Penfolds St. Henri 2001

[brappy]

I've been lucky enough to taste several different vintages of the St. Henri. '62, '78, '90, '96, '98, '00, '01 are the vintages I've tried. All of these wines were tasted this past summer at the same time along with many other Penfolds wines including a '54 Grange Cabernet never released. I didn't take notes on every wine that day, but I do remember this:

The '00 and the '01 needed more time. They seemed to be just past there youthful stage and getting ready to sleep. The '01 actually seemed a bit green, but then again I'm sensitive to this. My guess is, with time, this characteristic will integrate into the wine and be less pronounced.

Of the '90s vintages, I enjoyed the '90 the most. Yet all were stellar wines.

The '78 was beyond its prime.

The '62 however was still showing youthful fruit. This was a real treat. It showed classic signs of age in the color. The rim was a burnt orange and the wine seems to have lost some of its hue. But the fruit was all there. Deeply baked cherries, dried currant, a touch of spice, and a bit of vanilla in the everlasting finish. What a beautiful wine!!! So yes, these wines age.

To top everything off, I tasted these wines with Peter Gago. His enthusiastic personality was a breath of fresh air. He's genuinely excited about making wine. I can only expect great things to come out of Penfolds for a long time to come.

As to the wines you have, I would date these for 2010 and 2015 for opening dates. If you get more of these, maybe 8 more, open one a year for the next ten years and don't forget to post your notes and experience with the wines.

As a side note, St. Henri used to be priced the same as Grange. Thank God that is no longer the case.

brap

Disclaimer: I don't work for, represent, sell, or have anything to do with Penfolds. I do, however, enjoy thier wine.

[This message has been edited by brappy (edited 11-13-2005).]