Bob’s cellar. Dark purple red and black. Whoosh of Barossa black fruit on the nose, still fresh and alive. Flavours burst out of the glass - black cherry, cassis, damson menthol and liquorice. Rock solid Shiraz whose tannins have settled out leaving a fine lace to support the fruit. A lot of life left. Very good and enjoyable, and a more robust contrast to the 96 Calon Segur.
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1995s & Friends (67 Pall Mall, London): A very weird bottle, VA on the nose and just difficult. We argued if this was indeed a bad bottle or the wine paying the price now for an exuberant youth. For sure did not travel very well. Luckily 67 PM accepted to refund us. Shame really would have made a good pair vs Chave 1995 ( Papies 93)
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2023 Birthday lunch (Aquitaine Brasserie): Tasted alongside 2008 and 2018. This was in immaculate condition. Double-decanted back into bottle ~4hrs before lunch, good on service and continued to evolve in glass. Primary dark fruits still very evident along with dark chocolate and some spice. Most popular of the three vintages.
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NobleRottersSydney - mostly Penfolds (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 14%} [Stephen] Big, soft old leathery fruit. But a bit restrained, dignified, with dust, earth, plum. Proper wine. Fruit-driven palate, in the best sense, not too extracted or over-ripe. Mostly blackberry type flavours, the seasoning oak acts more as texture than flavour, with low/medium dusty tannins, medium acid and overall a medium/full weight. Long finish. Adds up to more than the sum of its parts. Perfect example of a great Penfolds shiraz – it’s head and shoulders above the RWT, for instance. Double-decanted just before service, I think.
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Nice old St Henri. Solid/dark red with bricking. Lovely, complex Penfolds nose - mid weight palate with good length but a little astringency on the finish. While good, did not open a well as my previous bottle 18 months ago.
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Dave's 60th lunch (Porcine, Oxford Street): Gently decanted. Cream, black hued fruits, a little red fruit underpin, sweet spice, berries, a little savoury note, leather. Medium plus intensity acidity, blackberry, sweet spice, fleshy, slightly chalky tannic burr, a little leather, nice.
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Last of six, 25 years old/young. These have lasted very well, and whilst there's no rush, I feel this last bottle is approaching the end of the peak, and the only way from here is a gradual and graceful decline. Still some black fruit, but gently fading away to be dominated by big tarry and liquorice notes, quite earthy and a hint of lavender. Lovely on its own to sip and contemplate, but would be gorgeous with a rare steak. Finished on night 2 with the said steak, and alongside a freshly opened 1998 Bin 28 - quite a contrast, the Henri felt about half the age!
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Christmas lunch with the wine ark boys (Porcine, Oxford Street): Oof, after the previous wines this shows very young, blackberry, sweet spice, even with a decant it proves slightly reductive, touch of mint and eucalyptus. Juicy, concentrated black fruit, a little reductive again, tight woody tannins are slightly chalky, again a little herbaceous and a touch of red currant underpin. Okay.
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like-new cork; auburn colour; redolent nose; dark plum, cinnamon, plush well-integrated fine-grained tannins with a long finish; plenty of years of life left; moreish
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Wine-Ark lunch (McLeay Street Bistro, Potts Point): Slight reductive, caramel, meaty, blackberry, plum, slight vanilla, tomato leaf. In the mouth it has jammy black fruit, sweet and peppery spice, thick and chewy tannins. Woof.
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Opened it w/o a decant. Had in mind; herb marinated lamb chops with it; and what a great match! Doesn’t really need a decant; if for just removing sediment and presentation. It’s arrived early with a still vibrant, Aussie Shiraz black/blueberry fruits and spice. Oak is spot on and very complimentary to the St. Henri more restrained style. Only got better the first hour or so. Palate as both generous fruit and elegant/restraint. Nice; baking spices (St. Henri style) with good acidity and plenty of tannin to offset grilled steaks/lamb. It did start to fade towards the end of the bottle. I don’t think this will improve with further age; so drink up and enjoy an aged, elegant Aussie Shiraz
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Remarkable wine. It is still so young. Bright red, quite sweet ripe red and black fruits. Moderately rich, medium to full bodied. Cinamon and cake spice. Very pure, wonderful. Good acidity provides plenty of freshness, tannins are fine. Medium finish, some complexity. Drink now but will last and possibly improve for another 20 years.
This is the Penfolds Shiraz made in old wooden vats - like traditional Rhone, rather than new oak. Has been made this since the early 20th century and Penfolds carried on in the same way after they bought the estate. I think the pureness of its fruit definitely results from the lack new oak, but it also does not have those oak based tannins and flavours that can add so much to a wine. An interesting wine and I love it the way it is. Amazed by how young it is, given the lack of oak tannins.
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Lovely mature wine, probably at its peak though might be in the plateau for another 5 years. Medium to full bodied, excellent length. Decanted for one hour and it was at its best as the bottle was finished two and a half hours after opening.
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Beautiful nose, lovely balance in the mouth with tarry dark fruit, coffee, even a hint of chocolate. This is 23 years' young, and perfectly demonstrates the Penfolds rewards of patience...
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Delightful nose, full of fragrant earth and exotic spice. Red and black fruit completely in balance with earthy liquorice and integrated tannins. Very long finish. Perfect maturity.
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Such a beautiful wine. Very balanced, complete and complex. So youthful in comparison to the 79’ Grange tasted next to it. I absolutely loved this wine. It’s a big YES from me. 97
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2nd Jan 2021: decanted 30mins; colour still youthful and lively...dancing in the light. Nose is enticing, fruit still strongly present and the taste utterly satisfying. The finish exquisite. Still the best vintage I’ve enjoyed including 1996.
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Drunk at Little Miss Hong Kong from Magnum - This was a real crowdpleaser as St Henri often is. The lack of new oak can steer you away from Australia, but one deep inhale of that unmistakable Penfold's nose has you right back in the zone. I was fortunate enough to drink both Grange and Bin 707 from this highly regarded vintage this week and St Henri, at probably less than half the price of its nearest rival does not disgrace itself.
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Still plenty of body and life. Fully integrated, rich and enveloping. It's drinking very well now. No decanting done; straight from the bottle. Well, I did pour it into a glass first. A great wine.
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Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): Drank side by side with the '99. For many this was the favored wine and certainly it's the year that got a lot more press for Aus. More full bodied. I actually feel like slightly less acid. More fruit, but it's not overpowering. Also an enjoyable wine although I'm not sure that I had a clear favorite between the two or if I did I might have leaned a bit to the '99.
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Decanted for two hours. Deep ruby in the glass with slight garnet hues. Not showing huge development on the nose, but it's there - notes of ripe blackberries, blackcurrants, black cherry, sweet spices, tobacco and mocha. You expect a ripe beast on the palate, but don't get it. Instead, the wine is on the slightly weaker scale of SA Shiraz, showing more of a mellow character than a powerhouse. Needs more depth and a stronger finish. Good, but not great.
Return to Aus; 6/23/2019-7/5/2019 (Adelaide, South Australia wine regions, Tassie, Yarra, etc.): A few months ago I had some of my first St Henri and I've been quite a fan ever since. All neutral oak for aging so the fruit really gets to come through. It's almost juicy in nature. Almost likely a slightly sour but very ripe red boysenberry. Touch of eucalyptus. A bit of mint. Very fresh. The grapes for this wine often come from the more southern areas and the winemakers are going for that freshness when they craft it. Very well done. Drinking excellently now but with many years left.
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Cork, 14% alc. Still very deep, dark, inky black red.
Aromas a smoky meats, sweet-fruited redcurrant, blackberry, a touch of VA, and violets.
Only medium weight in the mouth. Flavours track the aroma, with the addition of dusty, sour, cherry, vegemite, crushed herbs. The remaining tannins balance the wine beautifully, particularly on Day 2 when they seem to become more powerful along with the fruit.
Opinion: While this isn’t really wowing at this stage of its life, it is still a pretty solid and lovely wine. Drink now and over the next 10 years.
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Magnificent. Initial taste was uncharacteristic for a shiraz, more that of a pinot noir. After further aeration it dramatically evolved into a wonderful Shiraz.
