Opened with some nervousness as I thought this may be past it. Definitely tertiary notes but was pleasantly surprised at how lively this was. Could probably still hold for a short time but suspect nearing the end. Small amount of bricking, fruit still showing through with the leathery complexity of 20+ years.
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Impressive. Very smooth with lush fruit. Still very dark in the glass so not done yet. No heat. Smooth tannins. Really enjoyed this bottle. Was worried the wine was done but I guess just bottle variation since my last bottle in 2021.
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I have always enjoyed this wine. When compared to RWT, 389, 128, 28, and Grange, it's not the showiest or opulent. Rather it's a good showing of fruit and elegance and polished tannins. This vintage is good-great.
Color. Saturated red
Nose. Blackberries, craisins, baking spice, cinnamon, clove, a little alcohol, violets.
Palate. Big entry of fruit. Blackberries and raspberries are the dominant fruits. Then the mid palate enters with smooth oak and tannins. The finish is long and smooth with a finely balanced teeter-totter of fruit and tannins. Lasts at 45 seconds.
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I agree with the other tasting notes that now is the time to drink this Wine. Plum, Blackberry, black pepper and eucalyptus. Fruit is still there but I would drink it up in the next few years.
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NobleRottersSydney - a fine finale (Fix, St James, Sydney): {magnum, cork, 14.5%} [DavidH] A spongy, crumbly cork saw this open-decanted about two hours before consumption. Pure black ink aromas. Not oak, and not too hot. The palate is voluptuous and a bit heady, semi-mature only, with medium dusty tannins and medium weight. Always warm on the palate; solid and generous in the meaty Penfolds style, although without overt oak; it’s not missed at all. This is very drinkable now although it will last an age longer thanks to fine balance and ripely-judged fruit. A good, even presence along the tongue gives a medium/long finish. Very good indeed.
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A bit disappointing. Given what I know of the pedigree of this wine and the basically solid vintage conditions I can only guess that this bottle was mis-treated. Winebid normally does better, but c'est la vie.
Dark red fruits somewhat attenuated, strong tannins, lacked balance. Not bad, but not what I'd expect from a nearly 20 year old St Henri, a wine that generally needs almost this many years to start shining.
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Drinking well. Still black in the glass with no signs of bricking. Fruit seems to have faded a bit but a very nice wine. Very smooth. No heat. Given the drinking window and the restrained flavor perhaps at peak.
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Decanted one hour. Lovely colour - deep inky red with a garnet rim. Perfect cork. A bit deeper/denser style than I anticipated, lots of dark chocolate, blueberries, big hit of anise, strawberries... Palate is a little thick and biscuity and not as elegant as other vintages I've had. Nice secondary characters coming through of leather, dried flowers and herbs. A fair bit going on but the core of dense primary fruit is still quite dominant for the time being. Built to last - still a baby of a wine.
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21st Sep 2019 No decanting, just allowed the wine to breathe for a few minutes from the bottle. The colour is a strong and deep purple, no sign of ageing..big fruit on the nose...little legs noticed on the wine glass....the first mouthful is intense flavour and big muscular fruit...the finish is medium and earthy with a slight sour finish...allowing the wine to breathe a little this wine quickly grew up and became very balanced and improved with a more elegant and muscular finish...much like a youth finding direction and purpose...a very good wine which can cellar for a few more years with little downside! Enjoyable indeed!
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Unfortunately i drank this wine right after a fantastic and very dry 2007 CDP. The St. Henri came across as very sweet in comparison which detracted from the experience. Still black in the glass showing no signs of age. This is not a fruit bomb but I wish the wine was a bit drier with some additional acidity. Will wait a at least a year to see how this wine continues to evolve. No rush to drink.
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Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds Mini Verticals (Klein Constantia): (Tasted Blind):Deep ruby-black wine with lifted notes of chocolate, dark fruits, blue flowers, wafer biscuits, liquorice, mocha, menthol, and eucalyptus. There are hints of tertiary, savoury elements with tree bark, meat, undergrowth, and liquorice. An opulent entry, the wine offers plenty of depth, is full-bodied and with fine-grained tannins. Robust with a lingering menthol presence through the mid-palate, it is enriched by molasses, brown sugar, rusty nail, damp earth, damson, forest fruits, and a hint of pastilles. Well structured and solidly framed.
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From cellar. Decanted and drank over 4 hours. Wine kept evolving over the course of the night. While nothing stellar, this wine is a solid performer in the old world style. Big wine, well balanced, dark fruits, spicy, meaty, peat, and some smoke. A nice change from our other Aussie fruit bombs. It's definitely in it's peak window and should be for another 4-5 years.
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For the first couple hours, this was a very good, unoaked shiraz. And while I really enjoyed it, it lacked the depth of the '98. Then after about 4-5 hours, this deepened and showed dark fruit and cedar. Still going very strong at 15!
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More restrained than I have expected (not the classical Aussie Shiraz). Not a bad wine but not my cup of tea. It seemed somehow disjoint. Dark fruit, mint...
