Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz

Regarded as the best medium-sized red wine producer in Australia, Henschke has gone from strength over the past three decades under the guidance of winemaker  Stephen and viticulturist Prue Henschke. The red wines fully capitalise on the very old, low-yielding, high quality vines and are superbly made with sensitive but positive use of small new oak. Hill of Grace is second only to Penfold’s Grange as Australia’s red wine icon. A founding member of Australia’s First Family of Wine.

The Mount Edelstone vineyard, situated in the Eden Valley, was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas, who founded South Australia. Unusual for its time, it was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500 million-year-old soils on the vineyard are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from over 100 year-old dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. First bottled as a single-vineyard wine in 1952, it became recognised as one of the greatest shiraz wines in Australia. A very refined, sophisticated Shiraz, produced from 80 year old un-grafted, dry grown Shiraz. Matured for 21 months in American and French oak hogsheads. Very deep crimson colour with mauve edges. A superb nose – with great similarities to Cote Rotie. Powerful aroma of spice, leather, earth, ripe plums, vanilla and confectionery followed by end notes of violets and liquorice. Mouthfilling palate flavours, dominated by liquorice, spice, ripe plum, leather, earth and truffle – concentrated and with great persistence. Velvet smooth tannins. Perfect balance. Exceptionally long aftertaste of earth, spice, plum and liquorice.