected (perhaps Coravin effect) - it took a little air time to integrate. Smooth, plum and dark berries with with savoury meaty/tarry edges. Really engaging.
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12/19/2020 - Volleyball Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really great wine. Not massive but chock full of well balanced flavor and good structure. Very classic Barrossa Shiraz character.
Deep garnet color, a little bricking but not too much.
Medium+ nose of juicy blackberries and plums, pepper and leather
Full bodied and quite a long finish, medium+ acid (a touch more than expected) and tannins, tannins have softened and are pleasant, coating the teeth, cheeks and tongue. Still very juicy, flavor just like the nose. Lots of fruit, lots of leather, pepper p, some charcoal and tar.
Drank over 3 days and while it certainly lasted I thought it was just as good on day 1.
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8/19/2020 - winesteward Likes this wine: 92 Points
Starting to go garnet on the edge, although the core is still pretty dark. On the nose, ripe black fruit, dusty, black pepper, bacon, a touch hot. . Juicy, ripe, but not overly so. Sweetness well balanced by acidity. Soft. Ripe black berries. Fig. Very harmonious and so easy to drink. Sweet spices, roast meat. Good length, but not exceptional. Clean, dry finish. Could probably go on a few more years before peak, but an excellent drink now.
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8/7/2020 - willmark wrote: 89 Points
7th Aug 2020:
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7/2/2020 - BAJRiley Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted. Appearance: dark inky purple starting to turn. Nose shows notes of redcurrant and blue fruits, roasted meats, quite savoury, a hint of vanilla with very little oak as expected for this wine. The palate is medium bodied, lacks some mouthweight, soft tannins but a shortish finish. Drinking nicely. I normally enjoy this style of wine but this one didn't do it for me.
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6/13/2020 - Acesnead Likes this wine: 95 Points
Unbelievably good wine. One of the best I’ve ever had. Would get another in heart beat.
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6/3/2020 - Screwcaps Likes this wine: 96 Points
Last two bottles corked. This one tonight was singing after 6 hours. I may have even changed the Duck’s view on St Henri and the old red caps. Still had some mouldy musty corky notes, but once it cleaned itself up and opened the windows it was lovely. 10-15 years a sweet spot for St Henri. If you have any, have a look but be careful to let It sit for 6 hours open. 4.5/5. Drink now to 10 years. The screwcap vintages of this cuvée will be very long lived.
Solid red purple with slight bricking at rim.
Teaspoon of sediment or more.
Cork 1/5 up, a slightly musty smell off of the cork. I thought was being paranoid, but Duck picked the corky smell blind.
Day two, morning...
An MW friend taught me to always keep a small taste for the morning of the day after to fully assess its quality. The night before, especially with friends and a lot of wine had, is not the ideal time to judge a wine.
Given the amount of sediment in the bottle, I poured the last 50mls in to a wine glass and left it overnight for sediment to settle. In the morning I get up very early, so the house is quiet, helping with focus.
Old and new all at once. Pennies acidity keeping the full bodied wine fresh, sappy, leather, undergrowthy, with earth big wide fan of dark spice and fruit.
Love the iron notes, and the slight praline edge that I see in top Bordeaux.
Is very long, interplay between iron, tannins, savoury, leafy, and fresh fruit and perky acids see this as a nice halfway point.
Will live another 16 years cork willing, but try to catch it between now and then.
Alcohol fully folded in to the wine today. This wine has really found its balance slowly as it breathes.
Excellent to exceptional. 4.6. Now to 15 years. Will take the other two bottles to the clinic, that musty cork and track record I want to know where my last bottles stand.
Day three...
Put the score one point higher based on day three. Tannins are still quite raw and mouth filling, carrying a huge wave of savoury Shiraz spice and an amazing depth of meaty flavours. If you drink this all on night one you are missing out on how good this wine is. Like the kids in the marshmallow test, wait and you’ll see a much better wine.