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Decant for one hour. Very dark heart almost black with a thin rim. A freshness of predominant spicy aromas, dark fruits of blackberries, black cherry and a whiff of sweet plum and mocha. Light to medium mouthfeel, light fruits upfront, cherry and plum, slight alcohol, and light spice with a refreshing acidity to finish medium with light tannins. Still young, needs more time in the cellar.
After 3 hours in the decanter, more fruit on the palate, no heat and very light tannins. Much more enjoyable.
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Drank with a wonderful rack of lamb which complimented the wine and vice versa. Unfortunately, it was blown away with the bottle of 2008 Baldacci Allwin Syrah (Carneros) that followed it. It was a good night to drink wine.
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My previous '01 was not too impressive for a St Henri so decided to open another from a different bin in the cellar, hoping it would be a different merchant, different delivery or previous storage to account for my less than enthusiastic score. I was impressed! From the open, smooth on the palate, a purple hue over a dark red garnet. A light body dancing across the tongue. First impressions were very exciting, now to let it breath. One hour later, very smooth up front, a little more heat on the palate which dissipates quickly and may succeed in surpassing the younger '06 from a previous tasting note. Very happy I gave the '01 a second chance, and regrettably a warning that even buying on vintage release, it's no guarantee of prior storage/ delivery conditions of the merchant.
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Interesting aromatics of dark chocolate, baked plum, black peppercorn / dried herbs, anise, and cardamom. Medium bodied with nice uplifting acidity. Midpalate leans towards towards the darker side of red fruit (black cherries / plum), leaving a very nice uplifting texture. Prominent, but not obtrusive tannin structure enhances a lengthy finish. An overall solid wine, and one that has clearly benefited from cellaring.
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This is a classic Shiraz. For me, the bouquet is the most interesting, it has a lilac type of floral smell. Although tannic, surprisingly not earthy at all. Firm midpalette and a long finish. Tasted this with rack of lamb first day, and filet mignon second day. Although it's a strong and bold wine, it's not edgy at all.
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Inky purple. Dark fruit, pepper, really complex. Far more like a cote rotie than a typical aussie shiraz. Excellent, as long as you're not hoping for lots of vanilla!
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My first St Henri as I have collected a vertical that started in 2001 so I decided to open this one and experience this style from Penfolds. On opening I took the customary sip before decanting and the tannins were vigorous so off to the decanter for this one. After about 90 minutes we sat down to dinner and poured some into our glasses. This is one of those dense, dark wines typical of Shiraz. The nose was interesting as it lacked any of that oak and was full of fruit, dark fruits like blackberry and blueberry.
On the palate it had notes of pepper and amaretto again more blackberry with sour candy notes. A very unique style but I scored it only an 89 (which is still very good to excellent) because I think it still needs 3-4 years in the cellar. I bought this 6 years ago and my collecting back then was mostly single bottles, which is unfortunate because once you open one that is it. Now I try to purchase 2-4 of each collectible so you can go back to the cellar and see how a wine develops over time. I will hold my newer vintages of St Henri (02, 04, 05 & 06) longer for sure.
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Fairly typical St Henri, not the greatest vintage however, felt young, will leave my other 01 alone for a while and rethink drinking the others for a period of time
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Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds (Rodwell House): 14.5% alc, 3.5pH, 6.6 TA, 16 mo large oak vats, no new oak, 1957 debut, 1460 litres oak vats. [Tasted blind] the nose (despite the lack of new oak) shows plenty of spices, chocolate and coffee with vanilla pod yet has a slightly perfume appeal. A soft entry, the mid-palate is filled with blackcurrant, prune, milk chocolate and a little caramel. Open-knit, there is a slightly toasty, workshop wood feel about the wine yet the texture is silky and softened by the toffee and caramel elements. Certainly generous with a warming, slightly protruding alcohol, the wine is very approachable. However, the tannins did build a little with that dusty oak become firm and gritty as the wine opened.
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Darker and richer than the 99. Like it more. Red licorice strips & really yummy smelling cherry flavored Popsicles with smoky oak stripes on the nose. Nice rich fruit, liquid strawberries. Light on her feet, old world style, more Hermitage, than extracted Aussie. Tannins, acid, fruit perfect. Big second wave of fruit on the mid palate, finishes perfect, nice depth. A really really well made wine. Tart cherries on the length and tannins wrap up the experience. Killer actually.
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This somewhat Rhone-styled Shiraz is drinking nicely. The eye found a lovely garnet hue. For the nose there were mineral and mint and cedar and tobacco with subtle mixed floral bouquet undertones. The tongue found soft tannins and a straight forward blend of herbs and cedar and berries. There was a short to medium finnish.
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Sounds like some need to do a little research before casting such harsh opinions of this wine. This is an anti-Aussie Shiraz. You must put your mind in a northern Rhone mindset and realize the wine is aged in large neutral French oak. I have had this wine many times and many different vintages, it is always a stand out for ITS style. Those that enjoy "old world" style will enjoy, while those of the "american oak shiraz guild" will have this wine most likely be lost on them. This is a perfect example of how this site can be very flawed at times, with so many ill-informed non professionals casting such harsh opinions that may influence others. Sorry for the rant, but this stuff kills me.
