Gorgeous. Yes Australian in style (although lesser so due to oak I assume), however drinking beautifully. Still lots of age left. Soft complex, silky tannins. Really enjoyed
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Impressive. This is a simple wine in the best possible way. Low oak, deep dry red fruits falling short of dark. Old fashioned perhaps? Seems like it’s 2yrs old, not 14.
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In the bouquet beautiful dark and red berries. On the palate the same juicy fruits, garrigue, beautifully fresh acidity and round very soft tannin. Really very beautiful wine in its early maturity stage. 93 – 94+
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Fully integrated, concentrated and powerful. Needs at least 2-3 hours to uncoil after first opening. This was rated at 100 by Andrew Caillard MW, but I think that’s overreach. Such high scores need the wine to have intensity and excitement and I felt the latter was lacking in this wine.
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Color is very dark, almost black, you can immediately see the high concentration of the wine.
A jaw-dropping bouquet consisting of a combination of blackberries, blueberries, plums and tar. It is concentrated, intense, heavy and reach every nook and cranny in the nose. Very similar to the best Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa region I've had, but without the blackcurrant characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. You can guess from the bouquet itself that the taste of wine simply has to be WOW.
When the wine spills over the tongue, the first thing you feel is the sweetness as if you were drinking a blackberry and blueberry liqueur, although the wine itself is not sweet, just the intensity of the super-ripe grapes used in the production must have been amazing and they created this sweet "core" surrounded by acidity and super soft tannins. A wine of sensational concentration, there is no trace of wateriness and at the same time it is not too big like Syrah wines from the central coast of California, rather it is medium body, elegant structure with very good refreshing acidity. A long, intense aftertaste with a hint of coffee, lingering in the mouth for over half a minute without any bitterness, wateriness or acidity. All the time, from the moment the wine spills over the tongue and palate until it is swallowed, you can feel the Penfolds trademark: the cashmere softness and suppleness of the wine, which feels like touching a pillow in the most expensive 5* luxury hotel. Anyone who has ever drunk Penfolds wine knows what I'm talking about. Of course, this applies to Penfolds wines of at least Bin 128 grade and above. THIS IS a WOW wine and is one of the best I've had in my life.
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Open 36 hours. Ripe black plums are slightly dried out, sweet spice, a little black pepper, clay. Concentrated, ripe black fruits, chewy and chalky slightly coarse tannins, liquorice, touch of leather, cream, caramel, alcohol warmth on the finish - this has been opened a little too long.
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170523 - lunch meetup with the gang at Super Tanker. Always a fav. Lovely nose - dark fruits & blueberry, chocolate, licorice, mocha & mint. Great layers and structure, with energetic finish
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Power. Check. Intensity. Check. Complexity. Check. Shiraz. Check. Superb. Check. Henri hitting on all cylinders. Brilliant accompaniment at dinner with Walt Fisher, my nonagenarian friend. As the evening progresses after our meal, I am enchanted by the vinous spices on the roof of my mouth and touches of licorice on my tongue. Intoxicating aromas linger long in the glass.
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Dark red with a pinkish rim. Rich berries on the nose. Medium to full bodied, with fine grippy tannins. Palate has juicy berries, somewhat ribena-ish. A little unbalanced with the acidity at the moment, and the tannins still not fully resolved. More time in the cellar.
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From a 375ml bottle that was popped 3 hours prior to pouring and tasting. Vibrant and complex nose of ripe dark fruit, mint, herbs, minerals. Full bodied, robust, concentrated, delivering ripe dark fruit with notes of herbs, mineral, tar, mint and some volatile nail polish. Firm and grippy tannins. The flavors kept changing during one hour of tasting. Quite a powerhouse of wine that is still very youthful. Can hold for decades.
Concentrated, dry, tannic and very long. On its own it's at least five years too young for me; might just just about be drinkable with a rare steak. Has potential but I will be leaving my next bottle for five years!
This is a large, concentrated, powerful and impressive wine with presence, charisma, structure and tannin and is built to travel the distance. Dark, inky, purple in colour and full of restrained fruit behind firm tannin on the palate. Double decanted and drunk some 6 hours after opening, it still feels tight and powerful with minimal secondary softness. It had mellowed by the next day, but on this tasting I shall probably leave this another 5 years before opening another bottle. Very pleased to have another 11 sitting on the sandstone under my house.
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From 375ml. Really dense dark crimson-ruby color that catches the light in its depths. Intensely concentrated sweet red berries on the nose. Intense raspberries dominate with a slight green edge initially that fades into a lengthy raspberry finish. Drinks a bit hot but oddly that impression only appears in the finish as well. Powerful, if a bit one-dimensional, and very tasty; it has a long life ahead of it.
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Very concentrated, still youthful, dark smooth tones, cassis and tasty plums, salty liquorice, dark chocolate, charming violet flauvors which tie this powerhouse package beautifully together, a lot of things going on but at this stage a bit restrained and full of future promise, tannins are present but fairly tamed, vanilla and oak are nicely buried underneath the ample fruit, long lingering aftertaste. A classy presentation which is good now but will get better.
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Full, deep nose of concentrated black fruit, bramble, plum and vanilla oak. And the tale-tell eucalyptus of Australia. Full palate. Soft and concentrated palate. Mature tannins. Bramble, vanilla oak, dark chocolate, plum and eucalyptus. Very true to its origin and producer. Fat and rich, but can not be considered elegant. Fully ready.
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Smooth. Balanced. Slill some tannin so few more years left but a very smooth with nice length. Fruits have also softened Think will improve as much as a Shiraz can
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Noter främst från dag två, med 50% kvar av flaskan i kylen med kork
Mörkt blåsvart i färgen
Doften är fantastiskt koncentrerad med djup och bredd samtidigt. Otrolig stor skillnad från första timmarna och första dygnet - även om det var väldigt bra redan då.
