Shiraz St. Henri Penfolds 2021

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 date:2024-2046. (Erin Larkin,Other,18 juillet 2024)