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The story really is one of success from beginning to end. Each generation
of the Henschke family has built upon the success of the previous
generation, each generation continues the philosophy of its forefathers
and each generation strives for excellence. It is hardly surprising,
therefore, that we are not only talking about an award winning winery,
but a winery that now not only makes several of the worlds truly ‘iconic’
wines, but also produces some of the world’s finest wines across the
board.
THE WINES
As with the Henschke history and heritage, I could not even start to
scratch the surface and talk about the Henschke range of wines in
this article. While they are perhaps most famous for its Hill of Grace
and Mount Edelstone, their range and portfolio is as extensive as it is
impressive. For now, I have picked out five of my favourites:
Mount Edelstone Shiraz
The Mount Edelstone vineyard, situated in the Eden Valley, was
planted to shiraz over 100 years ago in 1912. The wine was first bottled
as a single-vineyard wine in 1952, when the winery was under the
custodianship of Cyril Henschke who was one of the first winemakers to
produce single-vineyard wines from Eden Valley. It is now undeniably
one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines (and there is a lot of competition
here). It is made from 100% shiraz grapes. I, personally, love this wine.
It is a wine that would almost certainly come in my top ten wines of all
time. There is wonderful depth of colour, concentration of flavour, silky
tannins and beautiful balance in this wine. I am currently still enjoying
the 2005 vintage of this great wine – ripe blackcurrants, blackberries,
black cherry, blueberries, a bit of herb, a touch of spice/ pepper, great
finesse and elegance. Awesome wine. Often now in the region of £120/
£125 a bottle, depending on vintage and availability. Special wine for a
special occasion.
Cyril Henschke
Here we move away from shiraz and to cabernet sauvignon (actually
a blend with cabernet sauvignon dominating, normally with smaller
quantities of cabernet franc and/ or merlot added, depending on the
vintage). As a tribute this cabernet sauvignon label carries the name
Cyril Henschke who planted cabernet sauvignon at Eden Valley in
the 1960s. Deep crimson, red hues, blackcurrant, violets, mint, cassis,
spice, herbs, a touch of cigar box, tobacco and, with age, balanced
dusty tannins. This is a classy, silky, wine with great aging potential. I
am actually still enjoying the early 2000 vintages of this wine. Again,
depending on vintage and availability, we are in the £85/ £90 a bottle
region here.
Henschke Euphonium Keyneton Estate
This is a beautiful blend of old vine shiraz from the Eden and Barossa
Valleys, with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc from
selected vineyards in both regions. The name Euphonium comes
from the fact that the Barossa hills village of Keyneton has a musical
history and was home to both the Henschke Family Brass Band and the
Henschke winery. Again, a dark crimson wine, redcurrants, blueberries,
plums, cassis, cedar, spice, herbal nuances. With a nose of dark forest
fruits this is a lush, elegant, wine with well-integrated and velvety
tannins. Depending on the vintage, normally in the £35 - £40 a bottle
range.
Julius Riesling
Made from 100% riesling grapes we find a green, almost gold/ straw
coloured wine. Named after an ancestor, Julius Henschke (an artist
and sculptor), this lovely riesling has a lovely fragrant nose, wonderful
minerality, citrus (particularly lime) to the fore and great depth. The
wine has great balance and a crisp and lasting finish. It is, yet again, a
tremendous wine that will, again depending on vintage and availability
set you back somewhere in the region of £25 a bottle.
Tilly’s Vineyard Dry White
This is an aromatic blend and is named as a tribute to Stephen’s great-
aunt Ottilie Mathilde ‘Tilly’ Henschke. The predominant grape is
Semillon and, depending on the vintage, is blended with various
quantities of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot gris and even riesling
and the very occasional splash of gewürztraminer. It is fragrant, fresh,
pale in colour, with lovely fruit notes (think gooseberry, grapefruit,
peach, lemon, melon). The sauvignon blanc in the blend gives the wine
some lovely grassy notes too. Normally around the £15/16 a bottle mark
– great in the middle of summer whilst you are waiting for the charcoal
on your barbeque to get up to temperature!
The valediction
I appreciate, as I say farewell in this month’s article, that I have not
referred in my list of five wines to Henschke’s ‘Hill of Grace’. It is an
utterly outstanding and a truly an ‘iconic’ wine the world over and
currently, if you can get hold of it, can be found on sale for anywhere
up to £450 a bottle! That, however, tells its own story. You get in life
what you pay for! With all Henschke’s wines you get what you pay for –
quality and a world renowned brand.
I guess when we talk about watches people refer to the likes of Rolex,
Hublot, Patek Philippe and Breitling. When we talk about cars people
refer to the likes of Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Bugatti and Aston Martin.
When people talk about shoes, then the likes of Stuart Weitzman,
Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Alexander McQueen pop up
in conversation. When we talk about fine wine – the name Henschke is
very definitely on the same sort of list.
It is hardly surprising that Henschke has won many prestigious awards
and accolades over many years. It is testament to a family that has
pushed the boundaries of fine wine making for some 150 years now
– and with no end in sight. With the fifth and sixth generation of the
same family at the helm the story, the history and the fine wine will,
thankfully, continue.
If you want to learn more about the wonderful Henschke history and
its wonderful wines, visit their equally impressive website at www.
henschke.com.au. The bottom line can simply be stated. Henschke
is wine royalty!
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