Här ges läder, koskit, parallellt med fina friska mörka bär, tobaksblad, hela cigarrer, läder, solmogna björnbär.
Smaken har en otrolig fruk som möter upp först innan alla de andra djupare nyanserna tar över med chark, tobak, de solmogna björnbären, rökt kött, kohud och lite koskit också för den delen.
Baserat på dag två är den här otroligt bra. Vilken essens och koncentration! Det är verkligen stor skillnad mellan årgångarna när det gäller koncentrationen - även om det oftast är minst riktigt bra.
Den här årgången är riktigt, RIKTIGT, bra och jag säger vänta minst fem år till och ni öppnar upp 94 poäng. Minst. 92-93 är redan på plats:-)
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Fruit-charged nose with cool black fruit - blackberry, cassis and plum, minty herbs, raw meat, violet and salt licorice. There is some vanilla oak notes lurking in the background.
Full bodied, powerful and dense on the palate. Medium(+) acidity and firm tannins keeps the generous fruit in place. Great intensity with a wall of ripe but still fresh black fruit, raw meat, savory spice and minty overtones. Long finish.
Aussie Shiraz felt like a decent call here but the modest oak treatment made me doubt my call a bit. It all made sense when the bottle was revealed.
A little more than three years since last taste of this wine. It is moving in the right direction and it is absolutely fine to drink today but I think more time in the cellar will pay off.
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From a half bottle over 2 nights. Already quite integrated. Medium weight. A bit firm on the tail end. Second night more satisfactorily coming together with nice dark fruit showing. Discrete and maybe I'd hoped for something with a little more gravitas but just maybe it has the balance and structure there for a long and interesting life. I suspect that anyone giving this a score in the high 90's is more in hope than current reality.
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Really living up to being heralded as one of St Henri’s best vintage. Fills the mouth with rich fruit and holds with balance. Drinking so well now but will still improve for 10 years. Lucky if you have this vintage.
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PnP this, but deserves an hour or two in the decanter. Rich flavours but no sweet jammy vibes Good amount of sediment 100pts....nah... but very lovely nonetheless Starting to get close to prime drinking zone
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A rush of dark fruit, then quite a hollow wine with a slightly clipped finish. Not bad, but certainly not amongst the great vintages of this wonderful and long-standing label. Given the puzzling prices on the secondary market, very hard to recommend.
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Dark robe, crimson edges. Deep concentrated, jammy plum/black fruit notes, a little on first pour which wound down as the wine caught some air. Definitely Southern Helisphere. Has tons of potential and will improve with cellar time.
0.375 L bottle, late Aug 2018: purple red color; dark berries and black cherries; in the mouth accompanied by intense pepper and game flavors; smooth and round on the palate; medium/full body.
14.5% alcohol.
Just went quickly through the other 67 tasting notes of this wine. Somebody mentioned this wine got a 100 point score by a critic? Who was it?
Personally I found this wine already mature. Maybe at a different tasting setting I would score 1-2 points more. But 100 points? Well, in the end we all have a different taste :-).
From 1/2 bottle. Black as midnight with light garnet at the very edges. Deep, rich blueberries, some blackberry, bramble, and a hint of rubber on the nose. Notes of syrupy blackberry, blueberries, Rich tannins. Great depth of flavor and intensity.
Tasted semi blind. The aromas from the fruit is on the sweetish side, like freshly cut prunes. In the mouth you get lovely black fruit, soft fine tannin with a very good balance and persistent length. This one just gets better with more air time. Far from ready. 93-95p.
Clean. Poured through an aerator. Blueberry,a touch of graphite and black pepper on the nose. Well-balanced and very focused on the palate. Great with food. Long finish. It is ready to go now.
This is good. Good quality cork, no unsavory odours or flavors. Excellent body, succulent on the pallete, lingering length. Balance of fruit, wood, acid and tannins. Drinkable now but will cellar for another decade. 92+
Initialt väldigt mycket malbec och Argentina över doften. Efterhand framträder väldigt mycket mörk ung frukt i form av björnbär, lite cassis och mycket fat. även lite alkoholstickig.
Väldigt intensivt i munnen. Bra längd. En viss alkoholhetta men inget som stör nämnvärt.
Initially a bit muted nose but opens up and turns into a massive wall of black fruit, creme de cassis, raw meat, violets and tobacco. There's also some presence of american oak with vanilla and dill. Maybe a bit one-dimensional but not completely without finesse.
Full bodied, medium(+) chewy tannins and medium acidity. Pronounced intensity and really driven by super ripe black fruit. Today lots of raw power but will probably age really well and gain loads of complexity. Way better than the 06 I tasted earlier this year.
not a bad wine, dwarfed by a 2010 Clape corn as next to it. lots of jam and one-dimensional fruit, this should age well and might merit a higher score in another decade. 100pts? I wonder what that guy was smoking!!!
From 375 ml. This wine had a nagging raisin like, port like, undertone aroma and palate. The wine is seriously structured, but I expected more density, opaqueness, and depth. Might have been slightly flawed? I can't find any 750 ml in the US.
2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): With tremendous purity of fruit, this opaque ruby wine offers black currants, citrus, blueberry, anise and earth on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, freshly acidic and with nicely integrated alcohol, it is round and luscious in the middle. The tannins are substantial but very fine-grained. This wine sees virtually no new oak; it is aged only in multi-year oak foudres. As such, while there is a whiff of oak, the oak has no more influence than the spray of vermouth on a dry martini. Solid and dense in the middle, this delightful Shiraz (which also contains some Cabernet Sauvignon) concludes with a very long, smooth finish. Brilliance here! Enjoy this over the next 15+ years. Drink now-2030.
