Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | Australia > South Australia |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Tasted at the "Rewards of Patience" vertical in Berlin. Compared to the 2002 and 2003 for example, the 2004 St Henri Shiraz (a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet) is far more reticent on the nose and has definitely closed down for a while. It is broody, almost saturnine, with hints of dark chocolate, liquorice and crushed violet. The palate is masculine and structure, a demonstrative St. Henri with an obdurate structure, a vaulted backbone that keeps the fruit linear and strict until it eventual decides to mellow. It unreservedly veers to the more Bordeaux-like St. Henri, but to be frank, it is rather impenetrable now and needs at least a decade before it entertains the notion of drinkability. Even then, it might tell you to bugger off, because that is the personality of this wine. Drink 2020-2045. Tasted June 2012.
Very deep garnet-purple in color, this St Henri has a very pretty floral nose with notes of violets, choco-mint, warm blackberry and nutmeg plus a faint hint of black olives. Purely fruited in the mouth, the rich fruit is nicely balanced by refreshing acid and a medium-firm level of fine-grained tannins, finishing long.