Henschke : Mount Edelstone 2019

Tasting Notes and Serving Tips for Henschke’s Mount Edelstone 2019

Tasting

Color

The color is very deep, reflecting the wine’s concentration and intensity.

Nose

The nose opens with an abundance of black pepper and sage, Eden Valley’s signature aromatic hallmarks. These dominant notes are joined by violet, raspberry seed, graphite and black tea. With aeration, the bouquet reveals additional layers of blackcurrant, dried violets, Mediterranean herbs and spices, with a discreet hint of toasted, chocolatey oak in the background.

Palate

On the palate, the wine stands out for its remarkable finesse and elegance. The palate unveils vibrant spiced plums, blue and black cherries, wrapped in crushed floral herbs and wild forest berries. The texture charms with its silky, ultra-fine character, with layers of silt-like tannins that caress the palate rather than stand out from it. The structure is powerful yet balanced, with velvety, refined tannins that carry through to an extremely long finish marked by lingering notes of black pepper and sage. The overall impression is one of perfect flow—elegant yet dense—with a polished, refined framework.

Food and wine pairings

The estate recommends pairing this Mount Edelstone 2019 with a Guinness beef pâté. This wine also pairs perfectly with red meats in sauce, herb- and pepper-crusted beef dishes, or braised game.

Serving and cellaring

The Mount Edelstone 2019 can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve beautifully until around 2049. While already charming, it will reach its optimal expression from 2027-2028 onward. One hour of decanting will allow the wine to fully reveal its aromatic complexity. Ideally serve between 16 and 18°C.

An iconic Eden Valley Australian shiraz from century-old vines

The estate

Founded in 1868, Henschke is one of Australia’s oldest family-owned wine estates, established in Keyneton in the Eden Valley in Southern Australia. Today run by Stephen Henschke, fifth-generation winemaker, and his wife Prue Henschke, chief viticulturist, the estate spans 105 hectares across Eden Valley, Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. The estate distinguished itself as a pioneer of single-vineyard wines in Australia as early as the 1950s. Henschke stands out for its commitment to biodynamic and regenerative viticulture, as well as for a philosophy that favors quality over expansion. In 2023, the estate obtained Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certification and remains internationally recognized for its exceptionally refined expressions of terroir.

The vineyard

The Mount Edelstone vineyard, whose name means “precious stone” in German, is located in the north of Eden Valley in Southern Australia, around three kilometers south of the famous Hill of Grace vineyard. Planted exclusively to shiraz in 1912 by Ronald Angas over 16 hectares, it sits on ancient soils several million years old, ranging from deep brown-red clay-loam to clay, with areas of sandy loam over gravel and bedrock interspersed with pockets of clay. These well-drained soils naturally limit vine vigor. The vineyard benefits from Eden Valley’s higher altitude, creating pronounced diurnal temperature variations that promote ripening while preserving natural acidity and aromatic complexity. The century-old vines, ungrafted and dry-farmed, are managed according to organic and biodynamic principles, with wheat-straw mulch applied and biodynamic preparations used.

The vintage

The 2019 vintage proved particularly challenging in Eden Valley. A dry winter, spring and summer, combined with above-average temperatures in January and February, advanced ripeness across all grape varieties and led to an early start to harvest. At Mount Edelstone, unfavorable weather conditions during budburst and flowering disrupted fruit set, resulting in catastrophically low yields. Stephen Henschke described the situation as so severe that they had to “send out a search party to find the grapes,” with only 5.5 tons harvested across the entire vineyard. Despite these exceptional challenges, the quality of the fruit picked proved remarkable, with concentrated, healthy, perfectly balanced grapes.

Winemaking and aging

Mount Edelstone 2019 was harvested by hand in small crates. Parcel-by-parcel vinification is carried out with indigenous yeasts in historic open-top concrete vats built by previous generations of the family. The wine underwent a total vatting period of 22 to 25 days depending on the parcels, with manual pump-overs. After the first run-off, the wine was transferred to barrels for malolactic fermentation. Aging took place over 18 months in French oak barrels (80%, including 27% new) and American oak (20%). The minimalist approach favors gentle handling to preserve the wine’s natural complexity, without excessive racking, fining or aggressive filtration. The wine was bottled under screwcap.

Grape variety

100% shiraz from ungrafted century-old vines planted in 1912.