Soooo nice and soooo Young! Massive blueberry and Other blue fruits. Not overwelming in tannins so i wounder if this really is built for the long term... But oh so nice it is! I say, give ot 2-4 more years then it will rock!
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Brooding St Henri - which is a slight oxymoron as in the past these have been a bit less full on as this is. But it's a wonderful wine. Clearly too young now but I wanted to try one of the 24 bottles in my cellar. Deep deep purple, black fruits, violets, menthol. All flavours to be expected.
Of course, being St Henri there is no overbearing oak, and it's why it remains my favourite of all the Penfolds range (including Grange). It's crept up in price recently, but it's still great value for money.
I agree with the previous taster that this wine is too young to drink right now. I love the ripe plum, anise and menthol in the nose. don't taste alot of pepper at this stage as the acids hit mid palate. I won't touch this again for at least 5 years.
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Jewel's 1st Birthday Party (University Club): Pop and poured. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of sweet ripe blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, milk chocolate, and intoxicating floral violets with more air. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, very smooth and fine high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavor intensity, with flavours of blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, milk chocolate, and black pepper spice. Long finish. Outstanding quality Aussie Shiraz. The nose was lovely. So young right now but exceptional promise for the future. Nice! But a waste to drink now. Keep for another 10 years before drinking again. Matured for 18 months in old, 1460 litre oak vats. No wonder there isn't any overt oak character. Fruit is the main star here. Nonetheless, there is still some vanilla flavour for me.
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Deep purple-black in colour. On the nose, dark chocolate, dark cherries & blackberries with complex mocha & roasted chestnut aromas underlinings.
Relatively rich mouth feel with richly concentrated palate full of dark chocolate, generous sweet structured fruit notes but not overly fruity. Sports chocolaty like mocha tobacco soft tannins. Finishes long and minerally.
With Min. oak influence, this is a gorgeous complex, rich and gracefully wine. One of the best I've had thus far.
Tasted during a Wine Advocat event - A matter of taste. Dark blueish crimson. Nose of tar, tobacco, roasted meat. Medium-full bodied palate with good structure. Quite tannic now but with enough fruit and balance is ok.
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Very full boddied, elegant wine. Almost Rhone like. Very lush and fine. Tannins were velvety and the dark fruits, all full and mouthwatering. A very long and satisfying finish. Can't go wrong.
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Blind tasted. almost black. Heavy nose and shut down palate with dry tannins. Should have been carafed for at least a day and probably needs another 10 years to reveal some character...
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I'm not a big shiraz fan but one of the best Australian shiraz I have tasted. A beautiful mix of fruit, wood and spices. Incredibly smooth and easy to drink. Top quality shiraz. Simply stunning
Drank with Jacques and Felice in Hong Kong.
Edit: Will look to revisit this as certain a few more points can be added with some age
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Blackish purple. Starts off cooly, like a breeze, with blueberry, Victoria plum, leafy perfume, myrtle oil. Slowly revealing beef blood, cold cuts, slaughterhouse. Full bodied on the palate, medium plus acidity, velvety tannins, very plush, luxurious mouthfeel. Plum and blueberry fruit, still primary, just a hint of fried bacon. Finishes well, still short of course, still young, but completely balanced. Echoes of myrtle ring out. Very, very nice. I can't stand the hyperbole of certain wine writers and you can forget about Grange: this is a different creature, less butch, but not necessarily of lesser quality, just less profound and yet irresistible, in its own way. Great to drink now, already in balance, but unless you are lucky enough to own plenty of bottles I would leave it in the cellar. 93-96.
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Tasted at the Penfolds dinner at the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse in Hong Kong with Peter Gago - I love St Henri. '10 is such a great wine, definitely young, very purple and primary but such balance, you know it will age well. Then you taste the '91 & the '96 (which it was paired with) also lovely wines but it shows you that you don’t need the tannins from the oak to keep the wine structured
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The St. Henri has always been one of my favourite Penfolds wines because it is not usually oak driven. So when I heard the hype about the current vintage (high scores), my first reaction was a bit of a worry that the wine would be hard to find (maybe everyone else had suddenly realized how good it was). But the other possibility is that maybe the wine really was different this vintage and hence the scores. I've only tried the one bottle and I think it is indeed a bit different than the last 3 or 4 vintages. And not in a way that appeals to me. I've sampled the 2010 over a couple a days (along with a fellow taster who likes new world wines more than me) and I think we both agree that the oak is much more pronounced in this bottle than in earlier vintages (2006 -2009) we have enjoyed recently. As always it has intense fruit, spice, and good acidity, but the oak is a bit too much in your face. The oak was a bit more integrated on the second day, so I am hoping this bodes well for the future... I am thinking this is a good wine to forget about for awhile and try again 5 or 10 years from now.
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Intense concentrated black fruit flavours. Dries up on the tongue from the heavy oak. Nice acidity, and the tannins add a velvety characteristic. Having tasted previous vintages, however, I was disappointed by the 2010.
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Beautiful purple colour - almost looks like it's glowing. Amazing.
Violets, black and blue fruits, licorice and spice on the nose. Blackberry, plum, spice (clove), chocolate, licorice, a lick of vanilla in the mouth. Wonderfully balanced - there's that amazing completeness when a wine's tannin, acid and flavours are all in their right proportions. Great length and good drinkability already. But this has the structure to age as well. A European styled wine in many ways, but one that stays true to its Barossan heart.