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Wednesday wine night at Chateau YB. Poured into decanter. Tasted blind. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of black pepper, tobacco, black fruits. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), smooth velvety high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of blackberries, black cherries, blackcurrant, earth, sweet licorice, tobacco, black olives. Medium+ finish. Very good quality. I was guessing some non-Barossa Aussie Shiraz. Kinda hard to place a terroir to this. Showing some definite restraint in style. Nose is kinda shy even. Wow this is that old!? Not sure if the nose is closed or this is just how it's gonna be. Palate is good though. >95% Shiraz with small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Showcasing a more elegant style of shiraz but still deceptively deep, complex & varietally correct. A good wine to savor. This could probably go a couple more years, but it's already in a good place now.
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From coravin. Starting drinking this w/out decanting over the first hour, then decided to decant away the sediment to finish the second half of the glass. It was great both ways. There was already a good bit of sludge on the side of the bottle. Upon pouring, fine powdery tannins dominated - and in a good way on the palate. Definitely a chocolate feel, especially w/ the texture. The nose during this time was more suppressed (as might be expected since it hadn't been decanted). Eventually the tannins started to get pretty aggressive - even if they were fully mature & fantastic. After decanting, the nose came alive a lot more. Clean saddle leather & a lot of other stuff going on. Either way, this is a big, but brilliantly balanced and mature specimen. This is a wine of resonance & a very graceful finish, like a movie that keeps you seated through the credits while the music is still playing.
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25th Dec 2017 Decanted for 30 mins...this vintage was eager to show off its virtues. The colour is vibrant and lively, it’s nose fragrant with abundant fruit with a hint of spice...the first mouthful did not disappoint it exceeded expectations...such balance and elegance in vintage...so delectable....this elegance is St Henri’s trademark Shiraz which I remember the youthful 1996 vintage to be...oh so enjoyable...lucky to have 2 bottles of the 1998 vintage left.
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Still firm with beautiful black fruit entry. Tannins soft but enough acid to go another 5 years persistent long finish. Very nice with roasted lamb rack. Sadly, my last bottle.
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I've been looking forward to drinking this. The cork was crumbly and very dry, almost fully to the point where the wine touched it. I feared it would be an oxidized mess. Fortunately, not the case. Had a ton sediment, so it took some time to decant it through my finely meshed aerator. Poured back in the bottle and didn't drink for an hour. On the first taste, I was very surprised by the plush texture. I thought it was a great wine as it was my first aged Shiraz. I would recommend drinking with beef and not alone as by the end of the bottle, the drying tannins were very evident. Going forward, I'll be on the lookout for aged St. Henri's as it was a treat! Attractive QPR.
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Threw up quite a crust and the top half of the cork disintegrated on opening. Despite this, the wine was beautifully preserved. Has a surprising semi-youthful colour, with only limited fading. Smells of licorice, brambly dark fruits, framed by smoky, sweet leather/saddle impressions. A mixture of blue violet fruit, blackberry and dark chocolate flavours come forth. The finish is very smooth and long with a licorice, sarsaparilla note at the end with minimal tannin grip. Has an understated elegance, while still packing a full bodied punch. Drinking beautifully now, at or near its peak, but will hold for a few more years I believe.
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Lovely drinking - savoury spice, liquorice, cigar box, cherries and blackberries. Incredibly smooth but coating mouthfeel. Still a huge, lingering finish of mostly savoury spice. Just a cracka of a wine IMHO. Wish I had another bottle.
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This has been in our cellar for 16 years - opened, decanted, voluptuous and velvet on the palate, plum/prune, very dark color, coffee, relatively brief finish, rather muted nose. Recommend drinking now and not waiting.
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Clape lunch with the wine ark boys (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): Very, very slight cork taint slides in with leather, savoury blackberry, spicy and peppery. More plummy and damson on the palate with a slight touch of alcohol heat on the back palate as well as peppery spice as well. Nice but with that slight cork taint present here. I suspect I'm just sensitive to this as only myself and Estella picked it.
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Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds Mini Verticals (Klein Constantia): (Tasted Blind): A deep red-black wine with a complex lifted bouquet featuring chocolate, black olive, molasses, damson, and menthol. This full-bodied wine with riper, almost jammy black fruits and tilled earth is nicely extracted and balanced by medium acidity. A rich, concentrated, and powerful that yields gravelly tannins, there are signs of ageing on the palate with flavours of molasses and balsamic. Fairly generous with a persistent finish without being overly complex.
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Tasted blind. Awkward cellar, dirty sock, dank, possibly TCA nose. Clear meniscus, looks at least 15 years old. Full, sweet palate with a very glycerine mouth feel, some spicy black pepper, heavy currant/plum fruit. Has the weight and sweetness of Amarone but the fruit profile isn't quite right. Not too surprised on the reveal, but I didn't get any telltale cooked berry/blackberry compote that typical Shiraz has. Overall, drinkable but not a correct bottle.
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Very nice funky, leathery and cigar box nose. The palate was slightly a let down. The palate was still developing tertiary flavours. But was very smooth and balanced. The finish was moderate. Pretty good example of a gracefully aged Australian shiraz. Could still be cellered longer. At least another 2 - 3 years.
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Penfolds master class: Brown toned rim, shows some age. Minerally smokey qualities. Sweet fruit of prunes and black fruit. Plenty of acidity to give it life. Very earthy finish. Still lots of life ahead.
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Ben's 50th B'day (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): slightly funky notes, leather meat, black berry, Asian five spice, slight peppery notes, touches of volatile acidity and a bit of soy as well. In the mouth the fruit is a little more red currant over the black berry, slight toffee and cream. Plentiful flour textured tannins, leather, quite savoury and very slight mustiness on the finish.
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For a Penfolds red this is unforced with little indication of their "recipe" (of added acid and American oak). Not an old wine, not much in the way of developed secondary character but rather quite beautiful, integrated, delicious.
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A great 98 Shiraz-time has done this fine. I can write for about an hour on this; but I have to give myself and my wife some time...I will come back to write my tome.
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Still deep dark claret colour with just a little browning at the rim. Interesting nose, more secondary than primary with dark chocolate & black olive mostly obscuring quite herby fruit. Swirling doesn't change this balance much, perhaps adding coffee in.
Still plenty of structure on the palate and I think this has quite a bit of upside to come. Although texturally pretty big, it has a good deal of poise. Primary and secondary flavours have a better harmony on the palate, with appetising peppery fruit sharing the billing, yet overall more savoury than you might expect. Not the longest finish.
[bottle a little cool from the cellar - will see what happens as it warms a little]
Postscript: Not huge change, still pretty savoury and despite a touch of fuminess, this feels like another 5-10 years will benefit the wine.
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Penfolds Tasting with 5 vintages of Grange and a bunch more (Downtown Cleveland): Purchased by me on release. I was wondering if this would be over the hill, but again, this is just getting into its wheelhouse and drinking great. Seemed to be the groups favorite of the flight. black cherries, black raspberries, some grilled meats on the nose. On the palate, layered complexity. Vibrant black raspberry fruit. Some spice. Mostly resolved tannins. Seems to be at peak at his point 16 years from vintage but no hurry. This was $30 on release, but current vintages are up at $100 a bottle. Might be worth it.
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Lunch at Wine-Ark Daves (Banksia, Sydney): muted black fruit, agitation reveals metallic black berry and cherry. Plentiful spice - especially black pepper, slight sour milk, vanilla and very slight green root note. In the mouth the wine has flavours of sweet and sour black berry fruit with spice, cream and vanilla. Touches of chocolate. A bit of alcohol warmth on the finish but not intrusive. Hmm for me.
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Cellar Favourites: Chocolate, oak, earth and pepper on the nose. Still showing good fruit and tannin, though it is starting to show signs of being ready to drink. Really enjoyable now and I wouldn't count it out to improve further.
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Delicious. Aniseed and spice, elegant fruit and fine tannins. Opened, but not decanted, and allowed to breathe for two hours. Poured carefully and slowly into glass using light source under bottle to ensure no sediment transferred. Continued to evolve over the next hour or two. Drinking well now and unlikely to get much better.
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At 15 years of age, this is still going strong. I really regret not buying the whole case of this stuff I found at rock bottom prices a few years back, as this was my last bottle. Really profound now, with anise, chocolate, cedar, and smooth tannins. Particularly good at cellar temps, as it is just a bit hot at room temperature. One of all time favorites, but increasingly expensive of late.
