Henschke Mount Edelstone Eden Valley Shiraz 2021
Medium garnet with crimson hues. Intense and evocative aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, with lifted notes of sage, bay leaf, crushed flowering herbs, black pepper, anise and hints of cedar. The palate is rich and complex with well-defined blackberry, mulberry, red plum and black currant fruit, layered with sage, black pepper and bay leaf.
The 16 hectare Mount Edelstone vineyard, situated at 400 metres above sea level in the Eden Valley, was planted in1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas, who founded South Australia. Unusual for its time, only Shiraz was planted. Now on its 65th 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. Three quarters of the vines are trained on a Scott Henry trellis to increase sun exposure and promote earlier ripening; the remainder are on original two-wire trellises to allow a drooping canopy and reduce shoot vigour.
Shiraz grapes from the 105-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 destemmed and lightly crushed into small, concrete, open-top fermenters. A submerged cap was performed in order to manage a slow tannin extraction. 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 86% French and 14% American oak (26% new and 74% 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.
| RRP | £160.00 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14.5% |
| Country | Australia |
| Region | South Australia |
| Subregion | Eden Valley |
| Grapes | Shiraz 100% |
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Stelvin Lux |
| Winemaker | Stephen Henschke |
The Henschke family have made wine at their estate in the Eden Valley since 1868, with fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke taking over in 1979. Together with his viticulturist wife, Prue, they have built upon their inheritance, transforming this traditional producer into one that is celebrated worldwide. Their two flagship single vineyards wines, ‘Hill of Grace’ and ‘Mount Edelstone’, have become two of Australia’s most acclaimed.
Henschke own three vineyards in the Eden Valley and one in the Adelaide Hills, all of which are farmed in line with biodynamic principles. Prue’s pioneering work in the vineyard cannot be underestimated. Over the past 50 years she has worked tirelessly, vine by vine, to improve the health of the vineyards through meticulous soil management and reintroducing native plants to promote biodiversity.
In 2024 Prue became the inaugural inductee into the James Halliday Hall of Fame, the highest honour bestowed by Halliday Wine Companion: “Prue Henschke is someone who could easily have won Viticulturist of the Year, in any ‘competition’ around the world, every year. She could because every year she leaves her world that little bit healthier, and that little bit better. If the ‘Hill of Grace’ vineyard could talk, you’d reckon that it would thank the world and perhaps even the Lord for bestowing the force-of-nature that is Prue Henschke upon it.” In 2025, Stephen was honoured with the IMW’s Winemaker’s Winemaker Award which recognises outstanding winemaking achievement. Stephen was lauded as “a true custodian of Australia’s fine wine heritage and a pioneer in shaping its future.”
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