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Decanted nearly two hours. Drunk over a further 3 hours. Improved most of that time, maybe held steady last hour. Dark purple, mystical almost in colour. Rich, dizzying nose of oak, spice and dark floral aromas. Opulent flavours of black fruit, new oak and spice. Well balanced and lovely structure. Dry and tannic. Many many years of quality ahead. A delight to drink. Only upside from here.
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Decanted 30 minutes prior to drinking. Muted nose of cherry liquor, rocks and a light dressing of toasted oak. The mouth is full of vibrant acidity, red cherries and a bit of rustic tannin. Tight and austere. The finish is medium length. A well made wine, for sure, but it doesn't come close to fulfilling the hype that has lifted it into the clouds.
Dark purple, the colour of a bruise. It is dense, loaded with blackberry and cassis, bullet proof but creamy. It has no hard edges and has plenty of cedar, spice and vanilla. No doubting the wine's class and it is a crowd pleaser but I want my St Henri a bit edgier.
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- Brick color - Impenetrable colour, glossy with a purple rim. Super balanced in every way possible. An abundance of perfectly ripe dark and red fruits, but not sweet or jammy. The nose an incredible floral bouquet of soft yet perfumed aromas. The finish just lives forever, without the tannic dominance of Grange. Absolute amazing wine at an even more amazing price.
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Straight from the bottle. This wine seriously needed decanting first. Far too closed. Oak at first, then almost no nose. Serious, delicate, medium-full body. Some red and black fruit if you look hard. Fruit seems to be tightly wound (we'll see in a decade.) Very dry. Very tannic compared to 2009 Grange tried alongside (which positively looked like a drink now prospect in comparison. Well, almost.) Looks to be a very long term wine. Quality? Hmmm. I think people are getting excited about this wine in Australia as it's the only 'affordable' Penfold's wine with any cachet about it (or that random 100/100.) All the others are either second rate or too expensive. Give me Rockford's BP any day. 93+
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4/30/2024 - barryjkeller@gmail.com Likes this wine:
Gorgeous. Yes Australian in style (although lesser so due to oak I assume), however drinking beautifully. Still lots of age left. Soft complex, silky tannins. Really enjoyed
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3/31/2024 - @MelFridges Likes this wine:
Fantasic wine, very smooth and easy to drink
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1/6/2024 - StewartWent Likes this wine: 91 Points
Impressive. This is a simple wine in the best possible way. Low oak, deep dry red fruits falling short of dark. Old fashioned perhaps? Seems like it’s 2yrs old, not 14.
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12/15/2023 - saulwilliams Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very big and expressive wine with bursts of cherry. Strong nose that almost borders on overwhelming
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11/10/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
In the bouquet beautiful dark and red berries. On the palate the same juicy fruits, garrigue, beautifully fresh acidity and round very soft tannin. Really very beautiful wine in its early maturity stage. 93 – 94+
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10/6/2023 - dichris Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fully integrated, concentrated and powerful. Needs at least 2-3 hours to uncoil after first opening. This was rated at 100 by Andrew Caillard MW, but I think that’s overreach. Such high scores need the wine to have intensity and excitement and I felt the latter was lacking in this wine.
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6/24/2023 - Joealex wrote: 97 Points
Color is very dark, almost black, you can immediately see the high concentration of the wine.
A jaw-dropping bouquet consisting of a combination of blackberries, blueberries, plums and tar. It is concentrated, intense, heavy and reach every nook and cranny in the nose. Very similar to the best Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa region I've had, but without the blackcurrant characteristic of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. You can guess from the bouquet itself that the taste of wine simply has to be WOW.
When the wine spills over the tongue, the first thing you feel is the sweetness as if you were drinking a blackberry and blueberry liqueur, although the wine itself is not sweet, just the intensity of the super-ripe grapes used in the production must have been amazing and they created this sweet "core" surrounded by acidity and super soft tannins. A wine of sensational concentration, there is no trace of wateriness and at the same time it is not too big like Syrah wines from the central coast of California, rather it is medium body, elegant structure with very good refreshing acidity. A long, intense aftertaste with a hint of coffee, lingering in the mouth for over half a minute without any bitterness, wateriness or acidity. All the time, from the moment the wine spills over the tongue and palate until it is swallowed, you can feel the Penfolds trademark: the cashmere softness and suppleness of the wine, which feels like touching a pillow in the most expensive 5* luxury hotel. Anyone who has ever drunk Penfolds wine knows what I'm talking about. Of course, this applies to Penfolds wines of at least Bin 128 grade and above.
THIS IS a WOW wine and is one of the best I've had in my life.
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6/4/2023 - chatters wrote:
Open 36 hours. Ripe black plums are slightly dried out, sweet spice, a little black pepper, clay. Concentrated, ripe black fruits, chewy and chalky slightly coarse tannins, liquorice, touch of leather, cream, caramel, alcohol warmth on the finish - this has been opened a little too long.
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5/17/2023 - Romz Likes this wine: 93 Points
170523 - lunch meetup with the gang at Super Tanker. Always a fav. Lovely nose - dark fruits & blueberry, chocolate, licorice, mocha & mint. Great layers and structure, with energetic finish
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3/25/2023 - michael talbot Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect balance, perfect timing. Will likely last however it’s hard to know until when
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1/27/2023 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 94 Points
Power. Check. Intensity. Check. Complexity. Check. Shiraz. Check. Superb. Check. Henri hitting on all cylinders. Brilliant accompaniment at dinner with Walt Fisher, my nonagenarian friend. As the evening progresses after our meal, I am enchanted by the vinous spices on the roof of my mouth and touches of licorice on my tongue. Intoxicating aromas linger long in the glass.
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1/6/2023 - thunberg wrote: 89 Points
Kinda flat and dull. Good but nothing special.