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Tasted in double-blind fashion, this opaque crimson wine shows moderately intense aromas of boysenberries, vanilla, sage and pickling spice. Full-bodied on the palate and showing heavyweight rustic tannins, it reveals its gentler side with its ripe fruit and well-integrated alcohol (listed as 13.0%). Solid in the middle, the wine concludes with a long, albeit dry finish. Give this one some time to let the tannins simmer down...there is plenty enough fruit to assure that it won't dry out for several more years. Drink 2015-2022.
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90. This was very good, showing some age, deep berry with some saline notes and earth to balance. Age has done this well, but fades quickly. Drink up in my opinion.
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Cracker! Let it breath for 3 hours in the bottle (on holidays, no option). Opened up extremely well and tasted exceptional. It is well aged now, and didn't feel like it would improve but fantastic drinking. As always, wish I had more.
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30 min decant. Beautiful dark red, bright rim almost transparent. Lively nose, like a whiff of Cognac, sweet and fruity. Smooth, how smooth at 14 years of age and no heat on the palate. All fruit, no oak, no vanilla just blackberry and a plum finish. Sweet and oh so moorish, as good as St Henri should be.
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Needed to have some pleasure - drank two - one left. Outstanding Shiraz. Wonderful tobacco, blackberry palate - and yes candied plum as one drinker suggested. Remains one of my favorite Shiraz.
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Drinking these over the last decade, last puppy, and yes a 13 year old Shiraz is a pup. Drank along side a 07 Cali Cab blend. After 3 hours I could not really tell which wine was older. Crazy, this was so approachable, drinking so well, yet tones of life & development ahead. All the tasting notes below work for me, just to say this is a beautiful John Duval wine, drinking grate now and will reward further cellaring, but hell you may be dead tomorrow so drink up!
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This is a superb wine. Took about an hour to begin opening up and revealing its full beauty. Very fine tannins and super long finish that curls around the sides and under the tip of your tongue. Hints of tobacco, leather and violets on the nose with dark chocolate-anniseed flavours. Drinking very well now, will be interesting to see how it improves over the next 5 years.
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Concentrated black fruit, quite peppery, very long finish, tastes incredibly young for 13 years old - will probably leave my next bottle for a few years. Superb but with more to come?
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Charlie's Retirement Party: The first red that we drank. Had with appetizers (baguette, brie,tapenade, and shrimp). Started with a nose of candied plum. Supper smooth tannins still in evidence. Even with its age, it took awhile to open in our glasses. Flavors of plum and dark fruit. Just a fantastic performer.
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1998 Australians (Raab at Burgatta): Dark red transparent color with orange edges. Ripe cherries and red fruits aroma. High acidity, medium-full body, tannic & bitter, round rich. Medium harmony. Medium after taste.
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NobleRottersSydney - emergency Penfolds (Alio's, Surry Hills): [cork, 14%] {David} This is still ruby red at thirteen years old. Predictably, the nose is so young, so powerful. It’s fruity too, but they’re dark black fruits, not some sweet red bomb. And the longer you inhale, the deeper and richer the nose becomes. The palate is grandly assertive, with a smoky (non-oaky) richness to the currant/raspberry/blackberry fruit with its meaty overtones. Ludicrously undeveloped, it’s certainly coming together in a beautifully integrated way, with medium powdery tannins, terrific intensity of flavour and a long finish to its even, tongue-coating palate presence. This is a beautiful wine, with its best drinking still ten years away at least. A privilege to drink.
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Deep opaque red with faintest bricking. What a nose! Chocolate & a hint of menthol mixed up with some raspberries and blackberries. Big sweet silky mouthfeel held in place with great tannic structure. Big juicy mouthwatering flavours of dark fruit - blackberries and some other indistinct notes. Slightly unfocused palate, but very charismatic without being too exuberant. Feels like it's in a great place in it's evolution. Yum...
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Deep red with transparent edges, but no sign of browning. Expressive, tight and incredibly controlled nose featuring wild berries, chocolate and some lovely herbal notes (without being at all green); a touch of menthol adding complexity, on the right side of balanced. Dark fruits on the palate with zingy attack, but without the focus that the nose had - a bit scattered on the finish. Can't see this coming together with time. Impressive wine in total; youthful and energetic, but just not quite...
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Dull red in colour, the wine shows blackberry and plum on the front palate with the oak playing a supporting role. The wine has fine tannins and considerable length. The fruit is not overripe , allowing this wine to improve for the next 4 - 6 years
Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds (Rodwell House): 1460 l oak vats, no new oak. Old-ish vines. Deep red in colour, the nose has an appealing perfume with black cherry, prune and blackberry alongside caramel, condensed milk and molasses. A vibrant sweet entry, the wine has fabulous intensity, very ripe fruits, and to me, a slightly unintegrated acid that protrudes (added?). The mid-palate has breadth and is filled with tinned black cherries, brown sugar, cassis, tapenade and melted chocolate (70%). Despite this, there is a menthol coolness that runs through the wine. This makes it more appealing and lengthens the finish. Tannins are firm and quite grippy than the previous wine, and it definitely improved in glass.
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Deep colour, almost opaque still although showing some age round the rim. Nose is classic Shiraz with scented black fruit and some menthol and warm spice character. Palate is lush with smooth tannins still showing good structure 12 years from vintage. Full bodied and still full of ripe scented black fruit. Long finish. Delicious mature example of premium Oz Shiraz. I wish I had another in my wine rack. Worth decanting or careful pouring as it throws some sediment.
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Mortons Madness (Hong Kong Mortons): Definitely maturing red brick color. Great nose of Smells like a sleeve of fresh baked sweet biscuits. Fig Newtons? Silky smooth. Big tart fruit, Smokey, Tannins there. Let's see what a few hours and red meat does to this beauty.
3 Hours later at Mortons HK - This just took on weight. Dark. Blackberry jam, sweet oak, "fruited salad", red twister licorice, Grandma's sweet black cherry's with cream. Yum.
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Good, but not as interesting or balanced as before. Tannins settled out and bright sweet fruit remaining, not as much interest or salinity and tannin. A bit awkward now, hold and hope fruit settles slighty. Still very good, not awesome like before.
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Manchester Offline (Choice Bar & Restaurant): A rather subtle nose with very gentle black fruits and some herbal, almost medicinal notes. On the palate, there's a silky, caressing mouthfeel. Very precise. Very classy.
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Milk chocolate dipped rasberries. Red current. Blackberry fruit. This is just one nice mature well made wine. Drinking great now with lots of life left as it is perfectly balanced and will ride nicely for a nother 10 years.
Drank it along side the J Duval Entity for comparison, good fun.
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Nose is still fresh, and coffee, cocoa and green pepper on the palate. There are tannins are broad but not yet finessed. Good, but time yet from this bottle.
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This was fantastic almost immediately, but got even better over the next few hours. Dark as molasses, flavor of raisins and lots of dark fruit; fruit was really noticeable in the nose. Incredibly smooth and complex. A great bottle of wine for under $40.
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Near opaque core, deep garnet rim; cassis & blackberry, later brambly, pristine/vibrant nose; soft & supple, plummy, some unresolved tannin kicks in, along with some secondary notes; grippy extended finish, but there's a flat spot & thus it lacks true definition. The antithesis of so many over-revved Aussie Shiraz, & thankfully mintyness. Opened too young, but still really enjoyable.
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Dark purple, but not dense. Nose began with that fruit soaked oak nose with a bit of wet dog. Just a very interesting wine, hard to describe. Just waves of fruit, pie cherries, alch in there, tannins are perfect but plenty of time left.Finish just lingers with good depth.
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Tasting recent vintages of the St Henry have left me unimpressed so it was time to pull an old favorite from the vault to get a prospective. A short decant and the wine showed very well. Mid bodied and good balance it seems in a very good place right now. I didn't take written notes at the time but there was no specific aspect that was super impressive just a nice drinking bottle which was not over the top -very pleasant. Time to put remaining bottles into drinking rotation.
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Very well balanced wine that still has plenty of aging potential. Some reviews termed this a "baby-Grange" when this was released, and it lived up to the reputation. Plums, spice and tobacco on the nose with a well balanced combination of dark and light fruit currant finish. Wish I would have picked up more.....
