Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz 2016
- 98
- $225
- Drink by: 2021 - 2040
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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.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
