Ranked #52 of 192 2011 Shiraz from South Australia
91/100
4 Stars
Huon Hooke
Deep-ish red with a good purple rim; the bouquet is complex and mellow, showing some early development in an earthy, toasty, cigarboxy way. Meaty charcuterie notes; almost a suggestion of animal. The palate is smooth and full-bodied, with texture and grip. Any suggestion of a light, effete wine from the '11 vintage is thoroughly disproved. The tannins are borderline bitter, and it still needs time - although it seems a fairly forward vintage of this wine.
Tasted: 23/09/2014
Drink: N/A
90.5 Points Robert Parker
Made with fruit sourced from McLaren Vale, Barossa and Adelaide Hills and aged 12 months in large, old oak barrels, the deep garnet-purple colored 2011 St. Henri Shiraz puts forward quite a peppery, meaty and earthy nose enveloping a good core of fresh cassis, mulberries and warm plums plus a touch of cinnamon. A little earthy, lean and woody in the mouth and framed by medium levels of chewy tannin, it is still tight though finishes long. This was a tough vintage compared to 2010 and it shows in this wine.
Source: Robert Parker (eRobertParker.com) by Lisa Perrotti-Brown. January, 2014
89 Points James Halliday
This vintage is 100% shiraz sourced from McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. It spends 12 months in large oak vats, more than 50 years old, and in every way is the odd man out in the Penfolds scheme of things. Having lost its way for a while, vintages over the last decade or more have taken the wine to another level, but not this year. Green olive, herb and pepper aromas lead into an elegant, light to medium-bodied red wine. Drink to 2021.
-. July, 2021