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Extraordinarily good. Crimson purple. Nose of cherry, nutmeg. Rich palate of plum, spice and sour cherry. Fine tannins and long finish. Beautiful wine.
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NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds &/or 1988 (Alio's, Surry Hills): {cork, 14%} We had two bottles of this from different cellars, the second rather rubbery/reductive and metallic, the first a bit cleaner and more open. Neither was decanted, and they converged a little as time passed. A semi-composite note follows: dark ruby colour, what little aroma that can be detected is mostly of ripe dark plums. The palate is all grapes; fleshy fruits that refuse to blossom, and powerful furry tannins. The wine seems totally sealed up and unforthcoming. I feel like Dan Brown asking to look through the Vatican’s archives. There’s minimal oak evident, a long structural (tannic) finish, but really, it’s impossible to get much out of this. I think it will be a very great wine one day, for it has plenty of stuffing, but it’ll be at least another 10 year wait to see much development.
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Pretty red fruit, raspberry, framboise, strawberry, a hint of slate. A bit of brick around the edge. Smooth red fruit, great mouthfeel. Flavors are red fruit, cinnamon/baking spice, a litte cedar. Great wine...very smooth.
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Last drank this wine 3 years ago, tannins have soften considerably making it soft and smooth, this bottle was showing a lot of green tea, eucalyptis, blueberry, with soft red currant and raspberry flavors. drinking great now, wouldnt hold longer than 5 more years.
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Dark ruby. Might benefit from a bit more time in the cellar, reserved nose of plums and some spice. Not much complexity. A nice wine, but not my style these days.
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Followed the Art Series Chardonnay at lunch - thick, dark, with rich plum bouquet, grippy with long smooth finish. Drinking great, but plenty of life in this baby yet - even in 375mls
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Notes from memory: A friend pulled this out for "No Corkage night" at 40 Sardines. It was drinking very nice, but certainly could have benfitted from some decant time or a little more time in the cellar. Still, it showed what I love about the St. Henri's...powerful elegance and was a very nice complement to lamb and braised short ribs.
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Good structure. this one could cellar for a few more years. plum and deep berry fruit is forward on the palate. long lingering finish. I decanted it - more air allowed it to develop more complexity. I would buy it again.
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NobleRottersSydney - Christmas Lunch 2005 (Andrew's place): A grand wine. Rich, plush upholstered plum & dark berry fruit aromas. Darkly restrained on the palate, the finely tannic fruit is quite reticent and very primary still. Slumbering deeply, this needs at least another 5 years (preferably 10) to be anything beyond ‘great potential’.
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Lush wine with spicy fruits on the nose and palte. Also some hints of licorice. Initialy a little bit of heat, but this blew off quickly. Still youthful, still has plenty of time left in the bottle.
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Frisco -great out of the chute. Lots of raspberry up front after a hr decant more chocolate & mocha nuances and the wine added some good weight.Medium bodied with nice framing acidity on the finish. Overall very smooth & soft exhibiting a very elegant style. Fantastic QPR espc. give the sale price
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Wine Education Service - Penfolds: Age showing. Vegetal with fragrant fruit, a complex nose. Ripe fruit, excellent balance, smooth, lovely in the mouth, long finish.
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3/2/2024 - Cremuel wrote: 92 Points
Bob’s cellar. Dark purple red and black. Whoosh of Barossa black fruit on the nose, still fresh and alive. Flavours burst out of the glass - black cherry, cassis, damson menthol and liquorice. Rock solid Shiraz whose tannins have settled out leaving a fine lace to support the fruit. A lot of life left. Very good and enjoyable, and a more robust contrast to the 96 Calon Segur.
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12/26/2023 - rzymelka Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent. Very fresh. Tannins smooth.
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8/8/2023 - Papies wrote: flawed
1995s & Friends (67 Pall Mall, London): A very weird bottle, VA on the nose and just difficult. We argued if this was indeed a bad bottle or the wine paying the price now for an exuberant youth. For sure did not travel very well. Luckily 67 PM accepted to refund us. Shame really would have made a good pair vs Chave 1995 ( Papies 93)
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7/1/2023 - colinscellar Likes this wine: 94 Points
2023 Birthday lunch (Aquitaine Brasserie): Tasted alongside 2008 and 2018. This was in immaculate condition. Double-decanted back into bottle ~4hrs before lunch, good on service and continued to evolve in glass.
Primary dark fruits still very evident along with dark chocolate and some spice. Most popular of the three vintages.
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6/7/2023 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - mostly Penfolds (Fix, St James, Sydney): {cork, 14%} [Stephen] Big, soft old leathery fruit. But a bit restrained, dignified, with dust, earth, plum. Proper wine. Fruit-driven palate, in the best sense, not too extracted or over-ripe. Mostly blackberry type flavours, the seasoning oak acts more as texture than flavour, with low/medium dusty tannins, medium acid and overall a medium/full weight. Long finish. Adds up to more than the sum of its parts. Perfect example of a great Penfolds shiraz – it’s head and shoulders above the RWT, for instance. Double-decanted just before service, I think.
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5/2/2023 - PeterMcI Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice old St Henri. Solid/dark red with bricking. Lovely, complex Penfolds nose - mid weight palate with good length but a little astringency on the finish. While good, did not open a well as my previous bottle 18 months ago.
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4/16/2023 - chatters wrote:
Dave's 60th lunch (Porcine, Oxford Street): Gently decanted. Cream, black hued fruits, a little red fruit underpin, sweet spice, berries, a little savoury note, leather. Medium plus intensity acidity, blackberry, sweet spice, fleshy, slightly chalky tannic burr, a little leather, nice.
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4/9/2023 - willmark wrote: 96 Points
9th April 2023
Superbly balanced after 25 years, just amazing….colour still intact and youthful…I love this wine!
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1/5/2023 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last of six, 25 years old/young. These have lasted very well, and whilst there's no rush, I feel this last bottle is approaching the end of the peak, and the only way from here is a gradual and graceful decline. Still some black fruit, but gently fading away to be dominated by big tarry and liquorice notes, quite earthy and a hint of lavender. Lovely on its own to sip and contemplate, but would be gorgeous with a rare steak. Finished on night 2 with the said steak, and alongside a freshly opened 1998 Bin 28 - quite a contrast, the Henri felt about half the age!
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12/10/2022 - chatters wrote:
Christmas lunch with the wine ark boys (Porcine, Oxford Street): Oof, after the previous wines this shows very young, blackberry, sweet spice, even with a decant it proves slightly reductive, touch of mint and eucalyptus. Juicy, concentrated black fruit, a little reductive again, tight woody tannins are slightly chalky, again a little herbaceous and a touch of red currant underpin. Okay.
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4/9/2022 - SadEdjo wrote: 92 Points
like-new cork; auburn colour; redolent nose; dark plum, cinnamon, plush well-integrated fine-grained tannins with a long finish; plenty of years of life left; moreish
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2/27/2022 - chatters wrote:
Wine-Ark lunch (McLeay Street Bistro, Potts Point): Slight reductive, caramel, meaty, blackberry, plum, slight vanilla, tomato leaf. In the mouth it has jammy black fruit, sweet and peppery spice, thick and chewy tannins. Woof.
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2/19/2022 - Winemaker51 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened it w/o a decant. Had in mind; herb marinated lamb chops with it; and what a great match! Doesn’t really need a decant; if for just removing sediment and presentation. It’s arrived early with a still vibrant, Aussie Shiraz black/blueberry fruits and spice. Oak is spot on and very complimentary to the St. Henri more restrained style. Only got better the first hour or so. Palate as both generous fruit and elegant/restraint. Nice; baking spices (St. Henri style) with good acidity and plenty of tannin to offset grilled steaks/lamb. It did start to fade towards the end of the bottle. I don’t think this will improve with further age; so drink up and enjoy an aged, elegant Aussie Shiraz
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1/18/2022 - Christopheroz Likes this wine:
Elegant, gentle tannins, still dark, cassis, rich. A beautiful wine. It will last a few more years too
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1/11/2022 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Remarkable wine. It is still so young. Bright red, quite sweet ripe red and black fruits. Moderately rich, medium to full bodied. Cinamon and cake spice. Very pure, wonderful. Good acidity provides plenty of freshness, tannins are fine. Medium finish, some complexity. Drink now but will last and possibly improve for another 20 years.
