Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2021 (Gift Box)

"Penfolds St Henri Shiraz just simply is. It never jumps out at you, it never rants and raves, it waits its turn and then, before you know it, you’re hooked. The 2021 version is an exquisite example of exactly that. It’s not my highest pointed wine of this year’s releases, but it’s the one that I’d buy in a heartbeat."  Campbell Mattinson

St Henri is a time-honoured and alternative expression of Shiraz, and an intriguing counterpoint to Grange. It is unusual among high quality Australian red wines as it does not rely on any new oak. Released for the first time by Penfolds in the early 1950s (first commercial vintage 1957), it gained a new lease of life in the 1990s as its quality and distinctive style became better understood. Proudly, a wine style that hasn't succumbed to the dictates of fashion or commerce. St Henri is rich and plush when young, gaining soft, earthy, mocha-like characters as it ages. It is matured in old, 1,460 litre vats that allow the wine to develop, imparting minimal, if any oak character. Although a small proportion of Cabernet is sometimes used to improve structure, the focal point for St Henri remains Shiraz. 

"At a tasting of St Henri going back to 1958 held in Paris earlier this year, this wine was a standout. At the time I declared it a legend in the making. My position hasn’t changed. Blue fruits, blueberries and plums, some sweetened espresso, bitter chocolate and baking spices. Effortless flow, high-def tannins. A true great."  Nick Ryan

"The abiding character of St Henri is its longevity, particularly in the context of better vintages. It has none of the make-up of new American oak that can hide the imperfections of a lesser vintage. A great St Henri will come into its own in a bare minimum of 10 years, and live long thereafter."  James Halliday 

The 2021 Penfolds St Henri is 100% shiraz from premium vineyards in Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. It was aged for 12 months in large seasoned oak vats.

"Dark, dense, black core and purple around the rim. With a delicate swirl emerge wafts of raspberry liquorice entwined with white chocolate. Freshly ground nutmeg and toasted fennel seeds interlace with spiced apple pie. Savoury undertones of artisanal pastrami paired with fresh bagels create a canvas that is both complex and harmonious. The palate is a duo of wild cherry and pomegranate fruits accompanied by hints of golden custard tarts and toasted sourdough, imparting additional layers of complexity and allure. Ironstone minerality asserts itself, guiding the palate towards a refined savouriness while instilling a sense of mouthwatering tension within each sip. The tannins are masterfully integrated; they are tightly knit yet exude a velvety texture that promises to soften beautifully over time. Careful cellaring will be rewarded. Peak Drinking: Now – 2045."  Penfolds

Expert reviews

"This is sublime. It’s a 100% shiraz from the Barossa and McLaren Vale. In some years depending on vintage, it includes some cabernet but the quality this year was perfect. Elegant and stylish with the power and poise you expect of a wine that will cellar for decades. Colour is dense black with just a little red on the edges. Highly perfumed with lots of spicy sage-like red fruits on the nose. There’s a fresh bakery character in here. The palate is restrained and refined with beautiful nuances of red fruits and fine tannins in support. Everything just knits together. This ranks with the greatest yet, and my mind is wandering back to 2010. Cellar 30 years."  Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wines – 99 points

"Deep crimson, Intense dark cherry, blackberry, chinotto aromas with roasted walnut espresso notes. Fresh and voluminous with ample dark cherry, blackberry, cassis flavours, fine loose-knit chocolaty textures and underlying roasted walnut espresso notes. Finishes long and sweet with an inky plume. Seamless and expressive wine with the fruit melting beautifully into the structure. A very impressive St Henri that will stand the test of time. One of the standout wines of the 2024 release. Drink: now – 2045."  Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal Penfolds Collection 2024 - 98+ points

"At a tasting of St Henri going back to 1958 held in Paris earlier this year, this wine was a standout. At the time I declared it a legend in the making. My position hasn’t changed. Blue fruits, blueberries and plums, some sweetened espresso, bitter chocolate and baking spices. Effortless flow, high-def tannins. A true great."  Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australian - 98 points

"The magnificent, cool 2021 season plays to the natural, effortless elegance of St Henri. Blueberry and blackberry fruit are the eloquent themes, uniting supple expression with the fine-boned confidence of cool nights. The result plays fine-grained tannins impeccably amidst bright acidity, serving to set a style sure to evolve in slow motion for many decades to come. Exceptional line and length set apart one of the great St Henris of the modern era. Drink: 2031-2051."  Tyson Stelzer - 97 points

