Henschke 'Mount Edelstone' Eden Valley Shiraz 2015/16
The Henschke 16 hectare 'Mount Edelstone' vineyard, situated at 400 metres above sea level 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, only Shiraz was planted. Now on its 64th release, Mount Edelstone is the longest continuously produced single-vineyard Shiraz in Australia. The ancient 500-million-year-old soils are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from over 100 year-old dry-farmed, ungrafted centenarian vines. Organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard are supported with under-vine mulching and permanent cover crops. Shiraz grapes from the 104-year-old vines were hand harvested in the cool of the morning. Individual blocks of this single vineyard were picked separately and remained so throughout the vinification process until the final blend was made. Once in the winery, the grapes were de-stemmed and lightly crushed into small, concrete, open-top fermenters. The fermentations were controlled with pump-overs being performed twice daily. After 7-10 days and just prior to reaching dryness, the fermentations were gently pressed to barrel with the primary fermentation finishing in 80% French and 20% American oak (19% new and 81% seasoned) hogshead barrels. The wine was aged in barrel for 18 months before blending and bottling. It was then aged for a further three years in bottle prior to its release. Deep crimson in colour Mount Edelstone Shiraz displays fragrant, spicy aromas of black pepper, sage, bay leaf and star anise that are interwoven with vibrant plum, blackberry and blueberry, and gentle notes of tarragon and cedar. The palate is complex and textured with rich and concentrated flavours of mulberry, blackberry and plum, layered with sage, black pepper and star anise. The finish is beautifully balanced, with long, velvety tannins and excellent depth.
