2005 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri
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Tasting notes
Only slightly behind the RWT, the 2005 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri comes from vineyards throughout South Australia and as opposed to the RWT (which is aged in French oak, some new), is aged all in larger wooded vats for 16 months prior to bottling. Beautifully aromatics and complex, with a slightly cooler climate feel than the RWT, it possesses loads of peppered dark fruits, eucalyptus, bacon fat, wild herbs, and hints of chocolate on the nose. Full-bodied and rich on the palate, with a layered, voluptuous mouth feel, superb freshness, and still kicking, yet ripe tannin, this absolutely first-rate Aussie Shiraz benefits from a decant (it was even better on the second day), and will continue to shine for upwards of another decade.
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2005 St. Henri Shiraz is matured for 16 months in large, seasoned oak vats and includes 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It exhibits a floral-accented perfume along with nutmeg, cinnamon, licorice, and blueberry. Medium-bodied and impeccably balanced, it displays a complex array of fruit and spice flavors leading to a lengthy, pure finish. Drink this stylish effort over the next 10-12 years. Importer: Southcorp Wines USA; www.penfolds.com.au
Deep ruby-red. Sexy aromas of blackberry, blueberry, incense, dried flowers, cola and vanilla. Lush, creamy and sweet, offering deep dark berry compote flavors, velvety texture and mounting spiciness. The sweet dark berry notes echo through a strikingly long, juicy and focused finish. Bet on this to improve for at least another decade but there's plenty of appeal right now.
Distinctive, traditional winemaking style that hasn't changed in half a century. 'People have come back to this style,' according to Gago. 'It's quite an odd style, St Henri, deceptive in youth. Almost suggesting drink it tonight, but it transforms in the bottle.' Released 1 May 2009. Sourced all over the state. Shiraz aged very traditionally in vast (1,460 litre) old oak puncheons at least 50 years old, sometimes with some Cabernet, 10% in this instance. He strongly recommends halves of St Henri 1962 for current drinking! I much enjoyed a 75 cl of 2005. Very dark crimson. Warm, super-fruity mulberry fruit. Very round and polished and gorgeous. Wonderfully fresh, yet super-welcoming. Very lush and approachable with a merest hint of brine. Big and plummy, with, at the moment, more obvious tannins than Grange actually! (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.