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Drank this next to a Bowen Estate 2004 Shiraz and a Mike Press 2008 Shiraz and it was by far the least enjoyable. It was decantered for 3 hours before drinking and was flat and lifeless. No fruit, no length, no nose - Just a very ordinary bottle of wine. I had another this is the 2nd St Henri out of 3 that I have had recently ( all different vintages) that was like this and I will have to think very long and hard about ever buying another one. Very Dissappointing
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Wonderful big wine. Blask Cherry and a hint ofpepper. Served with Grilled filet and grilled veggies. The minute I tasted this wine I thought of the first winey tour I had at Charles Krug in Napa. Rustic yet very refined in an old world way. I will lay in a few more bottles ofthis one.
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Dark purple. Beautiful rich dark fruit on the nose, black cherry ice cream, black cherry soda, blackberry somethin or other. . . , faint choc buried behind the wallof ripe fruit. The "fruit oaked nose I love. Not OAKED, but FRUITED oak. Amazing how they reverse it using old barrels from Grange.
Not extracted new world, tar & licorice, but full fruit flavor, expression of smashing clusters of ultraripe fruit right down the pie hole.Big ripe fruit follows the nose into the front palate, bit of alch on the mid, thne a building fruit finish, followed by a cleaning tannin scrap. Then the double swallow fruit finish. Swallow it all down one more time. Yum Yum yum... Stop me please from killing this bottle myself.
I have had these too too young, and this is such a treat now. Saying that this pup has the build to last another 10 plus years. Drink on a p&p with a charred steak, or let it breath with a simple pasta, or lay this baby to rest .....
Helps to note that this Shiraz is sourced from all Aussie regions, so cold, warm & hot regions, then not extracted, aged in old Grange casks, so it is a different Shiraz in so many ways. Go J Duvall.....
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Open with Jeff, nice deep dark color. a little heat on the nose with dust and wet cement after the rain and a faint of black fruit. the taste was pleasent cedar, black cherry, and cranberry. well balnce not a long finish a nice effort.
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have opened many over the last few years ,some were acidic and some had a bite ,and have felt they have always needed a few more years but today opened 1 tonight and it was fantastic .........had wonderful fruit ,berry's exploding , and lovely nose ,no bite,full bodied with every sip tasting like you were in heaven..........wow...........iam so happy i still have 2 left.....
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Deep dark black fruit color, you can almost smell the used casks, the fruit smells dense, sweet, oak is far away, saturated. What was a trart acid crisp wine has mellowed over the night (vacumed), Noe is still light, fruit filling mouthfeel Licorice, dark fruit with still crips acid and moth drying tannins, all aroud the mouth tight. Sharp tart strawberry lingering effect. Nice structure, built for the long haul. Now with a meal and 3 hour decant, to 2020.
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Tasted from a 375. Decanted, had considerable sediment. Very tannic and almost overripe tasting although I think (hope) it will be much better tomorrow or the next day. This is serious long-term stuff, even in the 375. Massive in structure, this needs years more in the bottle or hours more in the decanter to approach it (gave it about 45 min then it sat in the glass for about 90 more min).
Day 2: This now seems much more open, big rich nose of raisins, fried cranberries, and campfire smoke. Confirmed on the palate with some cedar and maybe a touch of sweet herbs on the long finish. Tannin much more in control now, this could definitely open up more given some time. Delicious.
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This is my last bottle - all bottles have performed admirably... Earth, in copious amounts on the nose, cedar, espresso, dark chocolate - the fruit is underneath, not the primary focus... Rich extract, dry, full-bodied, plenty of tannin, gobs of mouthwatering acidity. Love this wine. THE perfect balance.
At $20, bought in 05 from Garagiste.
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Young, dry spicy and soft. Great concentration of fruit with some good acidity providing backbone and structure. Good to drink now but seems like an ager.
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Overdue Notes: lovely - rich fruit on the nose, blueberry jam, sexy inving nose, but the palate is medium in weight, excellent balanc, high acidity keeping it very fresh, dark cherry notes, finishes with lovely tannins and power.. just great stuff
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Big and grapy. Not flabby, good structure. Spicy, floral, clearly Shiraz on nose. Bits and pieces of Rhoney notes underneath (cigar, blood/meat), though quite buried. Rather hot. In sum, not terribly complex, but good balance and some interest.
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I swear I didn't remember the other notes on this wine when I tasted it and thought, what's this, a Shiraz with a Cab sensibility? Delicious and 3 dimensional with currant and red fruit with some oaky notes and tobacco as well. Not bright or bomby but carrying plenty of fruit. Throwing significant sediment at this point. Good value, too.
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Sweating to the Aussies (Inside): My first reaction is that I'm not sure that I would have picked this blind as a Shiraz. Brent suggest Cote-Rotie and that may be close, but I was thinking closer to Bordeaux blend. Notes of game and cherry. It's well made but without any real oomph or distinction. The finish fades a bit. A pretty good drinker though with food.