This is the Penfolds Shiraz made in old wooden vats - like traditional Rhone, rather than new oak. Has been made this since the early 20th century and Penfolds carried on in the same way after they bought the estate. I think the pureness of its fruit definitely results from the lack new oak, but it also does not have those oak based tannins and flavours that can add so much to a wine. An interesting wine and I love it the way it is. Amazed by how young it is, given the lack of oak tannins.
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11/6/2021 - Duce wrote: 93 Points
This wine has aged very nicely. Great Shiraz. Drink now
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10/2/2021 - PeterMcI Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely mature wine, probably at its peak though might be in the plateau for another 5 years. Medium to full bodied, excellent length. Decanted for one hour and it was at its best as the bottle was finished two and a half hours after opening.
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9/24/2021 - empire80 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful nose, lovely balance in the mouth with tarry dark fruit, coffee, even a hint of chocolate. This is 23 years' young, and perfectly demonstrates the Penfolds rewards of patience...
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8/19/2021 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delightful nose, full of fragrant earth and exotic spice. Red and black fruit completely in balance with earthy liquorice and integrated tannins. Very long finish. Perfect maturity.
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6/28/2021 - Isaac D Likes this wine:
Such a beautiful wine. Very balanced, complete and complex. So youthful in comparison to the 79’ Grange tasted next to it. I absolutely loved this wine. It’s a big YES from me. 97
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1/2/2021 - willmark wrote: 97 Points
2nd Jan 2021: decanted 30mins; colour still youthful and lively...dancing in the light. Nose is enticing, fruit still strongly present and the taste utterly satisfying. The finish exquisite. Still the best vintage I’ve enjoyed including 1996.
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8/22/2020 - Christopheroz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really fine structure, after 22 years. Muted fruit but this improved after sitting for a while in the glass.
Integrated, with fine tannins.
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6/25/2020 - Jhenry wrote: 97 Points
Subtle wild fruits
Very light traces of oak
Full body
Long lasting flavours on the palate
Beautiful earthy tannins
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6/6/2020 - KoalaHK wrote:
Drunk at Little Miss Hong Kong from Magnum - This was a real crowdpleaser as St Henri often is. The lack of new oak can steer you away from Australia, but one deep inhale of that unmistakable Penfold's nose has you right back in the zone. I was fortunate enough to drink both Grange and Bin 707 from this highly regarded vintage this week and St Henri, at probably less than half the price of its nearest rival does not disgrace itself.
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5/12/2020 - Christopheroz Likes this wine:
Still plenty of body and life. Fully integrated, rich and enveloping.
It's drinking very well now. No decanting done; straight from the bottle. Well, I did pour it into a glass first.
A great wine.
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2/20/2020 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): Drank side by side with the '99. For many this was the favored wine and certainly it's the year that got a lot more press for Aus. More full bodied. I actually feel like slightly less acid. More fruit, but it's not overpowering. Also an enjoyable wine although I'm not sure that I had a clear favorite between the two or if I did I might have leaned a bit to the '99.
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1/14/2020 - grapenomad wrote: 89 Points
Decanted for two hours. Deep ruby in the glass with slight garnet hues. Not showing huge development on the nose, but it's there - notes of ripe blackberries, blackcurrants, black cherry, sweet spices, tobacco and mocha. You expect a ripe beast on the palate, but don't get it. Instead, the wine is on the slightly weaker scale of SA Shiraz, showing more of a mellow character than a powerhouse. Needs more depth and a stronger finish. Good, but not great.
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11/30/2019 - Crocadillus Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding! Gentle decant for 2hrs unlocked a true delight. Could easily develop further over next 5+yrs but outstanding now so why wait...
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7/20/2019 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still feels quite tight, precise and young. Redcurrant fruit, olives, licorice, earthy spices, very long finish.
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6/28/2019 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
2 weeks in Australia with a stopover in Singapore; 6/14/2019-7/1/2019 (Singapore, Sydney, Adelaide, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills): Tasted at the winery. From the Southern end of the Barossa Valley, raised in 1275 litter vats, neutral oak. This is quite nice, side by side with the '98 RWT this is much fresher with acidity more defined. It is also more savory and complex. Really enjoyed!
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6/28/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Return to Aus; 6/23/2019-7/5/2019 (Adelaide, South Australia wine regions, Tassie, Yarra, etc.): A few months ago I had some of my first St Henri and I've been quite a fan ever since. All neutral oak for aging so the fruit really gets to come through. It's almost juicy in nature. Almost likely a slightly sour but very ripe red boysenberry. Touch of eucalyptus. A bit of mint. Very fresh. The grapes for this wine often come from the more southern areas and the winemakers are going for that freshness when they craft it. Very well done. Drinking excellently now but with many years left.
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5/5/2019 - mphatic wrote:
Cork, 14% alc.
Still very deep, dark, inky black red.
Aromas a smoky meats, sweet-fruited redcurrant, blackberry, a touch of VA, and violets.
Only medium weight in the mouth. Flavours track the aroma, with the addition of dusty, sour, cherry, vegemite, crushed herbs. The remaining tannins balance the wine beautifully, particularly on Day 2 when they seem to become more powerful along with the fruit.
Opinion: While this isn’t really wowing at this stage of its life, it is still a pretty solid and lovely wine. Drink now and over the next 10 years.
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12/8/2018 - CamCamCam Likes this wine: 95 Points
Magnificent. Initial taste was uncharacteristic for a shiraz, more that of a pinot noir. After further aeration it dramatically evolved into a wonderful Shiraz.
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3/21/2018 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Wednesday wine night at Chateau YB. Poured into decanter. Tasted blind.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of black pepper, tobacco, black fruits. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), smooth velvety high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavour intensity, with flavours of blackberries, black cherries, blackcurrant, earth, sweet licorice, tobacco, black olives. Medium+ finish.
Very good quality. I was guessing some non-Barossa Aussie Shiraz. Kinda hard to place a terroir to this. Showing some definite restraint in style. Nose is kinda shy even.
Wow this is that old!? Not sure if the nose is closed or this is just how it's gonna be. Palate is good though.
>95% Shiraz with small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon.
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2/15/2018 - gresch Likes this wine: 92 Points
Showcasing a more elegant style of shiraz but still deceptively deep, complex & varietally correct. A good wine to savor.
This could probably go a couple more years, but it's already in a good place now.
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2/5/2018 - The Raven Likes this wine: 90 Points
Must drink with food.
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1/27/2018 - gresch Likes this wine: 94 Points
From coravin. Starting drinking this w/out decanting over the first hour, then decided to decant away the sediment to finish the second half of the glass. It was great both ways.
There was already a good bit of sludge on the side of the bottle. Upon pouring, fine powdery tannins dominated - and in a good way on the palate. Definitely a chocolate feel, especially w/ the texture. The nose during this time was more suppressed (as might be expected since it hadn't been decanted).
Eventually the tannins started to get pretty aggressive - even if they were fully mature & fantastic. After decanting, the nose came alive a lot more. Clean saddle leather & a lot of other stuff going on.
Either way, this is a big, but brilliantly balanced and mature specimen. This is a wine of resonance & a very graceful finish, like a movie that keeps you seated through the credits while the music is still playing.
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12/25/2017 - willmark wrote: 92 Points
25th Dec 2017
Decanted for 30 mins...this vintage was eager to show off its virtues. The colour is vibrant and lively, it’s nose fragrant with abundant fruit with a hint of spice...the first mouthful did not disappoint it exceeded expectations...such balance and elegance in vintage...so delectable....this elegance is St Henri’s trademark Shiraz which I remember the youthful 1996 vintage to be...oh so enjoyable...lucky to have 2 bottles of the 1998 vintage left.
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12/3/2017 - juiced Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still firm with beautiful black fruit entry. Tannins soft but enough acid to go another 5 years persistent long finish. Very nice with roasted lamb rack. Sadly, my last bottle.
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9/9/2017 - wine247365 Likes this wine: 93 Points
I've been looking forward to drinking this. The cork was crumbly and very dry, almost fully to the point where the wine touched it. I feared it would be an oxidized mess. Fortunately, not the case. Had a ton sediment, so it took some time to decant it through my finely meshed aerator. Poured back in the bottle and didn't drink for an hour. On the first taste, I was very surprised by the plush texture. I thought it was a great wine as it was my first aged Shiraz. I would recommend drinking with beef and not alone as by the end of the bottle, the drying tannins were very evident. Going forward, I'll be on the lookout for aged St. Henri's as it was a treat! Attractive QPR.
