There is an immediacy to the vibrant and ripe fruit core of 2008 St Henri that makes it particularly enticing. The finest vintage since 2005 may prove to rank among the greats, certainly for the enjoyment it affords in the medium-term, even if it doesn’t qualify among the longest-lived. Hints of soy and dark chocolate, balsamic and black olives linger with great presence and persistence. Tannins are admirably fine, yet in no way timid, providing great structural assuredness and textural definition. 91% shiraz and 9% cabernet from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Hills, Wrattonbully and Clare Valley, vinified exclusively in large 1500L vats more than fifty years of age.