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Drank this over three days and it was slightly better than I had remembered, or maybe I just knew what to expect a little more this time so the lack of oak and dash of Cab Sauv weren't such a surprise.
a very subtle shiraz with restrained flavors, the finish is a little short. Not the typical concentrated/oaky/fruit bomb that an Aussie shiraz normally is, but a more refined style (I would stop short of calling it elegant). Definitely shiraz, but lacking much pepper/spice and has a little more tannin.
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a very subtle shiraz with restrained flavors, the finish is a little short. Not the typical concentrated/oaky/fruit bomb that an Aussie shiraz normally is, but a more refined style (I would stop short of calling it elegant). Definitely shiraz, but lacking much pepper/spice and has a little more tannin.
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Not bad, somewhat more in balance than some other similarly priced shiraz. At this juncture however, seemed a bit closed down. At $19.99, no problems buying more and waiting a couple years.
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An excellent Shiraz that looks and tastes more like a Bordeaux blend than something from the Syrah grape. Full and firm, it shows plenty of currant and plum. There's also some generic wood and a bit of clove or spice. The finish is good but not profound, showing still more currant and some cassis. A nice effort, especially at this price. (Tasted twice, on 10/9/05 and 3/10/06, with consistent notes.)
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No formal note. Tasted side by side with a '99 Novy Syrah over dinner; I preferred the Novy. The '01 St. Henri has a somewhat pruney element, dark fruit and drying tannins. Something just seems a little dirty about this one. That said, it was not a bad match with my rack of lamb...
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11/26/2023 - brisbane piefan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened with some nervousness as I thought this may be past it. Definitely tertiary notes but was pleasantly surprised at how lively this was. Could probably still hold for a short time but suspect nearing the end. Small amount of bricking, fruit still showing through with the leathery complexity of 20+ years.
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9/7/2023 - 309VEB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Impressive. Very smooth with lush fruit. Still very dark in the glass so not done yet. No heat. Smooth tannins. Really enjoyed this bottle. Was worried the wine was done but I guess just bottle variation since my last bottle in 2021.
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3/20/2023 - Duce wrote: 92 Points
Dark fruit, drink now
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12/25/2022 - RichardsEric1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
I have always enjoyed this wine. When compared to RWT, 389, 128, 28, and Grange, it's not the showiest or opulent. Rather it's a good showing of fruit and elegance and polished tannins. This vintage is good-great.
Color. Saturated red
Nose. Blackberries, craisins, baking spice, cinnamon, clove, a little alcohol, violets.
Palate. Big entry of fruit. Blackberries and raspberries are the dominant fruits. Then the mid palate enters with smooth oak and tannins. The finish is long and smooth with a finely balanced teeter-totter of fruit and tannins. Lasts at 45 seconds.
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1/2/2022 - Wineauxdan@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
I agree with the other tasting notes that now is the time to drink this Wine. Plum, Blackberry, black pepper and eucalyptus. Fruit is still there but I would drink it up in the next few years.
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12/18/2021 - 309VEB wrote: 88 Points
Fruit has really faded out. Not unpleasant but very little taste. I would drink up and it appears that the drinking window is accurate.
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12/8/2021 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - a fine finale (Fix, St James, Sydney): {magnum, cork, 14.5%} [DavidH] A spongy, crumbly cork saw this open-decanted about two hours before consumption. Pure black ink aromas. Not oak, and not too hot. The palate is voluptuous and a bit heady, semi-mature only, with medium dusty tannins and medium weight. Always warm on the palate; solid and generous in the meaty Penfolds style, although without overt oak; it’s not missed at all. This is very drinkable now although it will last an age longer thanks to fine balance and ripely-judged fruit. A good, even presence along the tongue gives a medium/long finish. Very good indeed.
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5/5/2021 - willmark wrote: 90 Points
5th May 2021
Still good after 2 decades; really well made wine..still has a hint of youthful sweetness...👍
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12/25/2020 - Pwatts1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Was a small bottle Great fruit flavour all mixed Well balanced
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12/5/2020 - Barnaby33 wrote:
A bit disappointing. Given what I know of the pedigree of this wine and the basically solid vintage conditions I can only guess that this bottle was mis-treated. Winebid normally does better, but c'est la vie.
Dark red fruits somewhat attenuated, strong tannins, lacked balance. Not bad, but not what I'd expect from a nearly 20 year old St Henri, a wine that generally needs almost this many years to start shining.
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8/8/2020 - thebonnydooner wrote: flawed
Very disappointingly flawed - not sure what - see more tomorrow. :(
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4/13/2020 - 309VEB Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking well. Still black in the glass with no signs of bricking. Fruit seems to have faded a bit but a very nice wine. Very smooth. No heat. Given the drinking window and the restrained flavor perhaps at peak.