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4/7/2022 - DrinkerTrev Likes this wine: 96 Points
Had with a 2009. This was better
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10/31/2021 - LambarOdelmeyer Likes this wine:
Dark red with a pinkish rim. Rich berries on the nose. Medium to full bodied, with fine grippy tannins. Palate has juicy berries, somewhat ribena-ish. A little unbalanced with the acidity at the moment, and the tannins still not fully resolved. More time in the cellar.
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10/22/2021 - Henman Likes this wine: 91 Points
From a 375ml bottle that was popped 3 hours prior to pouring and tasting. Vibrant and complex nose of ripe dark fruit, mint, herbs, minerals. Full bodied, robust, concentrated, delivering ripe dark fruit with notes of herbs, mineral, tar, mint and some volatile nail polish. Firm and grippy tannins. The flavors kept changing during one hour of tasting. Quite a powerhouse of wine that is still very youthful. Can hold for decades.
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7/8/2021 - empire80 wrote:
Concentrated, dry, tannic and very long. On its own it's at least five years too young for me; might just just about be drinkable with a rare steak. Has potential but I will be leaving my next bottle for five years!
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5/13/2021 - Rogershkg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent with the heavier type of Chinese food - pork chop rice, braised beef etc. Good nose, strong taste with dark fruit medium length
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4/13/2021 - Jonbennett12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a large, concentrated, powerful and impressive wine with presence, charisma, structure and tannin and is built to travel the distance. Dark, inky, purple in colour and full of restrained fruit behind firm tannin on the palate. Double decanted and drunk some 6 hours after opening, it still feels tight and powerful with minimal secondary softness. It had mellowed by the next day, but on this tasting I shall probably leave this another 5 years before opening another bottle. Very pleased to have another 11 sitting on the sandstone under my house.
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3/26/2021 - MindMuse wrote:
Really good, but paired alongside a 2001 Hillside Select it did not get a lot of relative attention.
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3/19/2021 - smenzies wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 3 hrs. Lovely but still needs softening of tannins. Won’t touch for 5 yrs
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12/20/2020 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375ml. Really dense dark crimson-ruby color that catches the light in its depths. Intensely concentrated sweet red berries on the nose. Intense raspberries dominate with a slight green edge initially that fades into a lengthy raspberry finish. Drinks a bit hot but oddly that impression only appears in the finish as well. Powerful, if a bit one-dimensional, and very tasty; it has a long life ahead of it.
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6/12/2020 - Lype Likes this wine:
Very concentrated, still youthful, dark smooth tones, cassis and tasty plums, salty liquorice, dark chocolate, charming violet flauvors which tie this powerhouse package beautifully together, a lot of things going on but at this stage a bit restrained and full of future promise, tannins are present but fairly tamed, vanilla and oak are nicely buried underneath the ample fruit, long lingering aftertaste. A classy presentation which is good now but will get better.
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5/30/2020 - Argrath wrote: 92 Points
Full, deep nose of concentrated black fruit, bramble, plum and vanilla oak. And the tale-tell eucalyptus of Australia.
Full palate. Soft and concentrated palate. Mature tannins. Bramble, vanilla oak, dark chocolate, plum and eucalyptus. Very true to its origin and producer. Fat and rich, but can not be considered elegant. Fully ready.
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5/10/2020 - djn63 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smooth. Balanced. Slill some tannin so few more years left but a very smooth with nice length. Fruits have also softened Think will improve as much as a Shiraz can
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3/28/2020 - Trydebull Likes this wine: 93 Points
Noter främst från dag två, med 50% kvar av flaskan i kylen med kork
Mörkt blåsvart i färgen
Doften är fantastiskt koncentrerad med djup och bredd samtidigt. Otrolig stor skillnad från första timmarna och första dygnet - även om det var väldigt bra redan då.
Här ges läder, koskit, parallellt med fina friska mörka bär, tobaksblad, hela cigarrer, läder, solmogna björnbär.
Smaken har en otrolig fruk som möter upp först innan alla de andra djupare nyanserna tar över med chark, tobak, de solmogna björnbären, rökt kött, kohud och lite koskit också för den delen.
Baserat på dag två är den här otroligt bra. Vilken essens och koncentration!
Det är verkligen stor skillnad mellan årgångarna när det gäller koncentrationen - även om det oftast är minst riktigt bra.
Den här årgången är riktigt, RIKTIGT, bra och jag säger vänta minst fem år till och ni öppnar upp 94 poäng. Minst. 92-93 är redan på plats:-)
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3/21/2020 - isherlockct Likes this wine:
Notes of menthol and ripe blueberry, full bodied but not overwhelming. Sweet chewy tanning, Long finish. I liked it better than Grange
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3/14/2020 - karl.1480 wrote: 91 Points
BYOB 2020-03-14 Blind tasting (Göteborgs Vinkällare): Deep, purple color.
Fruit-charged nose with cool black fruit - blackberry, cassis and plum, minty herbs, raw meat, violet and salt licorice. There is some vanilla oak notes lurking in the background.
Full bodied, powerful and dense on the palate. Medium(+) acidity and firm tannins keeps the generous fruit in place. Great intensity with a wall of ripe but still fresh black fruit, raw meat, savory spice and minty overtones. Long finish.
Aussie Shiraz felt like a decent call here but the modest oak treatment made me doubt my call a bit. It all made sense when the bottle was revealed.
A little more than three years since last taste of this wine. It is moving in the right direction and it is absolutely fine to drink today but I think more time in the cellar will pay off.
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3/1/2020 - NLowe Likes this wine: 96 Points
Distilled 1 hr for first glass at Jumbo
Rich lingering bouquet with floral and plum aromas.
