2016 Penfolds, St. Henri Shiraz, South Australia

This is a much anticipated vintage for St. Henri, and it does not disappoint. The complexity of fruit here is stunning, together with a very complex and playfully fragrant, spicy edge with graphite, roasted coffee and woody spices, framing a core of very fresh blackberries, red and dark cherries and blueberries. So fresh and brimming with fruit aromas. The palate has a stunning array of deeply fleshy fruit flavors with a superb sense of length and powerful, ripe tannin, underpinning vibrant, fleshy fruit that is beautifully assembled in a refined, elegant and impressively pure mode. So long and pure. Silky and elegant. A real masterpiece, taking its place among the finest vintages like 2010, 1990 and 1971. 95% shiraz and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Drink over the next three decades.

The St. Henri cuvée is always brought up all in neutral oak casks, and the 2016 is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with just 690 cases produced. This was a great vintage for South Australia, and this blockbuster sports a deep purple color as well as a dense, powerful, meaty bouquet of smoked black fruits, chocolate, bouquet garni, bay leaf, mint, and plenty of earthy minerality. Reminding me of an Hermitage from the likes of Delas Frères, it’s full-bodied and incredibly concentrated, with a stacked mid-palate and loads of ripe tannins. Backward and mostly potential at this point, it’s nevertheless a thrilling Shiraz readers should give 4-5 years of bottle age and it will knock your socks off over the coming two decades.

The 2016 St Henri Shiraz is one of the finest St Henris I've ever tasted, rivaling the likes of the 1986 or 1976. It's concentrated and rich, the essence of South Australia Shiraz (although it's been lightened by the addition of 5% Cabernet Sauvignon), unleavened by any new oak. Dark and tarry, it delivers notes of espresso and black olive, plummy fruit and roasted meat. Full-bodied and dense on the palate, it ends long, dark and savory.

Shows plenty of oomph and verve to the core of blackberry and blueberry flavors, with pops of minerally loam, licorice, black pepper and oolong tea. The tannins are fine-grained and dense, but this remains fresh overall, delivering vibrant juiciness that lends focus and energy to the long, expressive finish. MW

95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Magill Estate. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.72. 12 months in 50-plus-year-old large oak vats. Autumn and winter were dry and cool across South Australia. Below long-term average rainfall continued throughout spring and all through summer. The climactic conditions slightly delayed the start of the growing season in the Barossa Valley and other warmer regions. However, budburst, flowering, veraison and harvest were all earlier than is usually expected of Coonawarra. Warm conditions prevailed in the early part of the summer allowing vines to develop healthy canopies and good bunch set. Some late rain in January and early February was a welcome relief. Temperatures in spring and summer were above the long-term average, resulting in an early harvest for Shiraz. More than 80% of McLaren Vale had been harvested by mid March. Cool February conditions in the Adelaide Hills ensured ripening was steady and the slightly early start to vintage was a result of a mild and dry growing season. Grapes across all the main growing regions were able to ripen evenly. Dark crimson with black notes. Really lovely, thick but fresh ripeness. Glorious! Great. Dried grasses and freshness. Beautiful, composed stuff. Creamy texture. Luscious but not fat nor heavy. Just a little bit of chewy liquorice on the end. (JR)

95% Shiraz, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. From Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra. Aged for 12 months in old, large vats. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.72. Denser and more closed on the nose than the Bin 389. Lots of tar and liquorice, and plenty of heat too. There's an elemental, ferrous quality here, that bears strong comparison to Hermitage, although the primary fruit is still archetypical Australia. Still bound in hessian – those tannins will take years to soften. Magisterial! (RH)