Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2017

Henschke

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Tasting Notes
Dark and tarry on the nose, deep black fruit beneath. Heroic proportions. After eight hours, this is only just opening up, giving charred beef and leather as well as compressed herby notes. While it's a hedonistic pleasure to drink now, this will peak only after many years. 100% 105-year-old single-vineyard Shiraz. Matured in 26% new and 74% seasoned (86% French, 14% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. Score: 17+ Richard Hemming, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2022 - 2037 30 October 2022
Spicy, earthy and meaty with lots of dark fruit. Walnuts and mahogany, too. Full-bodied and juicy with lovely, decadent fruit. So juicy. Gorgeous shiraz. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap. Score: 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2022+ 03 October 2022
Hung deli meat, star anise and blackberry adorn the nose of the 2017 Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz. Discerning this is akin to peering over the counter at an Italian deli, with meat, cheeses and garlic hanging from the ceiling: it's enveloping and welcome. On the palate, the wine is bright and concentrated, with layers of salted blueberry, licorice and staunch (yet fine) tannins. It has flexibility and pliability, but it also has shape and form—all of it encased in a medium-bodied shell. It is savory and lean above all else, with bacon fat adorning all edges. The Henschkes are a sixth-generation family in the Eden Valley, Barossa. Husband and wife Stephen and Prue Henschke are the winemaker and viticulturist, respectively, and it is clear to see that a close life union plays out so eloquently in the wines. Each vintage, the wines take on characters distinct to the vintage, yet the vineyards manage to speak through both the maker and the seasons. A triumph of high quality, expressive, precise Australian winemaking. 2017 was a cool and reticent vintage, falling in line with other late-ripening vintages such as 2012, 2006 and 1992. In terms of fruit expression, I found these to be a true reflection of the reticent nature of the year in which they were grown. They were quiet and shy upon opening and took a day of air to reveal the nature that they possess. The Hill of Grace and the Mount Edelstone this year were lighter and littered with umami/savory deli meat/truffle/mushroom characters, more so than I can recall in previous vintages. The density of tannin that comes with the old-vine fruit ensures that the wine, particularly the Hill of Grace, retains its character and presence in challenging vintages. If ever there was any doubt about the power and resilience of old vines, one only must look to the Hill of Roses (Shiraz vines yet to come of age, within the Hill of Grace vineyard) to witness the inherently lighter frame and decidedly redder fruit profile. It's a masterful cut that Pru Henschke has made, a clear line in the sand, for now. Score: 95 Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022 - 2042 12 May 2022
Planted in 1912 and with an easterly aspect and lower altitude (400m) than The Wheelright, Prue Henschke describes this soil type in this historic vineyard as ‘a dream’. Sandy loam over gravelly red clay and, below, layers of micaceous schist equal the perfect Henschke soil sandwich! Prue recognises that these strata give her wines more vigour and more power, and I can echo these thoughts because this is one of the most expressive young Henschke wines I have seen. There is no doubt that the flavours and perfumes in the glass directly reflect this precise site; this is all you can ask of a great wine. The purity of the blackberry theme is sensational and while the French oak does what French oak always tries to do – add gravitas and detail – it is the 14% American oak from the Appalachian Mountains that adds style, richness, and a touch of glamour to proceedings. After all of the action, the finish is respectfully prim, and tart and I love it when wines finish correctly on the palate with a ‘proper full stop’. I am aware that I get rather over-excited about Mount Edelstone, and so I paid particular attention to how this wine opened up over the course of four days, and it simply unfurled an immense array of charm and intricacy that, on first tasting, was discreetly hidden behind panels of flavour. This is a thrillingly controlled wine with invigorating flavours, and it will make three decades in a good cellar. 19+/20. Drink 2025 – 2050. Score: 19 Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com Maturity: 2025 – 2050 28 March 2022
Kaleidoscopic, this glorious vintage is terroir translucent, transporting you to the vineyard with its signature aromas of dried sage, Eucalyptus olida (aka Strawberry Gum), wild mint, wattleseed, nutmeg and tinder. Soaring and super-expressive, these scents bring compelling dimension and meld exquisitely on the sweet, juicy plum and bramble palate, with its cocoa nib and earthy hints. Graceful, willowy tannins and mineral acidity make for a long, fluid, markedly perfumed finish. Irresistible already! Sarah Ahmed Score: 98 Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2022-2042 22 March 2022