I really hope the bottles I have left are the ones with the good corks. The good bottles of this wine are sublime and are as good as any Australian wine in market style preferences aside. Thank you Penfolds for putting under screwcap for domestic market. Not so much for the recent price increases. 4.6 out of 5. 96pts.
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4/8/2020 - cos82 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From .375. Dark purple. Nice nose of blackberry, cedar and earth. Beautiful palate of smooth balanced flavors of blackberry, earth, charcoal and cassis. Not sweet; just delicious.
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3/7/2020 - robferguson1 wrote: 88 Points
Brownish, not great
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1/30/2020 - robferguson1 wrote: 92 Points
Drank in a hurry so wasn’t being discerning but I think my taste for rich south aussie reds is declining
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8/13/2019 - Mivvy wrote: flawed
TCA
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7/7/2019 - Mascarello59 wrote:
Another bottle. Coravin sample and tried alongside a couple of Bordeaux.
Deep dark fruit. Blackberry, downunder burnt soil, but the overwhelming feature is the strong sweet licorice nose.
Sweet almost jammy fruit, good acidity and resolved tannin.
Too sweet compared to Bordeaux side by side. On second thoughts an enormous sweet licorice nose.
As I have a few more bottles and it will be interesting to see where this goes…
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6/17/2019 - robferguson1 wrote: 94 Points
This is superb silky smooth , class .
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4/21/2019 - antkorbel wrote: 92 Points
(Cork) popped the cork and decanted for 6 hours for Easter lunch. Having read some concerning notes from others I was interested to see how this was travelling. Perfect condition showing little age, some brown rimming, leather, Xmas pudding and plum. Well balanced with the tannin only starting to appear and the wine take shape in the last glass. This looks like it will last an age, only bother for me is that it didn’t hold much interest. I’m happy to leave another 5-8 years pending the cork gods being kind.
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3/4/2019 - KVM wrote:
From 375. Oxidized, barely drinkable. Cork was in great shape.
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12/25/2018 - guy12 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 5 hours, no sediment, little sign of age. Last glass the best. Leave a couple of years before the next one.
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12/25/2018 - Poisey wrote: 92 Points
Blueberry, eucalyptus and earthy notes. Concentrated with a medium finish. Mint, blackberry and olive aftertaste. Powerful with fresh acidity. Good structure with chewy tannin. Drink now-2025.
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12/13/2018 - Ian S wrote:
Something of the rich Penfolds house style on the nose, but some pleasing meaty complexity lurks behind the veneer.
Soft and approachable on the palate, and superficially just feels just a little too much so, but there are velvety tannins lurking with a faint bitter edge, and there is just enough acidity to stop it being clunky.
The other bottles will sleep, as this confirms the assumption I'd want to keep these for longer. Yes it could use some more complexity, but it is early in its life still.
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10/8/2018 - JonathanP wrote: 91 Points
Tasted this about 3 years ago and found it porty. Time has helped and I find this has settled down a little. While still on the 'warm side,' and a big wine, it's not a caricature, like so many frankly average SA Shiraz's can be. A boat load of black fruit backed up with fruitcake spices, chocolate, and pepper on the nose and palate. The wine is round and palate coating but there's just enough acidity to drive it across the palate and keep you coming back for another mouthful. Drunk over two days, this was better on the second. I think this very drinkable now but may well improve over another 5 years. Thanks Cliff.
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10/7/2018 - cliftonng Likes this wine: 90 Points
There was blackcurrant and menthol on the nose. It was ripe on the palate, with good body and some tannins on the finish. This is still youthful, and whilst quite enjoyable now, should improve further.
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9/9/2018 - pc2006mg wrote: 94 Points
Very nice and glad we waited this long for this. It was a true treat!