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3/20/2020 - Milliontown wrote: 93 Points
Decanted one hour. Lovely colour - deep inky red with a garnet rim. Perfect cork. A bit deeper/denser style than I anticipated, lots of dark chocolate, blueberries, big hit of anise, strawberries... Palate is a little thick and biscuity and not as elegant as other vintages I've had. Nice secondary characters coming through of leather, dried flowers and herbs. A fair bit going on but the core of dense primary fruit is still quite dominant for the time being. Built to last - still a baby of a wine.
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10/5/2019 - Jade C Likes this wine: 95 Points
Has for my Dads birthday... So yummy... Big and bold red! Perfect drinking time.
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9/21/2019 - willmark Likes this wine: 90 Points
21st Sep 2019
No decanting, just allowed the wine to breathe for a few minutes from the bottle.
The colour is a strong and deep purple, no sign of ageing..big fruit on the nose...little legs noticed on the wine glass....the first mouthful is intense flavour and big muscular fruit...the finish is medium and earthy with a slight sour finish...allowing the wine to breathe a little this wine quickly grew up and became very balanced and improved with a more elegant and muscular finish...much like a youth finding direction and purpose...a very good wine which can cellar for a few more years with little downside! Enjoyable indeed!
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4/2/2019 - 309VEB Likes this wine: 89 Points
Unfortunately i drank this wine right after a fantastic and very dry 2007 CDP. The St. Henri came across as very sweet in comparison which detracted from the experience. Still black in the glass showing no signs of age. This is not a fruit bomb but I wish the wine was a bit drier with some additional acidity. Will wait a at least a year to see how this wine continues to evolve. No rush to drink.
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8/10/2017 - Trakka Likes this wine: 90 Points
Leather on the nose, earthy with a hint of liquorice. Light on berry's, relatively high in tannins though they've mellowed over time.
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9/5/2016 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 91 Points
Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds Mini Verticals (Klein Constantia): (Tasted Blind):Deep ruby-black wine with lifted notes of chocolate, dark fruits, blue flowers, wafer biscuits, liquorice, mocha, menthol, and eucalyptus. There are hints of tertiary, savoury elements with tree bark, meat, undergrowth, and liquorice.
An opulent entry, the wine offers plenty of depth, is full-bodied and with fine-grained tannins. Robust with a lingering menthol presence through the mid-palate, it is enriched by molasses, brown sugar, rusty nail, damp earth, damson, forest fruits, and a hint of pastilles.
Well structured and solidly framed.
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6/20/2016 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 90 Points
From cellar. Decanted and drank over 4 hours. Wine kept evolving over the course of the night. While nothing stellar, this wine is a solid performer in the old world style. Big wine, well balanced, dark fruits, spicy, meaty, peat, and some smoke. A nice change from our other Aussie fruit bombs. It's definitely in it's peak window and should be for another 4-5 years.
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6/19/2016 - Quarked wrote: 92 Points
For the first couple hours, this was a very good, unoaked shiraz. And while I really enjoyed it, it lacked the depth of the '98. Then after about 4-5 hours, this deepened and showed dark fruit and cedar. Still going very strong at 15!
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11/1/2015 - Rayden wrote: 92 Points
Excellent, Loved it.
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10/28/2015 - lesz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Thought very enjoyable good fruit
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5/2/2015 - MartinKM wrote: 92 Points
Drinkable red but I wasn't impressed. Probably didn't help having a Margaux beforehand but I've enjoyed wines at a third the price far more than this.
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3/2/2015 - Vertigo wrote: 87 Points
More restrained than I have expected (not the classical Aussie Shiraz). Not a bad wine but not my cup of tea. It seemed somehow disjoint. Dark fruit, mint...
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2/9/2015 - ProfByron wrote: 90 Points
Smells of added acid and American oak, but this is starting to die down a bit and resolve into the fruit.
Better on the palate, the fruit comes out. Odd bitter tannic finish, but this is fine with food.
Less fine, less elegant than some vintages.
14.5%ABV. Sealed with cork.
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1/10/2015 - Giggs wrote: 92 Points
Insanely young. Drink 2019-2029.
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1/8/2015 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Above average wine. Decanted over two hours and still has legs. Good Oz style fruit, nice finish.
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1/4/2014 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Much more refined than most Aussie wines. A garnet hue with ripe fruit but not overpowering.
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8/23/2013 - MyCellar01 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant for one hour.
Very dark heart almost black with a thin rim.
A freshness of predominant spicy aromas, dark fruits of blackberries, black cherry and a whiff of sweet plum and mocha.
Light to medium mouthfeel, light fruits upfront, cherry and plum, slight alcohol, and light spice with a refreshing acidity to finish medium with light tannins.
Still young, needs more time in the cellar.
After 3 hours in the decanter, more fruit on the palate, no heat and very light tannins. Much more enjoyable.
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1/1/2013 - WinoTim wrote: 89 Points
Drank with a wonderful rack of lamb which complimented the wine and vice versa. Unfortunately, it was blown away with the bottle of 2008 Baldacci Allwin Syrah (Carneros) that followed it. It was a good night to drink wine.
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11/16/2012 - pickhardt wrote: 89 Points
Dark, tannic, serious, nice.
