2002 Henry's Drive Reserve Shiraz

It is hard to imagine a wine delivering more bang for your buck than this wine. It is bigger and richer than the superb 2001, delivering more of everything, almost too much. If the 2002 Henry’s Drive Shiraz can be described as a ‘three course meal with cigar included’ then this wine takes on an added dimension – it’s a ‘five course banquet followed by cigar and cognac!’Totally opaque black crimson colour with deep black crimson hue. Intense nose with aroma of dark chocolate, violets, mocca, spiced plum, blackberry and vanilla emerging – a superb sniff! Explosive palate – flavours of mocca, spice, liquorice, plum, dark chocolate, toasted oak and black cherry smothered in an ‘oily viscous’ mouthfeel. Perfect balance, with velvet smooth tannins and exceptionally long aftertaste of mocca, black cherry, ripe plum, toasted oak and black pepper. As big, bold and beautiful as a red can get, however having said that this is not a wine for the uninitiated.
Extremely limited stocks.
Cellar 5-8 years (2008-2011)
Alc/Vol: 16.0%
RATING: 98/100
VALUE: XXXXX/5

Robert Parker's Review
The 2002 Shiraz Reserve tastes like a dry vintage port. It may be too much for those with a European palate (but then, I’m a Francophile with a European-styled palate and I loved it). It is flamboyant, extraordinarily rich, full-bodied, and intense, with gobs of blackberry and currant fruit backed up by extravagant levels of glycerin. The oak is largely concealed by the magnificent wealth of fruit. This is classic Australian Shiraz at its finest and is not duplicated anywhere else in the world, so enjoy it for what it is. It should drink well for a decade.
(Notes sourced from Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #155)
ROBERT PARKER'S RATING: 97 points