Henschke is the reference-point winery in South Australia’s Eden Valley. Their top wine, Hill of Grace sells for similar prices to the First Growths of Bordeaux – and rightly so, it is undeniably one of the world’s finest wines. The Eden Valley sits at a high elevation, and the Henschke wines are pure, elegant and fresh, without the heaviness found at so many other South Australian wineries, but still showing the depth and concentration that one might expect from an Australian Shiraz.

Fourth generation winemaker Cyril Henschke pioneered single varietal and single vineyard wines in the 1950s. His greatest legacy being the creation of Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, wines made entirely from Shiraz from the Eden Valley that have become an integral part of Australia’s fine wine history. Today, fifth generation winemaker Stephen Henschke and his viticulturalist wife Prue are recognised around the world for their exceptional wines, innovation, and sustainability in the vineyard.
 
The Henschke family continue to craft their wines with a strong sense of place, according to organic and biodynamic farming paired with traditional red winemaking and meticulous oak ageing. The sixth generation, Johann, Justine and Andreas are all actively involved in the family business and are proud custodians of the Henschke vineyards, mindful of the need to nurture them for future generations.

Mount Edelstone is a 100% Shiraz, produced from very low-yielding vines over 100 years old. Unusual for its time, the Mount Edelstone Vineyard was solely planted with Shiraz in 1912. From the German ‘Edelstein’ meaning ‘gemstone’ this wine references the small yellow opals once found in the area. The 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. Cyril Henschke first bottled Mount Edelstone as a single vineyard wine in 1952. By the time Cyril acquired the vineyard in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already known as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Produced for over 65 years by the Henschke family, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively produced single vineyard wine in Australia.
 
Stephen Henschke recently stated:
‘2018 was a year of wonder for several reasons. We celebrated 150 years of Henschke family winemaking and 60 years since Cyril captured that first shimmering edition of Hill of Grace. That year, nature collaborated too, delivering an exceptional season. The 2018 Hill of Grace sings with the rains that nurtured, the sun that warmed, and the nights that cooled. It reflects the inherent characters of this wondrous vineyard site with exotic spices, plush complex layers of fruit, pure fine acidity and long, velvety tannins.’

Farmed organically and biodynamically with hand-harvesting and minimal intervention, these are some of the greatest wines you will find anywhere in the world and they quite simply should not be missed.

N.B. This wine is not currently in stock but can be ordered, usually for delivery within a few weeks -  please email info@cellarselect.co.uk for availability and lead time, or it will be confirmed after an order is placed.