2004 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri

The 2004 St.-Henri Shiraz was sourced from five regions and aged in seasoned oak. Purple-colored, the nose gives up aromas of smoke, game, Asian spices, blueberry, and blackberry. Smooth-textured on the palate, it is nicely layered with savory fruit, lots of spice, and enough stuffing to evolve for 3-5 years. This lengthy effort will be in its prime from 2012 to 2022. Penfolds produces a bevy of excellent value-priced wines, many of which were reviewed in Issue 178. Importer: Southcorp Wines USA; www.penfolds.com.au

100% Shiraz. St. Henri is a highly successful and alternative expression of Shiraz and an intriguing counterpoint to Grange. It does not rely on any new oak. It was created in the early 1950s (first commercial vintage 1957) with Shiraz sourced from the Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek and Adelaide Hills. The 2004 vintage saw above-average winter rainfall, mild conditions up until February, followed by hot weather conditions throughout March and April. Expressive nose. Gust of minty freshness just woke me up! Lots of crushed berries and a tiny bit of dark chocolate.. medium body but full flavour and intensity.. excellent. (VD)

Opaque ruby. Sexy boysenberry and cherry-cola on the nose, with spicy mineral and cracked pepper notes adding energy. Juicy and fresh, with vibrant dark berry flavors, silky tannins and very good back-end lift. The tannins gain strength on the finish but don't obscure the energetic fruit. Very impressive shiraz; supple enough to drink on the young side but I'd put mine away for at least another decade.