PENFOLDS ST HENRI SHIRAZ 2022

Winery notes (2022 Vintage)
"St Henri is a distinguished and time-honoured expression within the Penfolds collection. First released in the 1950s, it is an enduring counterpoint to Grange, a Shiraz matured in seasoned vats to allow fruit purity and structure to take centre stage. A wine that proudly defies trends, it is grounded in tradition with a steadfast style upheld by generations of craftsmanship.

The 2022 is instantly recognisable as St Henri, a classic vintage that delivers in youth but promises to reward patience over the next two to three decades. Richly layered and fruit-forward, plush, and quietly powerful.

"Instantly, recognisable as St Henri. The absence of new oak is a defining feature, a gentle swirl brings forth a pure expression of Shiraz. A joyous and ethereal fruit lift… First, raspberries, freeze dried and dusted over coconut sponge. A scoop of wild berry gelato provides another layer of complexity. Closer inspection reveals scents of freshly-roasted coffee beans and cinnamon tea cake. With a little air, savoury notes emerge. Carpaccio-like freshness, replete with marinated olives, peppers, and brine.

The wine has a real presence, weighty yet buoyant. It has stature and confidence. There is a complex assortment of flavours vying for attention. Hazelnuts, macadamia, white chocolate, and Dutch liquorice are first noted. There is a lovely fruit saturation, reminiscent of Kir Royale cocktail, summer berry pudding, and melted chocolate. The tannins are ripe, fully integrated, and effortlessly anchor the fruit. A classic St Henri that delivers in the full flush of youth but promises so much more for those inclined to cellar this wine for a few decades."

19/20 Matthew Jukes (2022 Vintage)
"This is an utterly mesmerising St. Henri. It is complete, thrillingly balanced and sumptuously rewarding. It might be the most immediately enjoyable St. Henri of all time! Rich, dark, mellow and superbly well-appointed, this is a crowd-pleaser with little visible astringency or muscle. Instead, this mille-feuille of red, blue, black and purple fruit is sensational, and it will enchant all-comers with its epic allure and precociousness. While we can dive into this pool now, the engine, which purrs away in the core, will keep this wine ticking over for at least three decades."

97/100 Tyson Stelzer (2022 Vintage)
"There is an immediate allure to St Henri 2022, announced with the signature gloss and grace that is uniquely St Henri on a bouquet of magnificent black fruits of all kinds, violets and dark chocolate that speaks more of place than of method. There is a harmony and composure to this blend that speak of a temperate season in the Barossa and mild in McLaren Vale, producing moderate crops of natural balance. I love the expansive mood of large vessel maturation, setting a transparency, detail and harmony of effortless flow. Firm, fine tannins carry a long and graceful finish. One of the greats. Drink: 2042-2057."

96+/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, Wine Advocate, July 2025 (2022 Vintage)
"The 2022 St Henri Shiraz is a magnificent wine, which ages with grace and detail for many, many decades. Looking at this as a young wine, it shows exuberant fruit power, powerful structure and a cacophony of spices. However, with age, these wines become graceful and almost ethereal. In a recent tasting of 40 vintages of St Henri going back to 1958, the wine revealed itself to be one of patience, detail and elegance. The highlights undoubtedly were 1962, 1971, 1986, 1991 and 2010. These were wines for the ages, and this 2022 will be. The fruit is from Barossa Valley (39%), McLaren Vale (31%) and the balance from Padthaway, matured for 14 months in large, seasoned vats."

96/100 Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, July 2025 (2022 Vintage)
"Long chains of spicy tannin. This is an interesting St Henri Shiraz and an excellent one. The fruit itself has a depth to it – we’re into red licorice, blueberry, ripe plums and kirsch – all of which is overlaid with near-exaggerated swirls of roasted spices, nuts, orange peel and leather. Length here is excellent, character clear. This is a fantastic St Henri."

17+/20 JancisRobinson.com, July 2025 (2022 Vintage)
"Very concentrated blackish purple. Smells approachable! Very ripe, sappy fruit. Not much persistence but winning fruit initially with a lightly salty note and a rather sudden, slightly drying finish but I suspect it will age well and can already give pleasure."