"This joins vintages like 2010, 2016 and 2018 as one of the truly great St Henri’s. 100% Shiraz from McLaren Vale and the Barossa, the wine spent twelve months maturing in large seasoned oak vats, but as invariably happens with St Henri, the influence of oak is insignificant. The colour here is an intense dark purple, and the wine is wonderfully aromatic. We have notes of florals, cassis, violets, plums, bergamot and chocolate. A wine of focus and energy, and there are already hints of complexity – expect that to increase with time. There is impressive structure here too, excellent length and a finish of the silkiest of tannins. With time in the glass, the palate sees the emergence of espresso notes. A wine that lingers with intensity, this is a brilliant St Henri, which will surely age and improve over the next fifteen to twenty five years. A very special wine."  Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot - 97 points

"I recently tasted a vertical of St Henri from 1958 through to this 2021, and just behind the 1962 and 2010, the 2021 was among the top five best St Henri's ever made. The 2021 St Henri Shiraz has succulence and balance, and it is fresh and unencumbered by heavy oak characters via the adherence to large-format, seasoned oak and the blessing of the season. The tannic density and weight of the wine comes from the fruit rather than the vessel, and this will hold it is great stead over the decades to come. This was sourced from Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. 2021 was a lovely season in South Australia; the lead-in was wet from August onward, replenishing the arid ground from the past three vintages of drought. The season was long and warm but rarely, if ever, hot, with well-timed rain events that allowed producers, for the most part, to avoid viticultural pressure. Having explained this, I have found many of the reds from 2021 to be really quite ripe—it seems to me that many people had the opportunity to leave fruit on the vine, and many did. This feels to buck that trend. Excellent. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. Drink: 2024-2046."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 97 points 

"I can't remember seeing a better looking young St Henri. With 70-odd vintages under its belt, it is a style that resonates with me personally with its emphasis on large oak vats for maturation and the pristine flow of fruit. The 2021 vintage was a strong one and the fruit really shines – plum, blue and black fruits, cut with gentle spice, olive paste, violets, pomegranate molasses, chocolate and ironstone. It's a calm wine, the fruit flowing like a rolling swell over the palate, fine, powdery tannins providing form, finishing savoury and with impeccable balance and length of flavour. Drink by 2050."  Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion - 97 points

"Blackberries and dark chocolate with some toasted nuts, oak and graphite give this very enticing aromas that follow through to a medium body with a solid core of fruit and fine tannins that spread across the palate. Extremely well crafted overall and easy to drink young. Drink or hold."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 96 points

"Deep crimson. A wealth of aromatic aromas unfold, Aussie bush scents, bramble, aniseed amid a flurry of earthy black berries and mulberry with an almost cherry liqueur touch of savouriness. No Clare Valley input this year, it remains a showcase of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale Shiraz fruit opulence and quiet power. Plush and richly flavoured à la the St. Henri way, seamless, too, reflecting a great year as it opens in concentrated dark plum and blackberry sweet fruits, well spiced in dark chocolate, spearmint and aniseed notes. The usual regime applies, 12 months in large seasoned oak, which connects everything with an easy grace. Chalky firm tannins are noted, something for future ageing. Remains essentially the St. Henri of old which allows classy fruit to shine without too many other distractions. Friendly, yes, but also sophisticated."  Jeni Port, Wine Pilot – 95 points 

"Beautiful fruit. Plums, raspberries and soy, integrated fragrant herbs and whispers of vanilla cream. There’s no lack of richness but it feels at peace with the world, calm and mellifluous. Raspberry notes push through as the wine breathes, and tannin is finely etched. St Henri be what St Henri does. This release will not blow anyone away but it will charm the socks off most. It’s the heart of the Penfolds range. Drink: 2027 - 2039+."  Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front - 95 points

David Sly, Decanter - 95 points

"Ultra-spicy and with a lovely fresh green peppercorn note. Dark berry and stone fruit. Eucalyptus. Menthol. Wild herbs. Hoisin. Liquorice. There’s a lovely tactile sense of tannic grip and then a release of sapid, juicy fruit. Then it grips again as the fine-grained but considerable tannins build once more. Impressively structured. Very long. Made to go the distance."  Colin Hay, The Drinks Business - 95 points

About st henri

The first vintage of St Henri – then Auldana Cellars St Henri Claret – was produced in 1888, beginning one of the most famous and enduring names in Australian wine. It was likely named after Auldana's winemaker Léon Edmond Mazure's son Henri or his wife, Philomine Henriette. The wine immediately enjoyed success, winning the Championship Cup for Best Claret in Australia at the Adelaide Wine Show in 1890 and then again as a joint winner in 1891. The St Henri label disappeared somewhere around the beginning of World War 1, probably because of reduced export sales. It was revived by Senior Red Winemaker John Davoren at Penfolds in 1953 to celebrate the centenary of Auldana Cellars (established by Patrick Auld in 1853) but the wine was not widely released. The 1953 release was made from Auldana and Paracombe fruit and the label design was based on original St Henri labels found in a loft at Auldana Cellars shortly after its sale to Penfolds in 1947.