Distinct coating mouth feel
Long aftertaste
Drunk with uncle Luke and aunty sandy for Josh and tiff
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11/11/2019 - rwpalmer wrote:
From a half bottle over 2 nights. Already quite integrated. Medium weight. A bit firm on the tail end. Second night more satisfactorily coming together with nice dark fruit showing. Discrete and maybe I'd hoped for something with a little more gravitas but just maybe it has the balance and structure there for a long and interesting life. I suspect that anyone giving this a score in the high 90's is more in hope than current reality.
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9/24/2019 - Andrew Lannen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really living up to being heralded as one of St Henri’s best vintage. Fills the mouth with rich fruit and holds with balance. Drinking so well now but will still improve for 10 years. Lucky if you have this vintage.
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9/15/2019 - Beeka wrote:
Worth the wait
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7/23/2019 - lennyB34 wrote: 88 Points
At Celestial Heaven, probably not a good match with Chinese food, our Colgin was much better.
Round and up-front fruit. Short. Nothing special.
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6/5/2019 - Gdubya Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP this, but deserves an hour or two in the decanter.
Rich flavours but no sweet jammy vibes
Good amount of sediment
100pts....nah... but very lovely nonetheless
Starting to get close to prime drinking zone
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4/23/2019 - felixp wrote: 88 Points
A rush of dark fruit, then quite a hollow wine with a slightly clipped finish. Not bad, but certainly not amongst the great vintages of this wonderful and long-standing label. Given the puzzling prices on the secondary market, very hard to recommend.
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2/23/2019 - maxima wrote: 90 Points
Plus civilisé que les autres Shiraz de ce pays,
c'est long et bien gourmand, soyeux et assez complexe.
Pas méchant pour ce style.
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12/29/2018 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 89 Points
Slightly out of balance. No real mid-palate . Maybe an off bottle??
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12/8/2018 - Neuneuil wrote: 92 Points
Dark robe, crimson edges. Deep concentrated, jammy plum/black fruit notes, a little on first pour which wound down as the wine caught some air. Definitely Southern Helisphere. Has tons of potential and will improve with cellar time.
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8/25/2018 - Fatty Cat wrote: 91 Points
0.375 L bottle, late Aug 2018: purple red color; dark berries and black cherries; in the mouth accompanied by intense pepper and game flavors; smooth and round on the palate; medium/full body.
14.5% alcohol.
Just went quickly through the other 67 tasting notes of this wine. Somebody mentioned this wine got a 100 point score by a critic? Who was it?
Personally I found this wine already mature. Maybe at a different tasting setting I would score 1-2 points more. But 100 points? Well, in the end we all have a different taste :-).
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8/21/2018 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 1/2 bottle. Black as midnight with light garnet at the very edges. Deep, rich blueberries, some blackberry, bramble, and a hint of rubber on the nose. Notes of syrupy blackberry, blueberries, Rich tannins. Great depth of flavor and intensity.
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6/29/2018 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 91 Points
Farewell dinner for Meowseng (Porta Porta Restaurant): deep purple; acidic, some tannins, intense, quite some alcohol burn, good length; cassis, plum, grass, bit of paprika, straw, coffee; nice
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6/14/2018 - tirthad wrote: flawed
Unfortunately stored at a questionable position and some fault was present.
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3/14/2018 - VinCapitan wrote: 92 Points
lovely black plum, rich fruited with some dark chocolate, and a splash of coffee’d caramel clove and balsamic love. Good wine. box ticker
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10/15/2017 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted semi blind. The aromas from the fruit is on the sweetish side, like freshly cut prunes. In the mouth you get lovely black fruit, soft fine tannin with a very good balance and persistent length. This one just gets better with more air time. Far from ready. 93-95p.
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9/29/2017 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clean. Poured through an aerator. Blueberry,a touch of graphite and black pepper on the nose. Well-balanced and very focused on the palate. Great with food. Long finish. It is ready to go now.
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5/24/2017 - KimHartman wrote: 94 Points
Duellen (Landvetter): Young, fruit-driven, with plenty of concentrated dark cool fruit, peppermint, and some oak. A real treat to drink this!
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12/26/2016 - nulla Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is good. Good quality cork, no unsavory odours or flavors. Excellent body, succulent on the pallete, lingering length. Balance of fruit, wood, acid and tannins. Drinkable now but will cellar for another decade. 92+
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12/4/2016 - appel54 wrote: 92 Points
Mörklila i färgen
Initialt väldigt mycket malbec och Argentina över doften. Efterhand framträder väldigt mycket mörk ung frukt i form av björnbär, lite cassis och mycket fat. även lite alkoholstickig.
Väldigt intensivt i munnen. Bra längd. En viss alkoholhetta men inget som stör nämnvärt.
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12/4/2016 - karl.1480 wrote: 90 Points
Tasted blind.
Clear, deep intensity, inky purple color.
Initially a bit muted nose but opens up and turns into a massive wall of black fruit, creme de cassis, raw meat, violets and tobacco. There's also some presence of american oak with vanilla and dill. Maybe a bit one-dimensional but not completely without finesse.
Full bodied, medium(+) chewy tannins and medium acidity. Pronounced intensity and really driven by super ripe black fruit. Today lots of raw power but will probably age really well and gain loads of complexity. Way better than the 06 I tasted earlier this year.
HOLD. Rating based on tonights perfomance.
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9/28/2016 - felixp wrote: 88 Points
not a bad wine, dwarfed by a 2010 Clape corn as next to it.
lots of jam and one-dimensional fruit, this should age well and might merit a higher score in another decade.
100pts? I wonder what that guy was smoking!!!
