22 February 2006, Tony Harper, Brisbane News
FRUITS OF EDEN
This year heralds a new release of Henschke's outstanding reds but don't forget the whites.
The new releases from Henschke arrived on my doorstep glistening in their black and silver livery - it seemed almost criminal to open them. The reds in particular are treasures to be cellared, not squandered on a one-man tasting in the sterile confines of my office.
But curiosity and a nagging desire to do the right thing had me reaching for a glass and a corkscrew to report on the contents. It would be easy to gloss over the whites and jump straight into the big reds but I'd hazard a guess that if Prue and Stephen Henschke weren't so famed for Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, they would be renowned as white wine producers.
This year's release includes two Eden Valley rieslings: the 2005 Julius, a tightly focused, intense expression of lime essence and mineral, and the 2005 Peggy's Hill, a new label sourced from a selection of Eden Valley growers. As with most of this country's rieslings, they are seriously underpriced.
I know sauvignon blanc is fashionable, and semillon is not, but I'll gloss over the pristine 2005 Lenswood Coralinga Sauvignon Blanc and the slightly more chunky 2004 Eden Valley Sauvignon Blanc Semillon to get to the 2005 Henschke Louis Eden Valley Semillon. What a beautiful wine. Even tasting it at 20C+ it was a delight - grassy, fresh and seriously intense. It is a wine for the cellar (10 years should be no problem) but it is delicious right now.
When it comes to Aussie pinot gris I'm less excitable. With the exception of T'Gallant, few (if any) producers seem capable of getting true varietal character and richness in their wines, and I am perplexed as to how such innocuous white wines have become so popular.
The 2005 Littlehampton Innes Vineyard is the exception that proves the rule. It could be from Alsace, so clear is the gris character, with that lovely muddle of soft fruits, mineral and spice. Drink it - don't keep it.
The 2004 Lenswood Croft Chardonnay is touted by the Henschkes as the best to date and it is pretty good with bright fruit characters that shout Adelaide Hills, and some fairly subtle barrel ferment and lees characteristics.
Predictably, however, it's when tasting the reds that the superlatives start to flow. So, let's take it from the top. Henschke Hill of Grace 2001* is stellar. Gone is the brettanomyces that has plagued some previous vintages.
It has a fabulous array of aromas including eucalypt, liqueur cherry, mocha and earth, and the palate is brooding and multi-layered. It has an intensity that can only be explained by low yields and those old, old vines. The wine has soaked up new oak (both French and American). Hill of Grace has a character that is as unique to it as Grange character is to Grange - I really like it. This is the best Australian red I've tasted that is on the market today.
The 2003 Mount Edelstone* is the product of a more difficult year but it doesn't show in the wine. Deep, rich and with a family resemblance to Hill of Grace, it is a tad more svelte and modern. It's bottled under Stelvin which is policy for all Henschke wines from 2002 onward.
The 2002 vintage was a cracker in South Australia, and the 2002 Cyril Henschke* is a top-notch wine. Again there is a character that belongs to the Henschke family of Eden Valley reds, and it supersedes the shift in variety (Cyril is cabernet sauvignon-dominant with a splash of cabernet franc and merlot). It is an intense wine - rich and plush - with that lick of eucalypt common to the family but a finer, more structured finish and a note of crème de cassis.
This release features the introduction of a new shiraz to the Henschke range: the 2002 Tappa Pass Shiraz* from the Barossa Valley. At $55, it is a good way to try a Henschke shiraz for a fraction of the cost of Hill of Grace ($450), or even Mount Edelstone ($95).
Despite its origins in the warmer Barossa vineyards, it again has a distinctly Henschke character. It's not quite as seamless as its big brothers, with the alcohol jarring just a little, but it is rich, luscious, complex and worth every cent.
I don't have enough space to appraise all of the wines but also available are 2002 Keyneton Estate Euphonium (cabernet merlot, $45), 2004 Johann's Garden Grenache ($36), 2004 Henry's Seven (shiraz, grenache, mataro, viognier, $30), a fabulous 2001 Abbotts Prayer Merlot ($70), and the 2004 Lenswood Giles Pinot Noir ($45).
* Denotes wines available from Wednesday, March 1.