2021 Mount Edelstone

Eden Valley

Shiraz

Deep crimson with ruby hues. Intensely fragrant aromas of blackberry, blueberry and Satsuma plum with signature spice notes of black, white and green peppercorn, wild sage, fresh bay leaf and bundled thyme. The palate is complex, plush and spicy, with black and blue fruits, rich dark licorice and fresh cut herbs, framed by elegant acidity and fine, velvety tannins for an exceptionally long, detailed finish.
$275.00
$275.00
$0.00
Deep crimson with ruby hues. Intensely fragrant aromas of blackberry, blueberry and Satsuma plum with signature spice...

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BACKGROUND

The beautiful and historic name Mount Edelstone is a translation from the German Edelstein meaning ‘gemstone’, a reference to the small yellow opals once found in the area. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas who founded The South Australian Company and played a significant role in the formation and establishment of South Australia. Unusual for its time, the vineyard was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500-million-year-old geology in the vineyard has given rise to soils that are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. The wine was first bottled as a single-vineyard shiraz in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke. By the time Cyril purchased the vineyard from Colin Angas in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already well entrenched as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years now, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively-produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Varieties: 100% Shiraz

Harvest Date: 31 March – 12 April

Alcohol: 14.5%

Vintage Rating: Exceptional vintage

Maturation: Matured in 9% new and 91% seasoned (80% French, 20% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cellaring Potential: 30+ years (from vintage)

VINTAGE

Average rainfall in the winter of 2020 was followed by even budburst, with buds showing good fruitfulness. Frost damage was significant, and spring was cloudy, with good rains pre-flowering, followed by short bursts of hot weather in late November. The late-flowering varieties were impacted by heat at the end of November and strong winds in early December damaged the canopies, although the crop remained disease free. January was dry, with a burst of heat prior to a perfectly timed rain event at veraison in early February. The lead up to vintage was cool, cloudy and mostly dry. After our coolest summer for 19 years, a warm autumn provided ideal conditions for ripening in our red varieties, achieving excellent colour, flavour intensity and tannin maturity. The 2021 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade; remembered for complex wines with exceptional varietal expression, balance and purity, that speak of the ancient land from which they originate. With a likeness to the high-quality vintages of 1986, 2002, 2005, and 2015, all of which were mild seasons, the 2021 single-vineyard wines show an impressive potential for long-term ageing in ideal cellaring conditions.

TASTING NOTES

The beautiful and historic name Mount Edelstone is a translation from the German Edelstein meaning ‘gemstone’, a reference to the small yellow opals once found in the area. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas who founded The South Australian Company and played a significant role in the formation and establishment of South Australia. Unusual for its time, the vineyard was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500-million-year-old geology in the vineyard has given rise to soils that are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. The wine was first bottled as a single-vineyard shiraz in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke. By the time Cyril purchased the vineyard from Colin Angas in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already well entrenched as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years now, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively-produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.

Varieties: 100% Shiraz

Harvest Date: 31 March – 12 April

Alcohol: 14.5%

Vintage Rating: Exceptional vintage

Maturation: Matured in 9% new and 91% seasoned (80% French, 20% American) oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to blending and bottling.

Cellaring Potential: 30+ years (from vintage)

Average rainfall in the winter of 2020 was followed by even budburst, with buds showing good fruitfulness. Frost damage was significant, and spring was cloudy, with good rains pre-flowering, followed by short bursts of hot weather in late November. The late-flowering varieties were impacted by heat at the end of November and strong winds in early December damaged the canopies, although the crop remained disease free. January was dry, with a burst of heat prior to a perfectly timed rain event at veraison in early February. The lead up to vintage was cool, cloudy and mostly dry. After our coolest summer for 19 years, a warm autumn provided ideal conditions for ripening in our red varieties, achieving excellent colour, flavour intensity and tannin maturity. The 2021 vintage will be considered a standout of the decade; remembered for complex wines with exceptional varietal expression, balance and purity, that speak of the ancient land from which they originate. With a likeness to the high-quality vintages of 1986, 2002, 2005, and 2015, all of which were mild seasons, the 2021 single-vineyard wines show an impressive potential for long-term ageing in ideal cellaring conditions.

19.5+/20
“… Calm, deliberate, detailed and celestial, Prue knows when to pick this wine, and I feel she has nailed each bunch with Swiss precision in 2021 because every sip has effortless grace despite the scale and directness of the flavour.  This wine has a thrilling future ahead of it, and it is another horizon-expanding example of what this incredible vineyard is capable of.”

MATTHEW JUKES, MATTHEWJUKES.COM

18/20
“… Really savoury, nuanced, rewarding nose. So dense and concentrated as it hits the palate! Yet it's cool and refreshing on the finish. It already seems quite expressive… This is a real charmer. The density of fruit obscures the tannin which is just hinted at on the very end with discernible evidence of a framework. This just goes on and on … Surely those with a prejudice against Australian Shiraz...

JANCIS ROBINSON, JANCISROBINSON.COM

99 Points
“… This a gorgeous reference Eden Valley Shiraz with superb fruit definition, energy and flow.”

ANDREW CAILLARD MW, THE VINTAGE JOURNAL

98 Points
"The 2021 is an absolute stunner from a great vintage and I've no doubt that this will age gracefully for decades. … Velvety and graceful in its flow on the palate with a fresh mineral cadence and superfine, powdered granitic tannins for support. It'll go down as one of the greats.”

DAVE BROOKES, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

98 Points
“… It is the generosity of this wine that makes the most striking impression. Plush, approachable, ripe, just sheer class. … Seamless, with a nice line of fresh acidity and a lingering finish, it is the seductive creamy texture which stands out. This is a wine vibrating with promise, walking the tightrope between finesse and power. Time in the glass saw the perfumes really explode forth. …”

KEN GARGETT, QUILL AND PAD