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7/16/2016 - wineotim wrote: 92 Points
From 375 ml. This wine had a nagging raisin like, port like, undertone aroma and palate. The wine is seriously structured, but I expected more density, opaqueness, and depth. Might have been slightly flawed? I can't find any 750 ml in the US.
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10/23/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 94 Points
2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): With tremendous purity of fruit, this opaque ruby wine offers black currants, citrus, blueberry, anise and earth on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, freshly acidic and with nicely integrated alcohol, it is round and luscious in the middle. The tannins are substantial but very fine-grained. This wine sees virtually no new oak; it is aged only in multi-year oak foudres. As such, while there is a whiff of oak, the oak has no more influence than the spray of vermouth on a dry martini. Solid and dense in the middle, this delightful Shiraz (which also contains some Cabernet Sauvignon) concludes with a very long, smooth finish. Brilliance here! Enjoy this over the next 15+ years. Drink now-2030.
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10/23/2015 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Inky dark, jammy smokey flavors. Totally accessible, and maintains a freshness that keeps this down to earth.
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6/18/2015 - Edeon Likes this wine: 99 Points
Unbelievable - my second favourite wine ever.
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5/25/2015 - Frank Schneider wrote: 92 Points
Soooooo young !!!! No fun and just potential in the glass. Wait !!!! Will be fascinating in 5 -10 years
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5/16/2015 - jrbates68@gmail.com Likes this wine: 96 Points
Exquisite
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5/8/2015 - jskuek Likes this wine: 94 Points
3 hours in decanter, young, coffee, tobacco. Nice potential.
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4/5/2015 - Brettski80 Likes this wine: 98 Points
As delicious as I remember just 12 months ago. Completely restrained, yet flawlessly balanced and begging for more sleep.
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4/4/2015 - gbgpatrik Likes this wine: 91 Points
Soooo nice and soooo Young! Massive blueberry and Other blue fruits. Not overwelming in tannins so i wounder if this really is built for the long term... But oh so nice it is! I say, give ot 2-4 more years then it will rock!
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3/25/2015 - darky999 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brooding St Henri - which is a slight oxymoron as in the past these have been a bit less full on as this is. But it's a wonderful wine. Clearly too young now but I wanted to try one of the 24 bottles in my cellar. Deep deep purple, black fruits, violets, menthol. All flavours to be expected.
Of course, being St Henri there is no overbearing oak, and it's why it remains my favourite of all the Penfolds range (including Grange). It's crept up in price recently, but it's still great value for money.
2020 and onwards
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3/8/2015 - Dr. Claret Likes this wine: 93 Points
I agree with the previous taster that this wine is too young to drink right now. I love the ripe plum, anise and menthol in the nose. don't taste alot of pepper at this stage as the acids hit mid palate. I won't touch this again for at least 5 years.
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3/7/2015 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
Jewel's 1st Birthday Party (University Club): Pop and poured.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of sweet ripe blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, milk chocolate, and intoxicating floral violets with more air. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol, very smooth and fine high tannins, full body. Pronounced flavor intensity, with flavours of blueberries, blackberries, vanilla, milk chocolate, and black pepper spice. Long finish.
Outstanding quality Aussie Shiraz. The nose was lovely. So young right now but exceptional promise for the future. Nice! But a waste to drink now. Keep for another 10 years before drinking again.
Matured for 18 months in old, 1460 litre oak vats. No wonder there isn't any overt oak character. Fruit is the main star here. Nonetheless, there is still some vanilla flavour for me.
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2/28/2015 - thegodfather Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep purple-black in colour. On the nose, dark chocolate, dark cherries & blackberries with complex mocha & roasted chestnut aromas underlinings.
Relatively rich mouth feel with richly concentrated palate full of dark chocolate, generous sweet structured fruit notes but not overly fruity. Sports chocolaty like mocha tobacco soft tannins. Finishes long and minerally.
With Min. oak influence, this is a gorgeous complex, rich and gracefully wine. One of the best I've had thus far.
Now lets try another bottle 10 years from now!
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2/28/2015 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): Very young dark and brooding with an incredible thickness and some caramel on the nose. This will develop into a beauty.
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12/4/2014 - jrbates68@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Started with this for my 60th Birthday and worked up from there. A delightfully smooth wine that will continue to improve with time.
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11/27/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 92 Points
Tasted during a Wine Advocat event - A matter of taste. Dark blueish crimson. Nose of tar, tobacco, roasted meat. Medium-full bodied palate with good structure. Quite tannic now but with enough fruit and balance is ok.
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11/22/2014 - stayhappy21 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted this during Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate's Matter of Taste @ Singapore Art Museum. Tasted this after the 2011 Penfolds Shiraz RWT.
Very well integrated wine at this point. Slight preference towards this wine over the RWT.
As compared to the RWT, this wine is more restrained and refined.
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11/22/2014 - Nicholas81 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very full boddied, elegant wine. Almost Rhone like. Very lush and fine. Tannins were velvety and the dark fruits, all full and mouthwatering. A very long and satisfying finish. Can't go wrong.
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11/15/2014 - Capt Cutlass Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Blind tasted. almost black. Heavy nose and shut down palate with dry tannins. Should have been carafed for at least a day and probably needs another 10 years to reveal some character...
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10/14/2014 - Rayden wrote: 94 Points
Yum, yum. This is the ants pants of grape growing, grape selection and wine making downunder. Refined and classy. Rhone-like in a good year.
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10/3/2014 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
I'm not a big shiraz fan but one of the best Australian shiraz I have tasted. A beautiful mix of fruit, wood and spices. Incredibly smooth and easy to drink. Top quality shiraz. Simply stunning
Drank with Jacques and Felice in Hong Kong.
