2004 Abbotts Prayer

Adelaide Hills

Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon

Medium garnet with brick red hues. Alluring aromas of baked plum, mulberry and bramble are interlaced with baking spice, dried herbs, liquorice and porcini mushroom. Rich, concentrated forest fruits unfold across the palate, wrapped in savoury spice, cedar and plum jam, with fine, rolling tannins building layers of texture and length.

$151.00
$151.00
Medium garnet with brick red hues. Alluring aromas of baked plum, mulberry and bramble are interlaced with baking spi...

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BACKGROUND

In 1981, fifth-generation winemaker Stephen and his viticulturist wife Prue selected Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills as a new vineyard site, reconnecting the Henschke family with its history in the nearby village of Lobethal, which translates to ‘Valley of Praise’ in German. The Henschke Lenswood property, originally in an area known as Abbotts Flat, was established as an apple orchard in the mid-1800s. The connection to the region dates back to 1842, when ancestor Johann Christian Henschke settled in Lobethal before establishing a farm in the Eden Valley. Abbotts Prayer weaves together the history, religion and farming heritage of Lenswood in the high country of the Adelaide Hills. At 550m, the slopes of the Lenswood Vineyard offer beautiful views, high rainfall and humidity at the right time of the year, cooler temperatures that retain natural acidity and enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Varieties: 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon

Harvest Date: 7 – 14 May

Alcohol: 14%

Vintage Rating: Excellent

Maturation: Matured in 74% new and 26% seasoned French oak hogsheads and barriques for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. Bottle aged in the Henschke cellar for museum release.

Drinking Window: Drink now to 2030+

VINTAGE

The 2013 harvest was expected to be early, with the Easter full moon very close to the autumn equinox, and budburst started early in spring 2012, with green shoots emerging in the first week of September. A cool and mild spring followed. A snow flurry in early October led into a mild November, with warm days and nights providing excellent conditions for flowering. Fruit set was excellent across all varieties. The remainder of spring was dry and frost-free, and as summer approached the vines developed beautifully balanced canopies. All varieties in our Lenswood Vineyard showed exceptional quality, including riesling. The 2013 harvest will be remembered as near perfection in a year of snow and drought, truly a rare and exceptional vintage.

TASTING NOTES

In 1981, fifth-generation winemaker Stephen and his viticulturist wife Prue selected Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills as a new vineyard site, reconnecting the Henschke family with its history in the nearby village of Lobethal, which translates to ‘Valley of Praise’ in German. The Henschke Lenswood property, originally in an area known as Abbotts Flat, was established as an apple orchard in the mid-1800s. The connection to the region dates back to 1842, when ancestor Johann Christian Henschke settled in Lobethal before establishing a farm in the Eden Valley. Abbotts Prayer weaves together the history, religion and farming heritage of Lenswood in the high country of the Adelaide Hills. At 550m, the slopes of the Lenswood Vineyard offer beautiful views, high rainfall and humidity at the right time of the year, cooler temperatures that retain natural acidity and enough sunshine to fully ripen the grapes.

Varieties: 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon

Harvest Date: 7 – 14 May

Alcohol: 14%

Vintage Rating: Excellent

Maturation: Matured in 74% new and 26% seasoned French oak hogsheads and barriques for 18 months prior to blending and bottling. Bottle aged in the Henschke cellar for museum release.

Drinking Window: Drink now to 2030+

The 2013 harvest was expected to be early, with the Easter full moon very close to the autumn equinox, and budburst started early in spring 2012, with green shoots emerging in the first week of September. A cool and mild spring followed. A snow flurry in early October led into a mild November, with warm days and nights providing excellent conditions for flowering. Fruit set was excellent across all varieties. The remainder of spring was dry and frost-free, and as summer approached the vines developed beautifully balanced canopies. All varieties in our Lenswood Vineyard showed exceptional quality, including riesling. The 2013 harvest will be remembered as near perfection in a year of snow and drought, truly a rare and exceptional vintage.