Professional Ratings

• 99 James Suckling
  A great St. Henri and, although multi-regional, this is very much a wine that speaks of the Barossa Valley, with aromas of ripe blackberries and red plums that are so fresh, together with tobacco, young-leather, earth, chocolate, coal-smoke and tarry accents. Effortless depth on the palate with summer berries, framed in fine, alabaster-like tannins that are underscored with discreet power. So long and captivating. A blend of Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills. Drink over the next decade or more.
• 97 Australian Wine Companion
  Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills fruit. Matured 12 months in 50+yo vats. The effortless, unassuming self-assuredness of St Henri holds a unique and beloved place in the assemblage of Penfolds heroes, and 2018 marks a particularly special release. Accomplished, spicy, glossy black fruits of grand integrity unfold to magnificent effect in the glass, contrasting a fine-boned frame of rigid yet graceful, powder-fine tannins that carry a finish of long-lingering line and alluring appeal. I look forward to spectating from the sidelines as its fruit slowly unfurls over the decades to come. An adorable St Henri that exemplifies all that this label stands for.
• 97 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2018 St Henri Shiraz is a terrific effort, perhaps rivaling the top-flight wines under this label in 1976 and 1986. Remarkably fine and silky in texture yet simultaneously dense and concentrated, it showcases the amazing fruit harvested in 2018. Boysenberry, mulberry and mocha shadings all swirl together effortlessly in a whorl of full-bodied elegance, finishing long and effortless. Mainly Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, it includes smaller amounts of fruit from Port Lincoln, Robe, Padthaway, Clare Valley and the Adelaide Hills, all aged 12 months in large old wooden vats.
• 93 Wine Spectator

  Juicy blueberry and huckleberry fruit flavors at the core are accented by black and red licorice details, with dense, grippy tannins and notes of black pepper and Earl Grey tea. Impressive for its concentration and focus, along with its muscular structure. Drink now.

• 92 Wine & Spirits
  Post WWII, as winemaking moved into the modern era, there was a decade’s long shift toward stainless steel and new oak barrels. At Penfolds, that shift began with Max Schubert’s development of Grange, finishing top selections of shiraz in new French oak barrels. But the company never abandoned its old oak vats, sustaining an alternate top selection of shiraz as St. Henri, which never sees a barrel. This 2018 takes St. Henri’s savory style toward richness, lasting on sweet blueberry fragrance and gentle, meaty tannins. The wine needs a day or two to open; better to wait on it in the cellar for a decade or more, when it will deliver its riches and restraint with complexity.