Henschke Wheelwright Shiraz 2015
A new wine from Henschke, and it looks right in the zone. Fruit is taken from a single vineyard in the Eden Valley with 50 year old vines that have always shown great promise. Aged in 20% new French oak; adding some complexity but letting the fruit shine through. Kaleidoscopic nose of red and black fruits, cedar, mocha, brown spice, sage, dark chocolate…. the list could go on for miles. Simultaneously firm and fine with concentrated plum and dark cherry alongside alluring high notes of violets and lifted red fruits. Tannins are fine and silky but very much present. Difficult to pick a drinking window as a new release but suffice to say I’d love to see a bottle in 2040. Very limited. Rob McLean, FWC.
Perfumed red of red berry fruits, fragrant pepper and sweet spice, whiffs of liquorice, milk chocolate. Lots going on in perfume. Slides through the palate in a seamless sluice of dark fruits, high toned spice, green herb. It’s a medium weight yet quietly powerful red here. Long in flavour, palate staining, but sleek in a way too. Muscle car with a high polish. A formidable release. 95 Points. Drink: 2018-2035+. Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
This is a beautiful inaugural release from the Henschke family. The wine is crafted from low yielding, ungrafted, biodynamically grown Shiraz planted in 1968 by Cyril Henschke, at 500m altitude (one of the highest vineyards in the Eden Valley). It is one of the cooler vineyards with more sand and sandstone bedrock. With dark plum, raspberry, soft brown spices plus a hint of sage and other crushed ripe herbs, it is a beautifully elegant, seamless, fine and velvety Shiraz. Absolutely classic Henschke with every component superbly integrated. More red – into blue – into blackfruits than other Henschke offerings. Mt Edelstone is certainly darker and more powerful. An outstanding wine that demands a spot in my cellar. Ian Cook, FWC.
Commemorates 150 years of family winemaking, crafted from 50 year old vines. It is a vibrantly fresh and aromatic wine, with elegance and finesse its cornerstones as it slips through the net of full-bodied Shiraz. Its fruit flavours are as much red as black, and you can sense the tannins but not actually taste them. Sheer beauty. 97 Points. Drink: to 2065. James Halliday Top 100, Weekend Australian November 2018.
