#3. Henschke - The 2019 Release!
Allocation photo from 2022 -
this year (2024) because of low yields, we received 1/8 of the usual henschke order.
Despite miniscule yields, 2019 was a high-quality vintage with beautiful expressions of varietal character, good structure and excellent flavour intensity. - Henschke
The Vintage Report
Vintage 2019 shaped up to be a challenging one, with below-average yields, however the quality was very high, with beautiful expressions of varietal character and generally good balance and structure. The hand-picked fruit that arrived at the winery in the cool of the morning was clean, with good concentrated flavours. A dry winter, spring and summer with warmer than average temperatures in January and February lead to the advancement of maturity of all grape varieties in the Eden Valley and an early onset of vintage. The later-ripening varieties, riesling and cabernet were standouts, however most varieties were of a very high standard, including shiraz despite miniscule yields. - Henschke
2019 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz - $925.00
19.5/20 Points, Jancis Robinson MW
"Richly shaded, lustrous garnet. Rich, camphor nose with many layers. Real sweetness, with saltiness, on palate entry and waves of subsequent impact on the palate that has one of the longest finishes one might encounter. This remarkably small crop, thanks to hail and extreme heat in summer, shows no sign of dried fruit. There is quite enough juice and interest right through the tasting experience. Amazingly, you could enjoy drinking this now, even though the Henschkes suggest a life of 30 years from 2019."
19.5/20 Points, Matthew Jukes
"A lot is going on here…waves of opulent fruit and near-silent elegance. Prue explained that she has worked extremely hard to build up the organic matter in the vineyard, which allows the vines to cope with warmer vintages as the soils retain a much cooler atmosphere…These myriad details all conspire to enable Hill of Grace to flourish in a challenging vintage like 2019, which is why this wine is so complete."
2019 Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz - $235.00
19/20 Points, Matthew Jukes
"This was a tiny harvest, showing the most remarkable herbal tones that sit aloft the fruit notes. Stephen Henschke talked of sage and pepper, and I found lavender, which is a rarity, as well as thyme and bergamot. This is a wonderfully composed and restrained wine with profound elegance and charm, and it seems remarkably rewarding at such a young age…I like the tension here, and with the haunting perfume and deliberate delivery of fruit, this will be a superb Mount Edelstone in time. Please be patient because while it seeks to impress now and certainly looks enchanting, there is a lot more to come when its shoulders drop and it acclimatises to its surroundings.”
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Deep, dark dense red-black-purple colours in the glass, the bouquet evokes dried herbs, hot days under a eucalypt forest canopy, complete with underbrush. Very full-bodied, solidly structured and profoundly flavoured, with masses of drying/savoury tannins that persist long after the wine has gone. Earthy and dried spice aromas of nutmeg, clove, pepper and more, the intensity and refined focus of the wine are impressive as is the almost endless finish. A top example of this wine."
2019 Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon - $160.00
97 Points, Dave Brookes, Halliday's Wine Companion
2019 was a fine year for cabernet sauvignon in the Eden Valley. And indeed, from this low-yielding vintage the wine is 100% cabernet sauvignon matured for 18 months in French oak hogsheads (32% new). As is to be expected, it is a graceful wine with poised cassis tones and hints of flowering herbs, cedar, sage, fine spice, some distant spearmint, bay leaf and black olive. There is a touch of morello cherry as the wine fades with lovely fine-grained savoury tannin grip and a tail of spice and elegant black and red fruits.
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Deep-ish red tinged with purple, the bouquet loaded with green-bean/fresh-herb and berry varietal fruit, seamlessly entwined with cedary oak, the fruit evoking mulberry, raspberry and cassis while the palate is elegantly shaped and refined in texture, with fine grained powdery tannins providing a subtle backdrop of structure. A very elegant and complex cabernet of charm and beauty.
2019 Henschke The Wheelwright Shiraz - $145.00
97 Points, James Halliday, The Weekend Australian
“A particularly generous and forthcoming wine, with blackberry and plum driving the immediate response, the luscious bouquet quickly followed by the intense palate before a second response of elegance and finesse flows from wonderfully crafted tannins.”
2008 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz (Museum Release) - $999.00
99 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Feb 2024)
"Very deep, concentrated brick-red colour of appropriate maturity, the bouquet dominated by earthy/forest-floor savoury tertiary aromas with old leather armchairs, terracotta and dried porcini mushroom aromas to the fore. A subtle trace of licorice. Sumptuous palate flavour, with masses of tannin but also a core of sweet fruit endures. The finish is energetic and driving, the aftertaste lingers on for an eternity. A majestic mature shiraz in the prime of lts life. A great wine!"
97 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate (April 2024)
"The 2008 is just looking so svelte and fine. The wine is elegant and spicy and super fine, and it leads with fresh leather and star anise, bay leaf, tobacco, curry leaf, cocoa and peppercorns that all twist and swirl through the bouquet. In the mouth, the tannins have evolved to a state of pure repose—seamless and fine, they flow and carry the Satsuma plum fruit along with it. This 2008 makes a very strong case for cellaring your wine for some time prior to drinking it. If you have the means, I would recommend buying some of this vintage (maybe solo, maybe with friends) and drinking a bottle. Experience the evolution of tannin and fruit. It's a wonder. It's a lovely wine, re-released into the wild. Lucky us. This has decades to go."
2013 Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz (Museum Release) - $275.00
97 Points, Tyson Stelzer, Wine Business Magazine
“The 61st vintage from these 101 year old vines was long one of my favourite Mount Edelstones and it's exciting to see it rereleased for a rousing encore from a pallet or two held back from this long-enduring season! Another six years in the Henschke cellars have slowly elevated is savoury, spicy and dark chocolate complexity, without diminishing its bountiful core of dark berry fruits of all kinds. Fine tannin confidence promises many more years of potential still. A glorious Mount Edelstone!”
96 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Feb 2024)
"Deep ruby/brick-red colour, the bouquet evoking smoked meats, dusty terracotta earth and roasting pan aromas, with savoury/oaky overtones. In the mouth it’s full-bodied and again very dry, savoury and layered with terracotta, bresaola, seed spices and dried herbs galore. Tannins are supple and abundant, still providing a good backbone but mellowing out nicely. It's in a good place right now but has plenty of time left."
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