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8/19/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 92 Points
Medium amber, brownish. Wow, this looks and smells very mature. Lots of tertiary notes with nutmeg, cloves, leather, autumn leaves, cured meat. Alcohol and body on the high side but just about enough acidity to tame it. A solid but not grand Barossa wine. I wonder if all bottles are this evolved.
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7/11/2018 - michigan dogs wrote: 93 Points
last of four bottles and by far the best. the winemaker has a reputation for making wines that age very well and that was certainly my experience. For a moderately priced wine it can certainly last. Loved the wine.
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5/20/2018 - brisbane piefan Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drinking very nicely but no rush.
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1/31/2018 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Coravin sample. Dark fruit, graphite, touch of scorched earth, stones, licorice. In the mouth a touch of tobacco and a fruit core that has definitely moved away from the primary stage. Eucalyptus is there but also rich fruit, quite good acidity and fine tannin. Medium+ body. Long balanced finish. Drinks well now but no hurry at all. Bottle opened a year later with consistent impression.
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1/13/2018 - wineshaman wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1hr, could have been much longer. Unique by Aussie standards, subdle, even elegant, not unbordeaux like, mineral/terroir driven, lots of graphite, stone, cassis, dark cherry, the other side of Aussie Shiraz, no decernable oak, a food wine.
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1/1/2018 - BobMcK wrote: 93 Points
Stunning bottle. decanted for about 3 hours. Drunk with venison with a chocolate sauce. Bi big fruit, blackcurrant and chocolaty with wonderful redcurrant high notes. Long. Silky tannins. Easily has another 10 years left
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11/19/2017 - VinCapitan Likes this wine: 93 Points
beaut nose of black plum, dark cherry, cloves and purply blue violets. cedary caramel oak, leather and dark earth with very grippy tannin. Well made wine! A baby!
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5/17/2017 - rooman wrote: 92 Points
Still far too young and like many of the 2004 vintage hanging onto its robust tannins. Needs min 5 years otherwise it's just a waste. Time will tell if a butterfly emerges or not.
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11/28/2016 - Motz wrote: 96 Points
From a magnum, tasted over four days.
The most intriguing Australian wine I recall tasting...ever, and I do not recall greater enjoyment from a 'Shiraz'. The wine shows a eucalyptus note up front, and that is the only reason why I would think 'Australia' if blind. Otherwise, it delivers one of the purest expressions of Syrah that I have come across, and features mind-bending layers. Perfectly ripe, not excessively so, exceptionally harmonious and balanced. A wine of the earth, the conveys notable smokiness, scorched earth, and a veritable umami river. Medium plus to high acid and surprising tannins provide thought provoking lift, structure, and depth. This magnum could have aged for another fifteen to twenty years. 95-96.
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7/30/2016 - SimonPh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine - years to go and immense power behind rich soft fruit, without being porty or jammy.
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7/21/2016 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 93 Points
Right now this is just too sweet and concentrated - think liquid quince. The initial impression is of blackcurrent and some pepper, but then spice cake, liquorice and honeysuckle follow in waves before a subtle but persistant and long finish of chocolate-juniper. The structure is very impressive - very heavy (but fine/ripe) tanins and high acidity. This will age wonderfully - and it does need lots of time in bottle... I do not think this will peak before 2025. With air the aromatics really start to shine. 93pts now, but I would expect this to be ~95pts in 10yrs. Drink 2022-2032, and open magnums from 2025. I still prefer this bottling, when fully mature, to Grange.
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6/19/2016 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep solid red.
Nice ripe fruit, plums and blackcurrants, very smooth, a hint of darker spice but subtle.
Supremely smooth, fleshy but not heavy, balanced, refined tannins and a long clean crisp finish. Classic St Henri. Pure ripe fruit flavours, no evident oak, dark fruits like blackcurrant and plum, a bit of fruitcake and light tar/licorice. Drinks nicely now but will last forever.