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8/26/2017 - Robbie K Likes this wine: 94 Points
Threw up quite a crust and the top half of the cork disintegrated on opening.
Despite this, the wine was beautifully preserved.
Has a surprising semi-youthful colour, with only limited fading.
Smells of licorice, brambly dark fruits, framed by smoky, sweet leather/saddle impressions.
A mixture of blue violet fruit, blackberry and dark chocolate flavours come forth.
The finish is very smooth and long with a licorice, sarsaparilla note at the end with minimal tannin grip.
Has an understated elegance, while still packing a full bodied punch.
Drinking beautifully now, at or near its peak, but will hold for a few more years I believe.
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7/30/2017 - AnonymousCoward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely drinking - savoury spice, liquorice, cigar box, cherries and blackberries. Incredibly smooth but coating mouthfeel. Still a huge, lingering finish of mostly savoury spice. Just a cracka of a wine IMHO. Wish I had another bottle.
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12/11/2016 - Cellar Bear wrote: 92 Points
- Purple color with a medium/full body with a long finish - Still tight. Needs at least another 5 years. Bouquet very restrained.
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11/24/2016 - vcerf Likes this wine: 90 Points
This has been in our cellar for 16 years - opened, decanted, voluptuous and velvet on the palate, plum/prune, very dark color, coffee, relatively brief finish, rather muted nose. Recommend drinking now and not waiting.
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10/16/2016 - chatters wrote:
Clape lunch with the wine ark boys (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): Very, very slight cork taint slides in with leather, savoury blackberry, spicy and peppery. More plummy and damson on the palate with a slight touch of alcohol heat on the back palate as well as peppery spice as well. Nice but with that slight cork taint present here. I suspect I'm just sensitive to this as only myself and Estella picked it.
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10/1/2016 - empire80 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Concentrated, red berry, plenty of years ahead.
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9/5/2016 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds Mini Verticals (Klein Constantia): (Tasted Blind): A deep red-black wine with a complex lifted bouquet featuring chocolate, black olive, molasses, damson, and menthol.
This full-bodied wine with riper, almost jammy black fruits and tilled earth is nicely extracted and balanced by medium acidity. A rich, concentrated, and powerful that yields gravelly tannins, there are signs of ageing on the palate with flavours of molasses and balsamic. Fairly generous with a persistent finish without being overly complex.
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4/30/2016 - VinCapitan wrote: 92 Points
Leather, vanilla, dark plums, coffee oak, a whiff of alcohol, belies its 18 year old age. Surprising.
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10/30/2015 - andtheodor wrote:
Tasted blind. Awkward cellar, dirty sock, dank, possibly TCA nose. Clear meniscus, looks at least 15 years old. Full, sweet palate with a very glycerine mouth feel, some spicy black pepper, heavy currant/plum fruit. Has the weight and sweetness of Amarone but the fruit profile isn't quite right. Not too surprised on the reveal, but I didn't get any telltale cooked berry/blackberry compote that typical Shiraz has. Overall, drinkable but not a correct bottle.
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9/27/2015 - elledeca wrote:
Crimson, very dark. Blueberries, cassis, a bit of herbs. A big wine but well balanced by acidity, long finish on the fruit.
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6/20/2015 - Fatdoi Likes this wine: 92 Points
A solid wine aging gracefully.. Still got years let to develop further
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6/17/2015 - JonnyG wrote: flawed
Another Killer Night with the Sydney Grapemates (Sydney, Australia): Corked
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3/5/2015 - Nicholas81 wrote: 92 Points
Very nice funky, leathery and cigar box nose. The palate was slightly a let down. The palate was still developing tertiary flavours. But was very smooth and balanced. The finish was moderate. Pretty good example of a gracefully aged Australian shiraz. Could still be cellered longer. At least another 2 - 3 years.
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2/28/2015 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine:
Penfolds master class: Brown toned rim, shows some age. Minerally smokey qualities. Sweet fruit of prunes and black fruit. Plenty of acidity to give it life. Very earthy finish. Still lots of life ahead.
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2/28/2015 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): Nose of leather, tar and earth. Smooth creamy palate. Nice.
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2/15/2015 - chatters wrote:
Ben's 50th B'day (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): slightly funky notes, leather meat, black berry, Asian five spice, slight peppery notes, touches of volatile acidity and a bit of soy as well. In the mouth the fruit is a little more red currant over the black berry, slight toffee and cream. Plentiful flour textured tannins, leather, quite savoury and very slight mustiness on the finish.
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2/7/2015 - ProfByron Likes this wine: 91 Points
For a Penfolds red this is unforced with little indication of their "recipe" (of added acid and American oak). Not an old wine, not much in the way of developed secondary character but rather quite beautiful, integrated, delicious.
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1/30/2015 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine: 94 Points
A great 98 Shiraz-time has done this fine. I can write for about an hour on this; but I have to give myself and my wife some time...I will come back to write my tome.
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12/3/2014 - Ian S wrote:
Still deep dark claret colour with just a little browning at the rim. Interesting nose, more secondary than primary with dark chocolate & black olive mostly obscuring quite herby fruit. Swirling doesn't change this balance much, perhaps adding coffee in.
Still plenty of structure on the palate and I think this has quite a bit of upside to come. Although texturally pretty big, it has a good deal of poise. Primary and secondary flavours have a better harmony on the palate, with appetising peppery fruit sharing the billing, yet overall more savoury than you might expect. Not the longest finish.
[bottle a little cool from the cellar - will see what happens as it warms a little]
Postscript: Not huge change, still pretty savoury and despite a touch of fuminess, this feels like another 5-10 years will benefit the wine.
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11/22/2014 - Uglypinga Likes this wine:
Nose of cinnamon toast, floral notes and grilled meats. The palate reminds me of roasted cherries, but this has a nice lift to it. Good.
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11/21/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
Penfolds Tasting with 5 vintages of Grange and a bunch more (Downtown Cleveland): Purchased by me on release. I was wondering if this would be over the hill, but again, this is just getting into its wheelhouse and drinking great. Seemed to be the groups favorite of the flight. black cherries, black raspberries, some grilled meats on the nose. On the palate, layered complexity. Vibrant black raspberry fruit. Some spice. Mostly resolved tannins. Seems to be at peak at his point 16 years from vintage but no hurry. This was $30 on release, but current vintages are up at $100 a bottle. Might be worth it.
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8/30/2014 - chatters wrote:
Lunch at Wine-Ark Daves (Banksia, Sydney): muted black fruit, agitation reveals metallic black berry and cherry. Plentiful spice - especially black pepper, slight sour milk, vanilla and very slight green root note. In the mouth the wine has flavours of sweet and sour black berry fruit with spice, cream and vanilla. Touches of chocolate. A bit of alcohol warmth on the finish but not intrusive. Hmm for me.
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6/21/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 91 Points
Cellar Favourites: Chocolate, oak, earth and pepper on the nose. Still showing good fruit and tannin, though it is starting to show signs of being ready to drink. Really enjoyable now and I wouldn't count it out to improve further.
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4/26/2014 - chbeaumont wrote: 92 Points
Consistent to previous. Power with grace. Approaching its peak.
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3/28/2014 - Redback wrote:
Secondary flavours now through. OK but expected more complexity with this age and vintage.
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2/23/2014 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 90 Points
Bit disappointing, thin and austere. Hit its peak? Still good color and not a hint of oxidation.
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1/17/2014 - whatsgoinon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious. Aniseed and spice, elegant fruit and fine tannins. Opened, but not decanted, and allowed to breathe for two hours. Poured carefully and slowly into glass using light source under bottle to ensure no sediment transferred. Continued to evolve over the next hour or two. Drinking well now and unlikely to get much better.
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11/9/2013 - lushious Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took about three hours to really open up. Needs some more time in the cellar.
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9/2/2013 - Quarked wrote: 93 Points
At 15 years of age, this is still going strong. I really regret not buying the whole case of this stuff I found at rock bottom prices a few years back, as this was my last bottle. Really profound now, with anise, chocolate, cedar, and smooth tannins. Particularly good at cellar temps, as it is just a bit hot at room temperature. One of all time favorites, but increasingly expensive of late.