Edit: Will look to revisit this as certain a few more points can be added with some age
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9/13/2014 - Timbalimba wrote: 93 Points
Blackish purple. Starts off cooly, like a breeze, with blueberry, Victoria plum, leafy perfume, myrtle oil. Slowly revealing beef blood, cold cuts, slaughterhouse. Full bodied on the palate, medium plus acidity, velvety tannins, very plush, luxurious mouthfeel. Plum and blueberry fruit, still primary, just a hint of fried bacon. Finishes well, still short of course, still young, but completely balanced. Echoes of myrtle ring out. Very, very nice. I can't stand the hyperbole of certain wine writers and you can forget about Grange: this is a different creature, less butch, but not necessarily of lesser quality, just less profound and yet irresistible, in its own way. Great to drink now, already in balance, but unless you are lucky enough to own plenty of bottles I would leave it in the cellar. 93-96.
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8/31/2014 - Jbod wrote: 94 Points
Dark purple, incredible wine! Recommended and not disappointing at all. Decanted for 3 hours consumed over 2 hours with my girl and it's a wow for us?
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7/26/2014 - jonanator wrote: 90 Points
Good wine but not really the kind of wine I enjoy. Was a little drying on the palate but there is a ton of fruit.
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7/13/2014 - jrbates68@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
A complex dry red wine with a lingering finish which will only improve with bottle age. A thoroughly delightful drink.
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7/8/2014 - KoalaHK wrote:
Tasted at the Penfolds dinner at the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse in Hong Kong with Peter Gago - I love St Henri. '10 is such a great wine, definitely young, very purple and primary but such balance, you know it will age well. Then you taste the '91 & the '96 (which it was paired with) also lovely wines but it shows you that you don’t need the tannins from the oak to keep the wine structured
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7/5/2014 - saturnaisland wrote: 89 Points
The St. Henri has always been one of my favourite Penfolds wines because it is not usually oak driven. So when I heard the hype about the current vintage (high scores), my first reaction was a bit of a worry that the wine would be hard to find (maybe everyone else had suddenly realized how good it was). But the other possibility is that maybe the wine really was different this vintage and hence the scores. I've only tried the one bottle and I think it is indeed a bit different than the last 3 or 4 vintages. And not in a way that appeals to me. I've sampled the 2010 over a couple a days (along with a fellow taster who likes new world wines more than me) and I think we both agree that the oak is much more pronounced in this bottle than in earlier vintages (2006 -2009) we have enjoyed recently. As always it has intense fruit, spice, and good acidity, but the oak is a bit too much in your face. The oak was a bit more integrated on the second day, so I am hoping this bodes well for the future... I am thinking this is a good wine to forget about for awhile and try again 5 or 10 years from now.
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7/5/2014 - The Last Syrah Likes this wine: 91 Points
Intense concentrated black fruit flavours. Dries up on the tongue from the heavy oak. Nice acidity, and the tannins add a velvety characteristic. Having tasted previous vintages, however, I was disappointed by the 2010.
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7/1/2014 - azzah Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful purple colour - almost looks like it's glowing. Amazing.
Violets, black and blue fruits, licorice and spice on the nose. Blackberry, plum, spice (clove), chocolate, licorice, a lick of vanilla in the mouth. Wonderfully balanced - there's that amazing completeness when a wine's tannin, acid and flavours are all in their right proportions. Great length and good drinkability already. But this has the structure to age as well. A European styled wine in many ways, but one that stays true to its Barossan heart.
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6/28/2014 - ozoenophile Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted nearly two hours. Drunk over a further 3 hours. Improved most of that time, maybe held steady last hour. Dark purple, mystical almost in colour. Rich, dizzying nose of oak, spice and dark floral aromas. Opulent flavours of black fruit, new oak and spice. Well balanced and lovely structure. Dry and tannic. Many many years of quality ahead. A delight to drink. Only upside from here.
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6/6/2014 - henry_chinaski wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 30 minutes prior to drinking. Muted nose of cherry liquor, rocks and a light dressing of toasted oak. The mouth is full of vibrant acidity, red cherries and a bit of rustic tannin. Tight and austere. The finish is medium length. A well made wine, for sure, but it doesn't come close to fulfilling the hype that has lifted it into the clouds.
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5/11/2014 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Dark purple, the colour of a bruise. It is dense, loaded with blackberry and cassis, bullet proof but creamy. It has no hard edges and has plenty of cedar, spice and vanilla. No doubting the wine's class and it is a crowd pleaser but I want my St Henri a bit edgier.
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5/10/2014 - Brettski80 wrote: 98 Points
- Brick color - Impenetrable colour, glossy with a purple rim. Super balanced in every way possible. An abundance of perfectly ripe dark and red fruits, but not sweet or jammy. The nose an incredible floral bouquet of soft yet perfumed aromas. The finish just lives forever, without the tannic dominance of Grange. Absolute amazing wine at an even more amazing price.
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5/3/2014 - startinoz wrote: 93 Points
Straight from the bottle. This wine seriously needed decanting first. Far too closed. Oak at first, then almost no nose. Serious, delicate, medium-full body. Some red and black fruit if you look hard. Fruit seems to be tightly wound (we'll see in a decade.) Very dry. Very tannic compared to 2009 Grange tried alongside (which positively looked like a drink now prospect in comparison. Well, almost.) Looks to be a very long term wine. Quality? Hmmm. I think people are getting excited about this wine in Australia as it's the only 'affordable' Penfold's wine with any cachet about it (or that random 100/100.) All the others are either second rate or too expensive. Give me Rockford's BP any day. 93+
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5/2/2014 - HamoStevo wrote: 98 Points
Young but oh so promising full taste depth and balance
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