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3/30/2016 - Mossrose wrote: 96 Points
Every facet of this wine exudes both power and clarity, built on four towering pillars of complex and utterly delicious fruit, brightly refreshing acidity, deep and smooth tannin, and an incredibly caressing mouth feel. Tasted from a magnum bottle. Pitch black in the glass out to the rim. Magnificently intense aromas of concentrated black cherry, blackberry, and black plum that make the mouth water with the joys of anticipation. The sip is liquid silk swaddled around delicious black fruits. As might be expected when upfront flavors are dominated by rich fruit, whirlwinds of acidity and tannin sweep through the mouth only after the swallow, and these are not mouth stripping but instead stimulate a flow of saliva that bathes the body of the wine with a wonderful juiciness. Dryness comes back strongly only at the end of a crowning finish that goes on for minutes.
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3/30/2016 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 90 Points
The drinking window on this wine has always been long and my experience in drinking this wine young was not rewarding. It has probably entered it's drinking window now. It tasted like an amarone, very sweet, rich, smooth. I'll try my last bottle in a couple years.
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2/2/2016 - NickBurwood Likes this wine:
Back from my travels in Myanmar (a vinous desert) and grabbed this from my cellar to see if it matched my original note from September 2015 made at a Spectator Winemaker's Dinner.
It did, but even after a 2.5hr decant clearly needs longer to develop to full potential than my original thoughts - a LOT longer. Will not touch next bottle till 2020 and expect this wine to hit 93+?+ with ease. Superb potential.
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2/1/2016 - Wising Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted about 30 minutes which was not enough. Drank over a couple of hours and it started to open up slowly. Still young. Very tight structure with warmth. As usual with penfolds more classic old school-ish than a lot of warm Shiraz character. Some white pepper but very discreet.
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1/18/2016 - ronnieroots Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tight on opening, but tannins mellowed out with some time in decanter. Ripe and sweet blackberry and black cherry, licorice, coffee, wet tobacco leaves, some leather, dried (provencal) herbs and some lovely spice. Complex and complete, with plenty potential for further development.
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1/1/2016 - ysar wrote:
Fili
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12/23/2015 - BobMcK wrote:
Decanted for about 3 hours, with traditional rib of beef (it was very good beef!) Incredibly tight on opening - almost no nose except for distant peppermint (yes, weird, but it was there). Dark and dense in colour. Tannins still tight ont he first taste with high peppers and fruits in the distance - a tantalizing presence rather than in your face. It worked very well with the food. Overall a wonderful bottle of wine but I will wait another 5 years before opening the next bottle.
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10/12/2015 - KVM wrote:
Very dark and primary. Grainy tannin and intense fruit. Way too early and without the benefit of a decanting. From 375 ml.
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9/30/2015 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spectator Winemaker's Dinner with Penfolds' chief winemaker Peter Gago - 108 Brasserie, London. Limited note taking.
Taut, concentrated, pure sweet blackberry/dark hedge fruit with great grip and spice. Slight heat but becoming velvety. No obvious oak (matured in very old large oak foudres). Grape tannins starting to smooth out.
Close to hitting a very long and developing plateau. Start drinking next year and enjoy its development up to 30 years (minimum) from vintage. Outstanding with potential. 93+?+
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9/28/2015 - JonathanP wrote: 90 Points
Cork was in excellent condition. Decanted for 6 hours. Lots of black fruit here - mainly in the riper plum and blackberry spectrum. A little porty. There are some earthy tones and dark chocolate too. Not a lot of spice and pepper notes but they were there if you went looking for them. This is mostly about the fruit though... and texture. Very smooth across the palate with a round, sensual feel. Broad shouldered though and clearly medium to full bodied. Lacking a little acidity and drive for me. Will be very interested to see how this ages - while drinking OK now, I think it'll be better in 10 years, having gained more complexity and a mellowed fruit profile.
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9/12/2015 - Poisey Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fresh with great structure and fine grained tannin. The purity of fruit is impressive. Blackberry blueberry flowers mint and earthiness. Still quite young in profile. Long fruity finish with tons of black licorice and a hint of black olive paste.
