2014 St Henri Shiraz
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Tasting notes
Glass-staining ruby. Displays expansive aromas of dark fruit liqueur, incense, violet and spicecake, along with hints of cola and cracked pepper that build with air. Fleshy and seamless on the palate, offering concentrated black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors that are brightened by a smoky mineral nuance. Supple and appealingly sweet on an impressively long, floral-driven finish that's framed by youthful, well-knit tannins.
Critic scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Thick deep purple. Refined, really complex nose. Super-ripe purple fruit and lovely polish. So clean and fresh on the end. Suave and velvety. Complete. Lightly salty and beautifully smooth yet with masses of tannins underneath.
This bottle was opened in front of me and served without decanting. Containing 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and with a deep garnet-purple color, the 2014 Shiraz St Henriz has a relatively shy nose of black plums, black cherries and mulberries with nuances of underbrush, fruit cake and damp soil. The full-bodied palate has satisfying richness, with firm, rounded tannins supporting the earthy fruit layers, finishing with good depth and persistence.
No new oak. Released for the first time by Penfolds in the early 1950s (first commercial vintage 1957), it gained a new lease of life in the 1990s as its quality and distinctive style became better understood. Matured in old, 1,460 litre vats that allow the wine to develop, imparting minimal, if any oak character. Although a small proportion of Cabernet is sometimes used to improve structure, the focal point for St Henri remains Shiraz. Above average winter and early spring rainfall offered the vines in South Australia healthy soil moisture profiles for the growing season. Late spring and summer were dry and warm with significant heat records being set. Warm weather prevailed during summer and throughout veraison, allowing grapes to develop evenly and with good intensity. These warm conditions came to an abrupt halt in mid February with significant rainfall allowing for a long and slow ripening of the fruit in very good conditions. 96% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Southern Fleurieu, Wrattonbully, Mt Benson. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.66. 12 months in 50-year-old vats. Thick deep purple. Refined, really complex nose. Super-ripe purple fruit and lovely polish. So clean and fresh on the end. Suave and velvety. Complete. Lightly salty and beautifully smooth yet with masses of tannins underneath. (JR)
About the producer
Penfolds is Australia’s most famous wine producer, known best for their iconic top wine, Grange. First produced commercially in 1952, Grange has since gone on to become one of the world’s most famous fine wines. In 2001, the wine was listed as an Australian heritage icon.