According to retired Penfolds Senior Winemaker John Bird, the first vintages of St Henri were cabernet sauvignon and mataro blends. The fruit was foot stomped in open-ended hogsheads during vinification. After fermentation, the wine was matured in oak vats rather than hogsheads for around 18 months. John Davoren's aim was to make a wine in the traditional Claret style, accentuating fruit and maturation characters, rather than oak complexity. In this way the winemaking style differs to Grange, as it relies on larger seasoned oak vessels without any barrel fermentation. The 1957 vintage is officially recognised as the first St Henri commercial release under the Penfolds name. Nonetheless, John Davoren describes all of the 1950s vintages as “trials”. These experimental wines from 1953 to 1959 mark an important step forward for winemaking in Australia. Not only does St Henri honour the late 19th-century aspirations of Auldana's proprietor Sir Josiah Symon and winemaker Léon Edmond Mazure, but witho

s of Australia 2022 - James Sucklingut the professional rivalry between Max Schubert and John Davoren, the Grange story would not have the same richness or romance. Initially St Henri achieved greater commercial success than Grange, although both were offered to the public as Claret styles. St Henri was a more elegant, approachable and familiar style because it reflected traditional winemaking techniques, whereas the revolutionary Grange was something of a blockbuster with more richness and fullness.

Today Penfolds St Henri is a multi-regional multi-vineyard South Australian blend, primarily based on shiraz, although it still honours the original style. Significant contrbutions of shiraz come from Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Robe and Bordertown; cabernet sauvignon from Coonawarra, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. After vinification the wine is matured in seasoned large oak vats for around 15 to 18 months before bottling. 

St Henri was labelled 'Claret' until the 1989 vintage. Packaged in laser-etched bottles
since the 1996 vintage. Released in many markets under screwcap since 2005. St Henri Shiraz possesses a unique stature in the story of Australian wine. With its proven style and aging potential, it is a favourite among Penfold's collectors. 

Extract from Penfolds Rewards of Patience tasting panel 2021

After the success of early sherries and fortified wines, founders Dr Christopher and Mary Penfold planted the vine cuttings they had carried on their voyage over to Australia. In 1844 the fledging vineyard was officially established as the Penfolds wine company at Magill Estate.

As the company grew, so too did Dr Penfold's medical reputation, leaving much of the running of the winery to Mary Penfold. Early forays into Clarets and Rieslings proved increasingly popular, and on Christopher's death in 1870, Mary assumed total responsibility for the winery. Mary's reign at the helm of Penfolds saw years of determination and endeavour.

By the time Mary Penfold retired in 1884 (ceding management to her daughter, Georgina) Penfolds was producing 1/3 of all South Australia's wine. She'd set an agenda that continues today, experimenting with new methods in wine production. By Mary's death in 1896, the Penfolds legacy was well on its way to fruition. By 1907, Penfolds had become South Australia's largest winery.

In 1948, history was made again as Max Schubert became the company's first Chief Winemaker. A loyal company man and true innovator, Schubert would propel Penfolds onto the global stage with his experimentation of long-lasting wines - the creation of Penfolds Grange in the 1950s.

In 1959 (while Schubert was perfecting his Grange experiment in secret), the tradition of ‘bin wines' began. The first, a Shiraz wine with the grapes of the company's own Barossa Valley vineyards was simply named after the storage area of the cellars where it is aged. And so Kalimna Bin 28 becomes the first official Penfolds Bin number wine.

In 1960, the Penfolds board instructed Max Schubert to officially re-start production on Grange. His determination and the quality of the aged wine had won them over.

Soon, the medals began flowing and Grange quickly became one of the most revered wines around the world. In 1988 Schubert was named Decanter Magazine's Man of the Year, and on the 50th anniversary of its birth, Penfolds Grange was given a heritage listing in South Australia.

Despite great success, Penfolds never rests on its laurels. In 2012 Penfolds released its most innovative project to date - 12 handcrafted ampoules of the rare 2004 Kalimna Block Cabernet Sauvignon.

Two years later, Penfolds celebrated the 170th anniversary – having just picked up a perfect score of 100 for the 2008 Grange in two of the world's most influential wine magazines. Today, Penfolds continues to hold dear the philosophies and legends – ‘1844 to evermore!'.