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7/25/2015 - MGrange Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum. Still tannic but lovely fruit and coffee flavours made it a great bottle with the grilled sea bass. I will wait another 5 years for the next bottle.
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6/26/2015 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Well done and ready to drink, but not very exciting. I was expecting sooo much more after all these years of careful aging in the cellar. Will definitely last for 10-15 more years...but how much more can it improve...not much in my opinion.
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5/4/2015 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds prior to 2005 (360 Bar & Dining, Sydney): {cork, 14.5%} (David) No decant. Plummy and ripe. Smells big, but restrained; like a V12 engine idling at 900rpm. The medium/full-bodied palate has opened up a little at a decade old; it’s balanced, with plum and blackberry flavours, medium dusty tannins, a touch of pine/oak flavour, and a polished, long-finishing texture. Made the preceding Bin 389 taste woodchippy and coarse. This was a much acclaimed vintage on release; I reckon this has got another decade at least before it reaches a peak. Should be awesome with time.
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4/2/2015 - darky999 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dense purple colour but some reddishness on the rim, just showing signs of some age.
Notes of coffee, liquorice, violets, plums, some smoke - is this the start of a more roast meat character in its later years?
Super smooth on palate, really good acidity will see it age for a long time, tannins are smooth but present - although like some other reviewers they are clearly not abundant.
Lovely to drink now, I have three bottles and six magnums left, will try another bottle in a couple of years, the wine will easily last for another 10-15 years or more
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1/18/2015 - Lyubomir Lefterov Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner with some Penfolds wines (Magill’05/RWT’04/StHenry’04) - WOTN for me, it needed almost 2hrs in the decanter to start shinning. First comes with coffee action, but later develops deep and rich juicy profile, there were distinctive red berry/ cherry character at some stage, although the flavor profile was on the earthy tones most of the time.It stays really fresh and inviting throughout the long dinner, the depth of the flavors were captivating and the wine was getting better and better confirming the long life ahead.
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11/8/2014 - wineshaman wrote:
This bottle, though drinkable was a disappointment, one dimensional with hints of menthol and medicinal notes. This bottle was dry by Aussie standards but lacked the complexity I was expecting.
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11/5/2014 - MyCellar01 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanter 30 minutes.
Opaque dark garnet in colour.
Blackberry spice and all things nice, licorice, black currants.
Medium mouthfeel, a lighter more feminine drink than the middleweight champion '04 389 of last night.
Blackberry, black currant, dark cherries, a mouthful of black fruits and savoury finish.
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9/27/2014 - Lyubomir Lefterov Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice structure, dense, delicious, walnut aromas mixed with quality black fruits with friendly tannins, in great condition now.
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9/20/2014 - wineian Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dense purple colour, tightly coiled fruit with oak on the nose that follows through on the palate. Not in the plush style, more raw and energetic. Under cork. Drinking well. Has more years ahead
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9/19/2014 - Nicholas81 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 1/2 hour before consumption. Roasted coffee and cassis with smoky undertones. Palate was very dense with very fine tannins. As noted by JEFFAL66, the wine was slightly high in acidity and tart. Very elegant and balanced wine. Will do better with further ageing.
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9/16/2014 - jeffal66 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature jam session. Unsure where this was 5-8 years ago but, 10 years in, it's drinking balanced, fairly acidic and tart. With potent fruit backing, an elegant Shiraz with commendable balance. 14.5% but not feeling too heavy. Watch for full residue in the bottle. Great value at $15 in PA a couple years back.
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4/28/2014 - kernel Likes this wine: 94 Points
this exudes class, dark in colour, lovely nose predominantly of blueberry . nice
mouthfeel suggests a long life ahead. can see why this wine has doubled in price over the last 6 years. delicious
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3/2/2014 - MyCellar01 Likes this wine: 94 Points
With the pending release of the much heralded 2010 St Henri, thought I should turn my attention to the equally regaled 2004.
