Wine Advisor
Penfolds, St Henri Shiraz 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Inky ruby. A highly complex smoke- and spice-accented bouquet evokes fresh dark berries, cherry liqueur, licorice, vanilla and incense. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering intense cherry-vanilla, floral pastille and succulent herbs flavors and a deft combination of richness and vivacity. Shows excellent focus and lift on a long, sweet finish framed by fine-grained, slowly building tannins. This bottling has a long track record for aging.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2012 Shiraz St Henri is very impressive with its elegant, sophisticated and well-crafted expression of this superb vintage. As always, there is no new oak employed here, simply 50+ year old large oak vats. This vintage has a dollop (3%) Cabernet Sauvignon, contributing a lovely cassis lift to the heady perfume. Deep garnet-purple colored, it displays a gorgeous nose of commendable purity and intensity with notes of red and blackcurrants, freshly crushed blackberries, menthol, cinnamon stick, bacon fat and cloves. Rich and already expressive on the palate, it is nonetheless built for the long haul with firm, ripe and grainy tannins carrying the fruit to a long and layered finish. This should be a long-lived St Henri that should cellar gracefully for at least 2 decades.
About the Producer
Since 1844, Penfolds has played a pivotal role in the evolution of wine making with a history and heritage that profoundly reflects Australia’s journey from colonial settlement to the modern era. Penfolds collection of benchmark wines were established in a spirit of innovation and the constant and endless pursuit of quality, evidenced from the secret bottling of Grange in 1951 and the unbroken line of vintages of what is now arguably Australia’s most iconic red wine. Today, the collection continues to display the distinctive and consistently recognisable Penfolds ‘House Style’; the ultimate expression of Penfolds time-honoured tradition of sourcing the best fruit from the best regions. Historic blends, significant milestones and heritage vineyards have been honoured by a lineage of custodians whose courage and imagination, precision and humility have ensured Penfolds remains true to its original values while remaining relevant for current and future generations. The stories and philosophies behind each label bring a timeless quality, making Penfolds wines special and compelling for collectors and drinkers the world over.
