PenfoldsSt. Henri Shiraz (OWC) 2020

This is an awesome and statuesque St Henri with commanding tannins and a glossy, succulent indulgent and luxurious feel throughout. It has incredible weight and stunning balance and ripeness. I worry that people will drink it the moment it arrives on their doorstep because the fruit is so darned luxurious, but I can imagine that it will run for decades such is the class on display here. (Matthew Jukes - Matthewjukes.com & Daily Mail)

Always the most unique, savoury and graceful red in the Penfolds stable, beloved for the fact it does not see any new oak (just 12 months in large, seasoned vats) and thereby emphasises the unadulterated purity of South Australian Shiraz. And the dry, low-yielding 2020 vintage has delivered an already approachable St Henri whose score may well improve with further maturation (in the meantime I wait with rapt anticipation for the 2021…). More McLaren Vale fruit joins the Barossa and Clare parcels this vintage thanks to late summer rain, and the result is a textured, mineral, fresh-fruited profile that conjures up rhubarb, cherries and wild strawberries along with seaweed, curry spices and polished leather enveloped in dusty, textured tannins. Released at £96.

The 2020 Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz has a deep garnet-purple color. It opens with subdued, earthy notes of black truffles, crushed rocks, and mossy tree bark, leading to a core of preserved plums, dried mulberries, and unsmoked cigars, with a waft of Sichuan pepper. The full-bodied palate is firm with chewy tannins and a refreshing line supporting the savory, muscular fruit, finishing with an herbal lift.

The 2020 Shiraz St Henri lives up to its traditional claret billing, reserved, subtle and built to last. Excellent color to begin before delivering a refined mix of coca, blackberry and black olive tapenade with a subtle dusting of old spice. It´s mid-weight, firm and stylish, with more gravel and graphite flavors starting to emerge. The vintages´ firm tannins are well-matched and draw out a lengthy finish. You can bank off this drinking well for a couple of decades.

Dense, dank and brooding. A very warm vintage, serving an incantation of licorice strap, clove, camphor, dried nori and a spicy backdrop to a flood of dark, saturated fruits. Often the cuvee that I prefer most, however the tannins in this instance are more four-square, burlier, thick grape skin-gritty and less resolved than usual. A bit drying. The oak, classy and firm, compressing and directing. Best after 2028.