Tasting Notes

Dark and tarry on the nose, deep black fruit beneath. Heroic proportions. After eight hours, this is only just opening up, giving charred beef and leather as well as compressed herby notes. While it's a hedonistic pleasure to drink now, this will peak only after many years. 100% 105-year-old single-vineyard Shiraz. Matured in 26% new and 74% seasoned (86% French, 14% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Score: 17+

Richard Hemming, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2022 - 2037 30 October 2022

Spicy, earthy and meaty with lots of dark fruit. Walnuts and mahogany, too. Full-bodied and juicy with lovely, decadent fruit. So juicy. Gorgeous shiraz. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Score: 96

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2022+ 03 October 2022

Hung deli meat, star anise and blackberry adorn the nose of the 2017 Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz. Discerning this is akin to peering over the counter at an Italian deli, with meat, cheeses and garlic hanging from the ceiling: it's enveloping and welcome. On the palate, the wine is bright and concentrated, with layers of salted blueberry, licorice and staunch (yet fine) tannins. It has flexibility and pliability, but it also has shape and form—all of it encased in a medium-bodied shell. It is savory and lean above all else, with bacon fat adorning all edges. The Henschkes are a sixth-generation family in the Eden Valley, Barossa. Husband and wife Stephen and Prue Henschke are the winemaker and viticulturist, respectively, and it is clear to see that a close life union plays out so eloquently in the wines. Each vintage, the wines take on characters distinct to the vintage, yet the vineyards manage to speak through both the maker and the seasons. A triumph of high quality, expressive, precise Australian winemaking. 2017 was a cool and reticent vintage, falling in line with other late-ripening vintages such as 2012, 2006 and 1992. In terms of fruit expression, I found these to be a true reflection of the reticent nature of the year in which they were grown. They were quiet and shy upon opening and took a day of air to reveal the nature that they possess. The Hill of Grace and the Mount Edelstone this year were lighter and littered with umami/savory deli meat/truffle/mushroom characters, more so than I can recall in previous vintages. The density of tannin that comes with the old-vine fruit ensures that the wine, particularly the Hill of Grace, retains its character and presence in challenging vintages. If ever there was any doubt about the power and resilience of old vines, one only must look to the Hill of Roses (Shiraz vines yet to come of age, within the Hill of Grace vineyard) to witness the inherently lighter frame and decidedly redder fruit profile. It's a masterful cut that Pru Henschke has made, a clear line in the sand, for now.

Score: 95

Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022 - 2042 12 May 2022

Planted in 1912 and with an easterly aspect and lower altitude (400m) than The Wheelright, Prue Henschke describes this soil type in this historic vineyard as ‘a dream’. Sandy loam over gravelly red clay and, below, layers of micaceous schist equal the perfect Henschke soil sandwich! Prue recognises that these strata give her wines more vigour and more power, and I can echo these thoughts because this is one of the most expressive young Henschke wines I have seen. There is no doubt that the flavours and perfumes in the glass directly reflect this precise site; this is all you can ask of a great wine. The purity of the blackberry theme is sensational and while the French oak does what French oak always tries to do – add gravitas and detail – it is the 14% American oak from the Appalachian Mountains that adds style, richness, and a touch of glamour to proceedings. After all of the action, the finish is respectfully prim, and tart and I love it when wines finish correctly on the palate with a ‘proper full stop’. I am aware that I get rather over-excited about Mount Edelstone, and so I paid particular attention to how this wine opened up over the course of four days, and it simply unfurled an immense array of charm and intricacy that, on first tasting, was discreetly hidden behind panels of flavour. This is a thrillingly controlled wine with invigorating flavours, and it will make three decades in a good cellar. 19+/20. Drink 2025 – 2050.

Score: 19

Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com Maturity: 2025 – 2050 28 March 2022

Kaleidoscopic, this glorious vintage is terroir translucent, transporting you to the vineyard with its signature aromas of dried sage, Eucalyptus olida (aka Strawberry Gum), wild mint, wattleseed, nutmeg and tinder. Soaring and super-expressive, these scents bring compelling dimension and meld exquisitely on the sweet, juicy plum and bramble palate, with its cocoa nib and earthy hints. Graceful, willowy tannins and mineral acidity make for a long, fluid, markedly perfumed finish. Irresistible already! Sarah Ahmed

Score: 98

Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2022-2042 22 March 2022

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