Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2013 (Barossa Valley, South Australia) "...blueberry pie, licorice, tar..."

Peter Gago: “This wine may be initially missed on a busy tasting bench, but once ‘properly tasted’, never forgotten. (The 2013 is) Reminiscent of 2010, 1998 and 1976 St Henri’s – statuesque, brooding, complex. Aromatically ‘old-style’.” It’s 96% shiraz, 4% cabernet sauvignon, with grapes sourced from McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Padthaway and Port Lincoln. It spends 12 months in 50+ year old vats.

 

"There’s a sweetness to the fruit, a feeling of loose even flow, a clear push of fruit ripeness and a fleshy, fruit-filled linger to the finish. St Henri is such an interesting wine to look at in its youth. It’s renowned for its ageworthiness and yet it often looks a little leathery and advanced, and lacking in tannin, in its youth. Its history makes you stop and think more than the juice in the glass. I like this release but I’m not falling over myself for it; a de rigueur reaction to a young St Henri. It reminds me more of 1999 than of 1998. The main impression? Lovely generosity of berried fruits." 93 Points - Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront

"This 2013 Shiraz St Henri follows in the blockbuster footsteps of the 2010 and 2012. The blend is 96% Shiraz with 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and the fruit sources are far and wide, including a real mix of terroirs: McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Padthaway and Port Lincoln. It spent 12 months in 50+-year-old casks. Deep garnet-purple colored, the youthfully reticent nose is complex, offering loam, aged meat, licorice, tar, scorched earth, fenugreek and cloves over a cherry cordial, blueberry pie and dried mulberries core. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals lovely, understated elegance and depth with a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and many fruit and spice layers emerging on the finish. This is one for the long-long haul and, at a fraction of the price of Grange, should be where the smart money goes for stocking the cellar. Drink 2016-2045." 97 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate