Penfolds : Saint Henri Shiraz 2020

Routinely my favorite red cuvée in the Penfolds Collection (matured in large-format seasoned French oak), there is always a freshness and suppleness to the fruit that is most elegant in the glass. Here, the 2020 St Henri Shiraz shows the warm, low-yielding season from which it came in the spread of roasted beetroot, red fruits and meaty notes on the mid-palate. A chunky, savory iteration of this wine, the tannins are grippy and full in the mouth. You get aniseed and clove through the finish. 14.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Always the most unique, savoury and graceful red in the Penfolds stable, beloved for the fact it does not see any new oak (just 12 months in large, seasoned vats) and thereby emphasises the unadulterated purity of South Australian Shiraz. And the dry, low-yielding 2020 vintage has delivered an already approachable St Henri whose score may well improve with further maturation (in the meantime I wait with rapt anticipation for the 2021…). More McLaren Vale fruit joins the Barossa and Clare parcels this vintage thanks to late summer rain, and the result is a textured, mineral, fresh-fruited profile that conjures up rhubarb, cherries and wild strawberries along with seaweed, curry spices and polished leather enveloped in dusty, textured tannins. Released at £96.

Dense, dank and brooding. A very warm vintage, serving an incantation of licorice strap, clove, camphor, dried nori and a spicy backdrop to a flood of dark, saturated fruits. Often the cuvée that I prefer most, however the tannins in this instance are more four-square, burlier, thick grape-skin gritty and less resolved than usual. A bit drying. The oak, classy and firm, compressing and directing. Best after 2028.

From vineyards in McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. South Australia experienced a second consecutive year of winter drought, followed by a cool and dry spring delaying flowering and fruit set. Root-zone moisture levels were well below average making irrigation vital. The beginning of summer was marked by a state-wide heatwave. Bunch weights and berry numbers were low and yields significantly below average across the three regions. Aged for 12 months in large, seasoned oak vats. TA 6.6 g/l, pH 3.62. Blackish purple. Lifted, somehow glossy fruit. Salty start and very polished, welcoming ripe fruit until a slightly dry-season chewy finish. Not as hot on the end as some wines in this collection. But I would wait a little while for more complexity to form. (JR)

The 2020 Shiraz St Henri lives up to its traditional claret billing: reserved, subtle and built to last. Excellent color to start, followed by a refined mix of cocoa, blackberry and black olive tapenade with a subtle dusting of old spice. It’s mid-weight, firm and stylish, with more gravel and graphite notes starting to emerge. The vintage’s firm tannins are well matched and draw out a lengthy finish. You can bank on this drinking well for a couple of decades.