Decanted for one hour, quite a lot of sediment.
Dark red garnet in colour, almost opaque.
Heady load of dark fruit, licorice, leather, hint of white pepper, a sweet fragrance lifting all in unison.
Medium- full body, silky mouthfeel up front, cracking pure fruit blackberry, raspberries, cherries, white plum, very moorish. Seamless mid-palate moving to mild acidity on the tongue, hardly notice the mild chalky tannins in the background of the endless finish. The best vintages of St Henri are all about the fruit, and this is very integrated, well balanced and delicious.
Many suggest decanting for four to six hours and the '04 has really got its boogie on in the last two years.
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2/23/2014 - cos82 wrote: 88 Points
Fabulous nose of blackberry with big floral elements and a touch of alcohol. Dark purple and no tannin. Blackberry, earth, pepper and spice. From .375 ml. No tannin. Looking for some more fruit but a nice wine nonetheless.
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11/13/2013 - JH@B Likes this wine: 93 Points
First bottle, still inky, dense red, big wine, old style Penfolds. Beautifully balanced fine tannins. Full of spices on nose. Rich, heavy (coming after some delightful pinot). Tasted more like a 3 year old than nine year old. Put away for five years before trying again.
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10/9/2013 - KVM wrote: 93 Points
Grange tasting at Divino, Calgary; 10/8/2013-10/9/2013 (Divino Bistro, Calgary): Very dark red. This is pure, dark fruit. In the mouth it has mint and terrific freshness. Medium body, layers of fruit.
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9/19/2013 - casper01 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Maybe not the best bottle
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7/2/2013 - DonalOB wrote: 93 Points
Quite dense still, this has blueberry on the nose developing to chocolate in the mouth. Good acidity and fine tannins, should last a while yet.
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3/16/2013 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic St Henri - full flavoured but elegant. No shortage of fruit but tightly structured in a totally pleasurable way. At times the slightest distracting tinge of oak. Thoroughly enjoyable and a great accompaniment to our BBQ. 375ml format
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1/20/2013 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot Does not like this wine: 88 Points
I may have had an off bottle because this was seriously evolved.... raisiny, port-like.... not bad, but not at all what my previous experience was (5 years ago) with this wine. I am no expert on VA but this is what it seemed like.... disappointing overall, given its reputation.
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1/11/2013 - hkm520240 wrote: 93 Points
Mini Astralis vertical vs. Kaesler & Penfolds St Henri (New Ubin Seafood): Dark and opaque, still young with purple hues. The nose is still primary with plenty of dark fruits and blackberry. Nice full bodied on palate, big fruits, blue berry jam and blackberry. Still very young at this stage. It has long and fine aftertaste.
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10/3/2012 - MyCellar01 wrote: 92 Points
Light body, requires decanting for one hour before drinking. Dark garnet in colour, earthy taste. My preference is the '05 Mount Edelstone. Cellar is a work in progress.
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8/24/2012 - wineshaman wrote: 91 Points
Update: This was even better after 5 days in the fridge. Complex fruits of blackberry, dark plum, blueberry, finished with hints of cherry cola. Mouth coating and decadent, without being overdone. Not sure this will pair with food all that well, but based on this bottle should be even better in maybe 5 or so years.
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8/19/2012 - wineshaman wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 2hrs, could not drink this when first poured, way to much VA, poued back into the bottle, corked it and refrigerated.
Much better the next day, loads of blue fruit, blackcerries, mint minerals and vanilla, may need to wait awhile on these.
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4/28/2012 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Red colour with slight purple tinge. Black fruit, spice, licquorice, all spice and leather on nose. Similiar taste with a rich, meaty savouriness. Great balance and a long finish. Excellent wine with many years ahead but drinking well now.