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10/14/2012 - MyCellar01 Likes this wine: 93 Points
My previous '01 was not too impressive for a St Henri so decided to open another from a different bin in the cellar, hoping it would be a different merchant, different delivery or previous storage to account for my less than enthusiastic score.
I was impressed!
From the open, smooth on the palate, a purple hue over a dark red garnet. A light body dancing across the tongue.
First impressions were very exciting, now to let it breath.
One hour later, very smooth up front, a little more heat on the palate which dissipates quickly and may succeed in surpassing the younger '06 from a previous tasting note.
Very happy I gave the '01 a second chance, and regrettably a warning that even buying on vintage release, it's no guarantee of prior storage/ delivery conditions of the merchant.
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7/28/2012 - Kkoelbel wrote:
Outstanding.
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10/27/2011 - richard.stevens wrote: 93 Points
Really excellent! Rich and velvety smooth. Lots of dark fruit, some coffee and perhaps some leather. Great now but still has years left
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10/6/2011 - Chateau Cabron wrote: 90 Points
Interesting aromatics of dark chocolate, baked plum, black peppercorn / dried herbs, anise, and cardamom. Medium bodied with nice uplifting acidity. Midpalate leans towards towards the darker side of red fruit (black cherries / plum), leaving a very nice uplifting texture. Prominent, but not obtrusive tannin structure enhances a lengthy finish. An overall solid wine, and one that has clearly benefited from cellaring.
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8/26/2011 - GSW wrote: 91 Points
Very old-school Shiraz with serious depth and complexity. Powerful and still youthful. Very enjoyable with grilled food.
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6/6/2011 - freeblue wrote: 93 Points
This is a classic Shiraz. For me, the bouquet is the most interesting, it has a lilac type of floral smell. Although tannic, surprisingly not earthy at all. Firm midpalette and a long finish.
Tasted this with rack of lamb first day, and filet mignon second day. Although it's a strong and bold wine, it's not edgy at all.
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6/1/2011 - richard.stevens wrote: 90 Points
Inky purple. Dark fruit, pepper, really complex. Far more like a cote rotie than a typical aussie shiraz. Excellent, as long as you're not hoping for lots of vanilla!
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4/23/2011 - Arch57 wrote: 89 Points
My first St Henri as I have collected a vertical that started in 2001 so I decided to open this one and experience this style from Penfolds. On opening I took the customary sip before decanting and the tannins were vigorous so off to the decanter for this one. After about 90 minutes we sat down to dinner and poured some into our glasses. This is one of those dense, dark wines typical of Shiraz. The nose was interesting as it lacked any of that oak and was full of fruit, dark fruits like blackberry and blueberry.
On the palate it had notes of pepper and amaretto again more blackberry with sour candy notes. A very unique style but I scored it only an 89 (which is still very good to excellent) because I think it still needs 3-4 years in the cellar. I bought this 6 years ago and my collecting back then was mostly single bottles, which is unfortunate because once you open one that is it. Now I try to purchase 2-4 of each collectible so you can go back to the cellar and see how a wine develops over time. I will hold my newer vintages of St Henri (02, 04, 05 & 06) longer for sure.
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12/19/2010 - richard.stevens wrote: 91 Points
Very much in a northern Rhone style. Interesting mix of dark fruit and spice. Good length
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9/4/2010 - JustinMcDonald wrote:
Fairly typical St Henri, not the greatest vintage however, felt young, will leave my other 01 alone for a while and rethink drinking the others for a period of time
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6/24/2010 - winesteward wrote: 88 Points
Earthy. Still closed and a bit difficult to taste. Best to leave alone for 3 years or so.
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6/7/2010 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 86 Points
Terroir-istes International - Australia-Penfolds (Rodwell House): 14.5% alc, 3.5pH, 6.6 TA, 16 mo large oak vats, no new oak, 1957 debut, 1460 litres oak vats. [Tasted blind] the nose (despite the lack of new oak) shows plenty of spices, chocolate and coffee with vanilla pod yet has a slightly perfume appeal. A soft entry, the mid-palate is filled with blackcurrant, prune, milk chocolate and a little caramel. Open-knit, there is a slightly toasty, workshop wood feel about the wine yet the texture is silky and softened by the toffee and caramel elements. Certainly generous with a warming, slightly protruding alcohol, the wine is very approachable. However, the tannins did build a little with that dusty oak become firm and gritty as the wine opened.
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2/12/2010 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
Darker and richer than the 99. Like it more. Red licorice strips & really yummy smelling cherry flavored Popsicles with smoky oak stripes on the nose. Nice rich fruit, liquid strawberries. Light on her feet, old world style, more Hermitage, than extracted Aussie. Tannins, acid, fruit perfect. Big second wave of fruit on the mid palate, finishes perfect, nice depth. A really really well made wine. Tart cherries on the length and tannins wrap up the experience. Killer actually.
