NobleRottersSydney - Henschke

Big turn-out, guests, extra bottles, no corks – it’s all good! There was a time thirty years ago when four wines comprised Henschke’s Barossa reds; Hill of Grace & Mt Edelstone shirazes, Cyril cabernet, with the Kyneton blend mopping up all the sub-standard grapes. These days there are well over a dozen labels, all commanding (or at least asking) top dollar. I was fearful this night might disappoint – I was wrong.

• NV House of Arras Blanc de Blancs

  Australia, Tasmania

  {cork, 12.5%} [Glenn] Youthful, clean apple sort of nose, and indeed palate. Not very yeasty. Light/medium weight, with plenty of acid (I thought – others not so much). Fruity but crunchy palate. Fine creamy bubbles. Lacking in much complexity, but this is still a decent wine for ~$40-ish. Could keep a while too. I’d prefer to see a diam seal in this instead of the traditional ‘particle-board’ cork stopper.

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• 2012 Henschke Riesling Julius

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {screwcap, 11.5%} [Graeme] Solid lemon colour. Kerosene and toast with aged lime fruit characters. The acidity seemed to come and go in the mouth – it was constantly changing, like a pinot. Medium weight, dry. I liked it, although I like old Riesling and I think others found it a bit flat. There was a distinct familial resemblance with its younger sibling which followed. I reckon this will age longer too.

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• 2018 Henschke Riesling Julius

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {screwcap, 11.5%} [Sian - guest] We’d have drunk this before the 2012, but logistics intervened. Anyway this offers gentle lime and lychee fruit, plenty of acidity, with a slightly muted (ie. dumb/closed) palate presence. About medium weight, bone dry and crunchy, with a medium length finish. Very much in need of some time to blossom.

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• 2017 Henschke Chardonnay Croft

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

  {screwcap} [Andrew] Mild fig and grapefruit, with a little butter. Light/medium-bodied palate has a little sweet oak on offer, with low/medium acidity and soft rockmelon fruit flavours. Only really seems to come alive from the mid-palate back and finishes short/medium in length. Not especially convincing. But fairly-priced, if I recall.

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• 2008 Henschke Keyneton Euphonium

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Alan- guest] Old style Barossa red. Shiraz first, then CS, merlot and CF. Aged plums, seductive sweetly rotting strawberries. Medium weight palate, fully mature, with low furry tannins. Lots of ripeness emerges as dates and figs on the palate. Palate not so convincing as the nose – this is ready to drink.

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• 2017 Henschke Apple Tree Bench

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Stephen] For some reason Henschke seem never to have embraced the cabernet-shiraz blend; this is it in their portfolio. $70-worth. It’s a weird mix of over- and under-ripe grapes, managing to offer all this alcohol while still presenting herb, lemon pepper and a stalky sort of greenness as the main flavours. Medium weight, with medium, faintly gritty tannins, it’s not a wine of much charm. Short/medium length finish. I have one of these left still; maybe a decade in the cellar will help but I’m not confident.

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• 2015 Henschke Shiraz The Wheelwright

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {vinolok, 14.5%} [Andrew] Inaugural vintage. ‘Old Vine’ shiraz, although I note the vines are younger than me. Developing nose of soft spice, pepper and black fruit. Silky-textured palate, with medium powdery tannins, and medium weight. Gorgeous seductive flavours of spicy shiraz, impeccable balance on the palate and a medium long finish. Beautiful wine to drink now, but also to keep.

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• 2020 Henschke Shiraz Vineyard Selection Tappa Pass

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Andrew/Kim?] Youthful and jube-like, with blackberries and subtle oak. Open and lovely. Equally vibrant palate with black/blue fruit – plums, blackberries. Medium chalky tannins, medium acid, medium weight. Doesn’t taste hot either. Very nice to drink now but, as its decade-older sibling proved in the next glass, it really is a waste to do that. Something of a contrast to a note I took 6 weeks ago, finding it a bit closed, curiously.

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• 2010 Henschke Shiraz Vineyard Selection Tappa Pass

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa

  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Gordon] Developing spice and blackberry and oak. This is swoon material. The vibrant fruit of the ’20 has morphed into a smeary richness of perfectly ripe black fruit with a hint of refreshing pepper. Quite soft powdery tannins, medium acidity and an even palate of medium weight with a long/medium finish. Super wine. Double-decanted two hours prior, and that probably helped.

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• 2004 Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {screwcap, 14%} [Graeme] Double-decant off minimal sediment two hours earlier. Initially aged, soft old nose of currants, herb, cigar box. Lovely casserole of a palate, fruit, herb. Really surprisingly fruity for nearly twenty. Good mid-palate, no dip here. Medium chalky tannins, medium acid, medium weight. In excellent condition, with no rush to drink.

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• 2005 Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {screwcap} [Paul & DavidM] Two – slightly different – bottles of this following the 04. These were a bit darker in character overall, with one a bit more tense and coiled – more youthful, I guess – than the other. But both black and crisp and fresh, with varying degrees of enticing leatheriness. Less flamboyant than 04. But always a top medium weight cabernet, all the parts in place for years more cellaring.

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• 2004 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Geoffrey] Quite advanced. Attractive blend of tobacco, mushroom, blackcurrant, spice; on nose and palate. Medium dusty tannins, medium/full body. Appeared by far the oldest wine tonight by taste, despite being in close chronology with the others. Warmly mature, but I wonder if this was a bit sub-par in some way?

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• 2017 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {screwcap, 14.5%} [Andrew] Just so young, in tonight’s company. Maybe that had it as closed for me, because my notes are a bit scant. Ticks the medium boxes for structure (perhaps seems a bit warm on the palate). Spicy mien overall, but I thought it underwhelming. Maybe it does need another twenty years (they won’t hurt) but although it’s obviously a very fine wine it doesn’t justify the $250-ish that it costs nowadays.

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• 2009 Henschke Shiraz Mount Edelstone

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley

  {vinolok, 14.5%} [Gordon] A back-up bottle. Why not? And a triumphant one too. Leather, vanilla, spice, black fruit. Polished palate, with medium chalky tannins and medium acidity carrying the flavours evenly across the tongue. Long, seductive finish. Perfectly on song. All is forgiven! This is quite wonderful now, and seemingly for quite some time still.

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• 2016 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Sémillon

  Australia, New South Wales, Big Rivers, Riverina

  {screwcap, 10.5%} [Glenn] Lusciously mature copper and caramel. Botrytis city. They spray it on the grapes to make this, don’t they? Honeyed richness on the palate, still with medium acidity and weight. Fully sweet, no doubt about that. Medium length finish. Noble One peaks between 5-10 years from vintage (these days!) I reckon; from a 750 this was perfectly at peak. Excellent.

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• 2006 Château Climens Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  {375ml, cork} [Andrew] A spare from somewhere, but darkly oxidised. Some vanilla bean underneath, but generally maderised and flat. Shame.

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