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3/13/2012 - rexmerlot wrote: 89 Points
Clear dark ruby in colour. Clean med nose of Black fruits and spice. Dry, med acidity, smooth tannins, underwhelming on palate. flavours of Black cherry, vanilla, and spice. med finish. Drank fr 375ml bottle, so not sure if this accounted for some of the lack of wow.
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2/4/2012 - BadOyster wrote: flawed
Raisins, raisins, and more raisins. Definitely cooked. The PA state store has failed me yet again. Argh!
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1/29/2012 - azzah wrote: 91 Points
Dark purple/black in colour. This wine has the most amazing lifted aroma - filling up the room. Cherry, plums, blackberry and spice on the nose. Unfortunately, I don't think the flavours lived up to the smell. Blackberry, plums, dark chocolate, spice and vanilla in the mouth. Silky tannins but only medium bodied with medium length. It may have been a case of excessive expectations, but this left me wanting more. Maybe it's on a bit of a flat spot at eight years old? Its still a very good wine. We'll see I suppose in a few years.
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6/13/2011 - barolo_99 wrote: 90 Points
what a wine
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6/8/2011 - Kschlach Likes this wine:
Beautiful nose. Very complex aroma and flavors of dark fruit, meat and earth. The grippiest yet smoothest tannins of the top flight of wines of the night. Longest finish and most contemplative wine of the night. My #1 and the groups #1 of the night.
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2/21/2011 - Tarrant wrote: 94 Points
Aerated for a few hours, this was one of the best wines we've had in a while, we've been getting away from 'Shiraz' per se, but this blew our socks off with it's intensity, balance and overall quality - Black, full bodied with a nose of blackfruit, pepper, plum, spice and vanilla, impecably balanced, complex, velvety smooth on the palate with amazing length, outstanding (94 Points).
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2/5/2011 - ecola wrote: 86 Points
Aromas of bright red fruit, baking spices, and a whole lot of oak. Sour cherry and cranberry on the palate. The amount of oak that comes through overshadows any qualities of the fruit. ($18)
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1/1/2011 - dross811 wrote: 98 Points
Incredible
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3/20/2010 - jamieirving Likes this wine: 90 Points
From one of Australia's most well know producers this wine is made with fruit from the Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek and Adelaide Hills. The 2004 vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon matured for 16 months in trademark large, old oak vats.
Dark purple in the glass, this wine shows fruit cake, tobacco and intense spice aromas on the nose. The palate shows cherry fruit, vibrant acidity, subtle oak and a warming finish.
Very tasty, but not as amazing as I was expecting for such a great vintage.
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12/15/2009 - Fontanafredda wrote: 91 Points
Dark color. Blackberries, sage, rosemary and vanilla toast. This has a powerful mouthfeel, it is big and rich, but has some structure. The finish is good, with plums. This is my first St.Henri, and I expected a bit complexity. I agree with the comment that descibing it as a "old world" version of Grange is an overstatement - this is still Australia.
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5/1/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
Pours out saturated to black, but it's quite pliant once you taste it. This has more energy to it than most wines that are so richly constituted. Still, the notion that this is the old-school counterpoint to Grange is a little overstated. It certainly has a modern polish to it with its gloss and its lack of pretty much any perceptible structure at all -- the tannins are burnished down to a barely perceptible wisp. A gleaming package with no rough edges, I can see how it could make a fine base for the development of some tertiary elements (especially given how fragrant the leftovers are the next day), but there's certainly no backwardsness getting in the way of enjoying it for what it is now.
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11/17/2008 - Hershey in CA wrote:
Bright reddish purple ruby, it gave off a little sediment, but nothing alarming for an 04. The alcohol was hot for my nose, but there was nice black cherry, cooked strawberry, blackberry. red licorice, and some vanilla toast on the nose. But the fruits were slammed down by the astringent oak, making the fruits angry and sour, tossing some spice and pepper back at the winemaker out of spite. Off balance.
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