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2/5/2010 - Gringo wrote: 90 Points
This somewhat Rhone-styled Shiraz is drinking nicely. The eye found a lovely garnet hue. For the nose there were mineral and mint and cedar and tobacco with subtle mixed floral bouquet undertones. The tongue found soft tannins and a straight forward blend of herbs and cedar and berries. There was a short to medium finnish.
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11/28/2009 - dougwine wrote:
Sounds like some need to do a little research before casting such harsh opinions of this wine. This is an anti-Aussie Shiraz. You must put your mind in a northern Rhone mindset and realize the wine is aged in large neutral French oak. I have had this wine many times and many different vintages, it is always a stand out for ITS style. Those that enjoy "old world" style will enjoy, while those of the "american oak shiraz guild" will have this wine most likely be lost on them. This is a perfect example of how this site can be very flawed at times, with so many ill-informed non professionals casting such harsh opinions that may influence others. Sorry for the rant, but this stuff kills me.
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11/22/2009 - Outwide wrote: 75 Points
Drank this next to a Bowen Estate 2004 Shiraz and a Mike Press 2008 Shiraz and it was by far the least enjoyable. It was decantered for 3 hours before drinking and was flat and lifeless. No fruit, no length, no nose - Just a very ordinary bottle of wine. I had another this is the 2nd St Henri out of 3 that I have had recently ( all different vintages) that was like this and I will have to think very long and hard about ever buying another one. Very Dissappointing
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7/25/2009 - tplskylrk wrote: 91 Points
Same TN's as before. Drying fins palate stripping tannins are there, followed by a fruit wave. Nice.
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6/9/2009 - Gjdaniel wrote: 95 Points
Drank with Bec, Sian and Dean. Excellent wine. Served with beef Wellington at dinner party in lieu of orange trip this year.
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5/23/2009 - bobohansen wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful big wine. Blask Cherry and a hint ofpepper. Served with Grilled filet and grilled veggies. The minute I tasted this wine I thought of the first winey tour I had at Charles Krug in Napa. Rustic yet very refined in an old world way. I will lay in a few more bottles ofthis one.
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3/25/2009 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
Dark purple. Beautiful rich dark fruit on the nose, black cherry ice cream, black cherry soda, blackberry somethin or other. . . , faint choc buried behind the wallof ripe fruit. The "fruit oaked nose I love. Not OAKED, but FRUITED oak. Amazing how they reverse it using old barrels from Grange.
Not extracted new world, tar & licorice, but full fruit flavor, expression of smashing clusters of ultraripe fruit right down the pie hole.Big ripe fruit follows the nose into the front palate, bit of alch on the mid, thne a building fruit finish, followed by a cleaning tannin scrap. Then the double swallow fruit finish. Swallow it all down one more time. Yum Yum yum... Stop me please from killing this bottle myself.
I have had these too too young, and this is such a treat now. Saying that this pup has the build to last another 10 plus years. Drink on a p&p with a charred steak, or let it breath with a simple pasta, or lay this baby to rest .....
Helps to note that this Shiraz is sourced from all Aussie regions, so cold, warm & hot regions, then not extracted, aged in old Grange casks, so it is a different Shiraz in so many ways. Go J Duvall.....
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2/4/2009 - bamhome wrote: 89 Points
Open with Jeff, nice deep dark color. a little heat on the nose with dust and wet cement after the rain and a faint of black fruit. the taste was pleasent cedar, black cherry, and cranberry. well balnce not a long finish a nice effort.
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12/27/2008 - michigan dogs wrote: 79 Points
reluctant to add this rating given others are so different, maybe just a bad bottle, but this wine wasn't worth finishing for me
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12/14/2008 - spaniel wrote: 92 Points
Big wine. Impeccable line and length around a solid core of fine tannins, but lacking the fruit intensity I associate with good vintages of this wine.
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11/8/2008 - pbowden wrote: 94 Points
have opened many over the last few years ,some were acidic and some had a bite ,and have felt they have always needed a few more years but today opened 1 tonight and it was fantastic .........had wonderful fruit ,berry's exploding , and lovely nose ,no bite,full bodied with every sip tasting like you were in heaven..........wow...........iam so happy i still have 2 left.....
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9/28/2008 - tplskylrk wrote: 91 Points
Deep dark black fruit color, you can almost smell the used casks, the fruit smells dense, sweet, oak is far away, saturated. What was a trart acid crisp wine has mellowed over the night (vacumed), Noe is still light, fruit filling mouthfeel Licorice, dark fruit with still crips acid and moth drying tannins, all aroud the mouth tight. Sharp tart strawberry lingering effect. Nice structure, built for the long haul. Now with a meal and 3 hour decant, to 2020.
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7/12/2008 - thirtyoneknots wrote:
Tasted from a 375. Decanted, had considerable sediment. Very tannic and almost overripe tasting although I think (hope) it will be much better tomorrow or the next day. This is serious long-term stuff, even in the 375. Massive in structure, this needs years more in the bottle or hours more in the decanter to approach it (gave it about 45 min then it sat in the glass for about 90 more min).
