96 Points James Halliday | 13-Year-Old Penfolds Icon — The Anti-Grange, Now Drinking Magnificently

The 2012 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz is one of Australia's most celebrated and collected wines — a Penfolds icon that has long been the choice of serious collectors who appreciate finesse over force. Aged in 50+ year-old large casks rather than new oak, St Henri delivers Penfolds quality with a profoundly different stylistic stamp from Grange. The 2012 is now 13 years in bottle, drinking superbly at peak maturity.

My Wine Man on Penfolds

Penfolds is Australia's most iconic wine producer — a house whose history stretches back to 1844. St Henri is the thinking collector's Penfolds — multi-regional Shiraz blended with the same precision as Grange, but aged in ancient casks that impart virtually no oak flavour, allowing the fruit to speak unmediated.

Tasting Notes

Deep garnet with developing complexity. Dark cherry, blueberry, blackcurrant, dried herbs, leather, fenugreek and earth. The palate is medium to full-bodied with ripe, grainy tannins and a long, complex finish. 96 Points — James Halliday.

Style & Drinking Window

Medium to full-bodied with grainy tannins and exceptional length. Drinking magnificently now and through 2035. Decant 2 hours.

Food Pairing

A 96-point aged St Henri deserves a serious cut. We love it with Australian Grass-Fed Cape Grim Rib-Eye Steak from My Meat Man — dry-aged and char-grilled medium-rare with bone-marrow butter, a magnificent match for the 2012's dark cherry, leather and grainy mature tannins.