2016 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri

95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. From Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra. Aged for 12 months in old, large vats. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.72. Denser and more closed on the nose than the Bin 389. Lots of tar and liquorice, and plenty of heat too. There's an elemental, ferrous quality here, that bears strong comparison to Hermitage, although the primary fruit is still archetypical Australia. Still bound in hessian – those tannins will take years to soften. Magisterial! (RH)

The St. Henri cuvée is always brought up all in neutral oak casks, and the 2016 is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 690 cases produced. This was a great vintage for South Australia, and this blockbuster sports a deep purple color as well as a dense, powerful, meaty bouquet of smoked black fruits, chocolate, bouquet garni, bay leaf, mint, and plenty of earthy minerality. Reminding me of an Hermitage from the likes of Delas Frères, it’s full-bodied and incredibly concentrated, with a stacked mid-palate and loads of ripe tannins. Backward and mostly potential at this point, it’s nevertheless a thrilling Shiraz readers should give 4-5 years of bottle age and it will knock your socks off over the coming two decades.

The 2016 St Henri Shiraz is one of the finest St Henris I’ve ever tasted, rivalling the likes of the 1986 or 1976. It’s concentrated and rich, the essence of South Australia Shiraz (although it’s been lightened by the addition of 5% Cabernet Sauvignon), unleavened by any new oak. Dark and tarry, it delivers notes of espresso and black olive, plummy fruit and roasted meat. Full-bodied and dense on the palate, it ends long, dark and savoury.