Day 2: This now seems much more open, big rich nose of raisins, fried cranberries, and campfire smoke. Confirmed on the palate with some cedar and maybe a touch of sweet herbs on the long finish. Tannin much more in control now, this could definitely open up more given some time. Delicious.
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7/5/2008 - rherman wrote: 88 Points
Felt higher alcohol than past vintages. Deep colour and fruit but faded a bit after some time in the decanter.
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4/27/2008 - CO CHRIS wrote:
This is my last bottle - all bottles have performed admirably...
Earth, in copious amounts on the nose, cedar, espresso, dark chocolate - the fruit is underneath, not the primary focus...
Rich extract, dry, full-bodied, plenty of tannin, gobs of mouthwatering acidity. Love this wine. THE perfect balance.
At $20, bought in 05 from Garagiste.
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10/18/2007 - silton wrote: 90 Points
Drinking great, slightly brawnier than previous bottle. Tight at first, but opened nicely: stacked and packed, not syrupy, and in no danger of fading.
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9/16/2007 - winesteward wrote: 90 Points
Young, dry spicy and soft. Great concentration of fruit with some good acidity providing backbone and structure. Good to drink now but seems like an ager.
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6/19/2007 - pvd420 wrote: 89 Points
huge and almost port like on the nose, with massive depth but also some heat
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5/29/2007 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Overdue Notes: lovely - rich fruit on the nose, blueberry jam, sexy inving nose, but the palate is medium in weight, excellent balanc, high acidity keeping it very fresh, dark cherry notes, finishes with lovely tannins and power.. just great stuff
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5/11/2007 - Brooks415 wrote: 92 Points
Balanced fruit with an earthy nose and long smooth finish.
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4/22/2007 - BailliSacks wrote: 88 Points
Big and grapy. Not flabby, good structure. Spicy, floral, clearly Shiraz on nose. Bits and pieces of Rhoney notes underneath (cigar, blood/meat), though quite buried. Rather hot. In sum, not terribly complex, but good balance and some interest.
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4/6/2007 - Grapz wrote: 90 Points
This Shiraz acts and feels a lot like a Cab with a spiced finish. Very enjoyable.
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11/14/2006 - silton wrote: 90 Points
I swear I didn't remember the other notes on this wine when I tasted it and thought, what's this, a Shiraz with a Cab sensibility? Delicious and 3 dimensional with currant and red fruit with some oaky notes and tobacco as well. Not bright or bomby but carrying plenty of fruit. Throwing significant sediment at this point. Good value, too.
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9/11/2006 - davetong wrote: 91 Points
Excellent value at $25. Hold for a few years before trying again.
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7/17/2006 - bsherwin wrote:
Sweating to the Aussies (Inside): My first reaction is that I'm not sure that I would have picked this blind as a Shiraz. Brent suggest Cote-Rotie and that may be close, but I was thinking closer to Bordeaux blend. Notes of game and cherry. It's well made but without any real oomph or distinction. The finish fades a bit. A pretty good drinker though with food.
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3/26/2006 - jeffdonn wrote: 93 Points
Drank with Brian. Excellent wine.
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3/25/2006 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Opened by TLV at Anwar's. Aromas of blueberry and smoke, well-balanced on the palate with red fruit and a subtle earthy note.
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3/8/2006 - SGates wrote: 88 Points
Drank this over three days and it was slightly better than I had remembered, or maybe I just knew what to expect a little more this time so the lack of oak and dash of Cab Sauv weren't such a surprise.
a very subtle shiraz with restrained flavors, the finish is a little short. Not the typical concentrated/oaky/fruit bomb that an Aussie shiraz normally is, but a more refined style (I would stop short of calling it elegant). Definitely shiraz, but lacking much pepper/spice and has a little more tannin.
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12/24/2005 - SGates wrote: 86 Points
a very subtle shiraz with restrained flavors, the finish is a little short. Not the typical concentrated/oaky/fruit bomb that an Aussie shiraz normally is, but a more refined style (I would stop short of calling it elegant). Definitely shiraz, but lacking much pepper/spice and has a little more tannin.
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12/12/2005 - luko wrote:
Not bad, somewhat more in balance than some other similarly priced shiraz. At this juncture however, seemed a bit closed down. At $19.99, no problems buying more and waiting a couple years.
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10/9/2005 - Stephan O wrote: 90 Points
An excellent Shiraz that looks and tastes more like a Bordeaux blend than something from the Syrah grape. Full and firm, it shows plenty of currant and plum. There's also some generic wood and a bit of clove or spice. The finish is good but not profound, showing still more currant and some cassis. A nice effort, especially at this price. (Tasted twice, on 10/9/05 and 3/10/06, with consistent notes.)
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9/8/2005 - Ben Andersen wrote:
No formal note. Tasted side by side with a '99 Novy Syrah over dinner; I preferred the Novy. The '01 St. Henri has a somewhat pruney element, dark fruit and drying tannins. Something just seems a little dirty about this one. That said, it was not a bad match with my rack of lamb...
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8/20/2005 - SadEdjo wrote:
dark purple with sediment. Plum & earth
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