AUSTRALIA
SHIRAZ
94 Penfolds 2015 St. Henri Shiraz (South Australia). Aged for 12 months in over 50-year-old large wooden vats, St. Henri shows refreshing little oak when compared to some of the brand’s other premium reds. It’s still unmistakably Penfolds, though: rich and polished. The nose is a downright pretty mix of sun-ripened blueberries, mocha, violets, black olives and touches of fresh eucalyptus leaves and Middle Eastern spices. There’s power on the palate but elegance too. Silky with an even-handed grip of savory fine tannins, the fruit is ripe and plush and set up for aging. Drink now, with decanter and protein at hand, or cellar through 2029. Treasury Wine Estates. —C.P.
abv: 14.5% Price: $99
92 McGuigan 2016 Hand Made Batch No: 11 Shiraz (Langhorne Creek). For full review see page 130. Cellar Selection.
abv: 14% Price: $40
Descendant comes in at nearly half the price of Torbreck’s top wine, RunRig, and is actually a more characterful wine, full of earthy meaty funk that makes it less polished but overall more interesting than Runrig. Rich and extroverted, it leads with raspberry jam and roasted beet aromas along with spicy cedary oak, damp. —C.P.