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5/26/2013 - lshantz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aged amazingly well. Smooth as silk, a bit too jammy for my tastes.
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5/10/2013 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion, this opaque crimson wine shows moderately intense aromas of boysenberries, vanilla, sage and pickling spice. Full-bodied on the palate and showing heavyweight rustic tannins, it reveals its gentler side with its ripe fruit and well-integrated alcohol (listed as 13.0%). Solid in the middle, the wine concludes with a long, albeit dry finish. Give this one some time to let the tannins simmer down...there is plenty enough fruit to assure that it won't dry out for several more years. Drink 2015-2022.
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5/2/2013 - chatters wrote:
Post Wine-Ark Supper with the boys - May (Restaurant Atelier, Glebe Point Road, Sydney): Bit musty and dusty - slightly oxidised in fact. Slightly off dry black berry fruit, long and pleasant for the entire duration, well integrated oak
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2/10/2013 - winegr wrote: 90 Points
90. This was very good, showing some age, deep berry with some saline notes and earth to balance. Age has done this well, but fades quickly. Drink up in my opinion.
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1/4/2013 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very nice if not still a little young.
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1/1/2013 - cshall wrote: 94 Points
Cracker! Let it breath for 3 hours in the bottle (on holidays, no option). Opened up extremely well and tasted exceptional. It is well aged now, and didn't feel like it would improve but fantastic drinking. As always, wish I had more.
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12/22/2012 - MyCellar01 Likes this wine: 94 Points
30 min decant. Beautiful dark red, bright rim almost transparent.
Lively nose, like a whiff of Cognac, sweet and fruity.
Smooth, how smooth at 14 years of age and no heat on the palate. All fruit, no oak, no vanilla just blackberry and a plum finish. Sweet and oh so moorish, as good as St Henri should be.
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12/17/2012 - Gymnvali wrote: 79 Points
A little fruit left. Taste of tobacco. Regrettably we left this one too late.
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10/22/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote: 90 Points
Still a good wine. Starting to take on a lot of secondary notes of earth and tobacco. It may be starting down the backside of its life.
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4/25/2012 - steinersing wrote: 90 Points
Penfolds tasting with Grange etc (Osia): very rich, jammy, a bit one-dimensional; very sweet and little acidity. Would drink up.
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3/12/2012 - TwistedArmadillo wrote: 94 Points
Needed to have some pleasure - drank two - one left. Outstanding Shiraz. Wonderful tobacco, blackberry palate - and yes candied plum as one drinker suggested. Remains one of my favorite Shiraz.
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12/22/2011 - tplskylrk wrote: 93 Points
Drinking these over the last decade, last puppy, and yes a 13 year old Shiraz is a pup. Drank along side a 07 Cali Cab blend. After 3 hours I could not really tell which wine was older. Crazy, this was so approachable, drinking so well, yet tones of life & development ahead. All the tasting notes below work for me, just to say this is a beautiful John Duval wine, drinking grate now and will reward further cellaring, but hell you may be dead tomorrow so drink up!
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12/17/2011 - whatsgoinon wrote: 94 Points
This is a superb wine. Took about an hour to begin opening up and revealing its full beauty. Very fine tannins and super long finish that curls around the sides and under the tip of your tongue. Hints of tobacco, leather and violets on the nose with dark chocolate-anniseed flavours. Drinking very well now, will be interesting to see how it improves over the next 5 years.
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9/24/2011 - empire80 wrote: 92 Points
Concentrated black fruit, quite peppery, very long finish, tastes incredibly young for 13 years old - will probably leave my next bottle for a few years. Superb but with more to come?
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6/14/2011 - chatters wrote:
Concentrated black fruit with vanilla and cream...some leather, tobacco and cedarwood. Jolly nice.
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5/17/2011 - Rani wrote: 92 Points
Rich but not jammy. Bacon, blackberry and black pepper. Some savory notes on the finish. Very good now, could easily age further.
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5/14/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 93 Points
Charlie's Retirement Party: The first red that we drank. Had with appetizers (baguette, brie,tapenade, and shrimp). Started with a nose of candied plum. Supper smooth tannins still in evidence. Even with its age, it took awhile to open in our glasses. Flavors of plum and dark fruit. Just a fantastic performer.
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3/24/2011 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
1998 Australians (Raab at Burgatta): Dark red transparent color with orange edges.
Ripe cherries and red fruits aroma.
High acidity, medium-full body, tannic & bitter, round rich. Medium harmony. Medium after taste.
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2/7/2011 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - emergency Penfolds (Alio's, Surry Hills): [cork, 14%] {David} This is still ruby red at thirteen years old. Predictably, the nose is so young, so powerful. It’s fruity too, but they’re dark black fruits, not some sweet red bomb. And the longer you inhale, the deeper and richer the nose becomes. The palate is grandly assertive, with a smoky (non-oaky) richness to the currant/raspberry/blackberry fruit with its meaty overtones. Ludicrously undeveloped, it’s certainly coming together in a beautifully integrated way, with medium powdery tannins, terrific intensity of flavour and a long finish to its even, tongue-coating palate presence. This is a beautiful wine, with its best drinking still ten years away at least. A privilege to drink.
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1/14/2011 - pjwatts wrote: 90 Points
Deep opaque red with faintest bricking. What a nose! Chocolate & a hint of menthol mixed up with some raspberries and blackberries. Big sweet silky mouthfeel held in place with great tannic structure. Big juicy mouthwatering flavours of dark fruit - blackberries and some other indistinct notes. Slightly unfocused palate, but very charismatic without being too exuberant. Feels like it's in a great place in it's evolution. Yum...
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10/24/2010 - gregc wrote: 92 Points
Deep red with transparent edges, but no sign of browning. Expressive, tight and incredibly controlled nose featuring wild berries, chocolate and some lovely herbal notes (without being at all green); a touch of menthol adding complexity, on the right side of balanced. Dark fruits on the palate with zingy attack, but without the focus that the nose had - a bit scattered on the finish. Can't see this coming together with time. Impressive wine in total; youthful and energetic, but just not quite...
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6/26/2010 - Patrick - winereviewer.com.au wrote: 91 Points
Dull red in colour, the wine shows blackberry and plum on the front palate with the oak playing a supporting role. The wine has fine tannins and considerable length. The fruit is not overripe , allowing this wine to improve for the next 4 - 6 years
Review Link - www.winereviewer.com.au (drink by 2015)
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6/7/2010 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds (Rodwell House): 1460 l oak vats, no new oak. Old-ish vines.
Deep red in colour, the nose has an appealing perfume with black cherry, prune and blackberry alongside caramel, condensed milk and molasses.
A vibrant sweet entry, the wine has fabulous intensity, very ripe fruits, and to me, a slightly unintegrated acid that protrudes (added?). The mid-palate has breadth and is filled with tinned black cherries, brown sugar, cassis, tapenade and melted chocolate (70%). Despite this, there is a menthol coolness that runs through the wine. This makes it more appealing and lengthens the finish. Tannins are firm and quite grippy than the previous wine, and it definitely improved in glass.
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4/4/2010 - laura hope wrote: 92 Points
Deep colour, almost opaque still although showing some age round the rim. Nose is classic Shiraz with scented black fruit and some menthol and warm spice character. Palate is lush with smooth tannins still showing good structure 12 years from vintage. Full bodied and still full of ripe scented black fruit. Long finish. Delicious mature example of premium Oz Shiraz. I wish I had another in my wine rack. Worth decanting or careful pouring as it throws some sediment.
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3/13/2010 - UrbanRed wrote: flawed
Lite lätt korkskadad enligt uppgift
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1/30/2010 - tplskylrk wrote:
Mortons Madness (Hong Kong Mortons): Definitely maturing red brick color. Great nose of Smells like a sleeve of fresh baked sweet biscuits. Fig Newtons? Silky smooth. Big tart fruit, Smokey, Tannins there. Let's see what a few hours and red meat does to this beauty.
3 Hours later at Mortons HK - This just took on weight. Dark. Blackberry jam, sweet oak, "fruited salad", red twister licorice, Grandma's sweet black cherry's with cream. Yum.
