Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2016

A single vineyard shiraz from the Eden Valley, this is perhaps the Australian wine which has offered more vintages than any other. And yet it so often languishes in the shadow of Hill of Grace. It deserves so much better, especially when one sees what a stellar effort hails from this celebrated vintage. 

Blacks and purples. A glorious nose; soy, beefstock, leather, sarsaparilla, violets, black fruits, chocolate then black cherries, more chocolate and cassis. This is wonderfully complex with deep aromatics. The structure, complexity and length, let alone the array of flavours, suggest that this is a special wine. 

Beautifully integrated oak. Seamless. Concentrated and yet it dances. A magnificently elegant wine that is fragrant with terrific length and balance which has decades ahead of it supported by satiny tannins. For me, 98. 

Speaking to Stephen, he notes how good the 2015 was as a “classic” style, whereas the 2016 is from a warmer vintage and exhibiting more plushness. This is one of the very great Mt Edelstones.