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12/5/2009 - winegr wrote: 90 Points
Good, but not as interesting or balanced as before. Tannins settled out and bright sweet fruit remaining, not as much interest or salinity and tannin. A bit awkward now, hold and hope fruit settles slighty. Still very good, not awesome like before.
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11/6/2009 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 92 Points
Manchester Offline (Choice Bar & Restaurant): A rather subtle nose with very gentle black fruits and some herbal, almost medicinal notes. On the palate, there's a silky, caressing mouthfeel. Very precise. Very classy.
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9/27/2009 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
Milk chocolate dipped rasberries. Red current. Blackberry fruit. This is just one nice mature well made wine. Drinking great now with lots of life left as it is perfectly balanced and will ride nicely for a nother 10 years.
Drank it along side the J Duval Entity for comparison, good fun.
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9/7/2009 - Steve C wrote: 89 Points
Nose is still fresh, and coffee, cocoa and green pepper on the palate. There are tannins are broad but not yet finessed. Good, but time yet from this bottle.
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8/29/2009 - Quarked wrote: 93 Points
This was fantastic almost immediately, but got even better over the next few hours. Dark as molasses, flavor of raisins and lots of dark fruit; fruit was really noticeable in the nose. Incredibly smooth and complex. A great bottle of wine for under $40.
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7/26/2009 - rmodak wrote: 90 Points
Very ripe wine with raisiny black cherry and berry. lush mouthfeel and slightly hot finish. As this opened, the wine smoothed quite a bit.
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7/14/2009 - chbeaumont wrote: 94 Points
Near opaque core, deep garnet rim; cassis & blackberry, later brambly, pristine/vibrant nose; soft & supple, plummy, some unresolved tannin kicks in, along with some secondary notes; grippy extended finish, but there's a flat spot & thus it lacks true definition. The antithesis of so many over-revved Aussie Shiraz, & thankfully mintyness. Opened too young, but still really enjoyable.
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7/11/2009 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple, but not dense. Nose began with that fruit soaked oak nose with a bit of wet dog. Just a very interesting wine, hard to describe. Just waves of fruit, pie cherries, alch in there, tannins are perfect but plenty of time left.Finish just lingers with good depth.
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6/17/2009 - papazee wrote:
very aromatic, lots of cedar and spice
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4/20/2009 - binkybonky wrote: 92 Points
Only the very beginnings of secondary aromas. Best to leave a long spell.
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11/28/2008 - tplskylrk wrote:
Wii - Thanksgiving (Chateau de Stearns - Hong Kong): Smells like wet dog. Oak, vanilla, young. Whiff of Choc. Pie cherries. Just damn good. This thing is in its youth.
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11/12/2008 - itsallaboutwine wrote: 89 Points
Interesting and enjoyable (But a bit overpriced in Europe...around 40€), not over the top at all. drink up.
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11/1/2008 - bon vivant wrote: 92 Points
Tasting recent vintages of the St Henry have left me unimpressed so it was time to pull an old favorite from the vault to get a prospective. A short decant and the wine showed very well. Mid bodied and good balance it seems in a very good place right now. I didn't take written notes at the time but there was no specific aspect that was super impressive just a nice drinking bottle which was not over the top -very pleasant. Time to put remaining bottles into drinking rotation.
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8/30/2008 - bwaverley wrote: 93 Points
Very well balanced wine that still has plenty of aging potential. Some reviews termed this a "baby-Grange" when this was released, and it lived up to the reputation. Plums, spice and tobacco on the nose with a well balanced combination of dark and light fruit currant finish. Wish I would have picked up more.....
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8/21/2008 - spaniel wrote: 96 Points
Extraordinarily good. Crimson purple. Nose of cherry, nutmeg. Rich palate of plum, spice and sour cherry. Fine tannins and long finish. Beautiful wine.
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3/3/2008 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Penfolds &/or 1988 (Alio's, Surry Hills): {cork, 14%} We had two bottles of this from different cellars, the second rather rubbery/reductive and metallic, the first a bit cleaner and more open. Neither was decanted, and they converged a little as time passed. A semi-composite note follows: dark ruby colour, what little aroma that can be detected is mostly of ripe dark plums. The palate is all grapes; fleshy fruits that refuse to blossom, and powerful furry tannins. The wine seems totally sealed up and unforthcoming. I feel like Dan Brown asking to look through the Vatican’s archives. There’s minimal oak evident, a long structural (tannic) finish, but really, it’s impossible to get much out of this. I think it will be a very great wine one day, for it has plenty of stuffing, but it’ll be at least another 10 year wait to see much development.
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2/16/2008 - tskrueger wrote: 90 Points
Pretty red fruit, raspberry, framboise, strawberry, a hint of slate. A bit of brick around the edge. Smooth red fruit, great mouthfeel. Flavors are red fruit, cinnamon/baking spice, a litte cedar. Great wine...very smooth.
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1/26/2008 - AstonM wrote: 93 Points
Last drank this wine 3 years ago, tannins have soften considerably making it soft and smooth, this bottle was showing a lot of green tea, eucalyptis, blueberry, with soft red currant and raspberry flavors.
drinking great now, wouldnt hold longer than 5 more years.
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11/5/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 88 Points
Dark ruby. Might benefit from a bit more time in the cellar, reserved nose of plums and some spice. Not much complexity. A nice wine, but not my style these days.
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10/21/2007 - JAlbert wrote: 90 Points
Lush and rich - could have been longer.
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2/16/2007 - Twitcher35 wrote: 94 Points
Followed the Art Series Chardonnay at lunch - thick, dark, with rich plum bouquet, grippy with long smooth finish. Drinking great, but plenty of life in this baby yet - even in 375mls
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2/8/2007 - pederwelander wrote: 90 Points
Ett stort och härligt vin.
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2/7/2007 - winesteward Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fabulous, flowery nose. Very ripe. Soft and New Worldy.
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8/17/2006 - tskrueger wrote: 90 Points
Notes from memory: A friend pulled this out for "No Corkage night" at 40 Sardines. It was drinking very nice, but certainly could have benfitted from some decant time or a little more time in the cellar. Still, it showed what I love about the St. Henri's...powerful elegance and was a very nice complement to lamb and braised short ribs.
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7/17/2006 - EyeDoc wrote: 90 Points
Throwing alot of sediment - definitely entering a good drinking window. Very nice Shiraz with classic structure - not over the top. Good stuff.
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5/29/2006 - BonnieM wrote:
still slightly tannic but good structure. I'd give it a little more time to see if the fruit comes out on top.
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12/27/2005 - agnorger wrote: 91 Points
Good structure. this one could cellar for a few more years. plum and deep berry fruit is forward on the palate. long lingering finish. I decanted it - more air allowed it to develop more complexity. I would buy it again.
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12/4/2005 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Christmas Lunch 2005 (Andrew's place): A grand wine. Rich, plush upholstered plum & dark berry fruit aromas. Darkly restrained on the palate, the finely tannic fruit is quite reticent and very primary still. Slumbering deeply, this needs at least another 5 years (preferably 10) to be anything beyond ‘great potential’.
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8/17/2005 - ChillyWino wrote: 89 Points
Lush wine with spicy fruits on the nose and palte. Also some hints of licorice. Initialy a little bit of heat, but this blew off quickly. Still youthful, still has plenty of time left in the bottle.
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7/4/2005 - bon vivant wrote:
Frisco -great out of the chute. Lots of raspberry up front after a hr decant more chocolate & mocha nuances and the wine added some good weight.Medium bodied with nice framing acidity on the finish. Overall very smooth & soft exhibiting a very elegant style. Fantastic QPR espc. give the sale price
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5/27/2005 - rkorchid wrote:
Rich, plummy, spicy wine. Although it has thrown some sediment it is still a youthfull wine.
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2/7/2005 - tendring wrote: 94 Points
Wine Education Service - Penfolds: Age showing.
Vegetal with fragrant fruit, a complex nose.
Ripe fruit, excellent balance, smooth, lovely in the mouth, long finish.
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11/5/2002 - Double-A Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tar, currant, leather, mint, chocolate and raisin nose. Full-bodied with great structure; long, raisined, spiced finish.
4.5/5
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7/6/2002 - SadEdjo wrote:
deep purple. rich & silky plum & truffle. very nice
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