Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Henschke 2007 Premium Eden Valley Releases

This heading refers to the Cyril Henschke and the Mount Edelstone, of course. I was interested to see how these wines fared, given the drought vintage in the Barossa.

The 2007 Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon has a strong redcurrant bouquet. The flavours are lively, based on cherries and redcurrant - no dead fruit here. Tannins blend in nicely. The wine included some Cabernet Franc, which may be responsible for the slightly perfumed lift in this wine. The wine should age nicely and increase in complexity. A good effort.

Score: 94/++

The 2007 Henschke Mount Edelstone is a worthy follow-up to the outstanding 2006. The wine is full bodied with quite concentrated fruit. The flavours are typical for a low yielding Shiraz: ripe plum and blackcurrant, a bit of chocolate in the background . Yet at the same time, this wine is quite elegant. The oak is well integrated, and the strong tannins lead to a very long finish. This is a profound Edelstone, and while it is grown near the warmer Moculta, the higher altitude of the Eden Valley provides the freshness and acidity needed for this wine to be lively and long lasting.

Score: 96/+++

These wines are a superb effort by Prue and Stephen Henschke in what must have been a difficult vintage.

2 comments:

Baz said...

I'm getting the sense that the 07 Barossa Premiums are comign through ok in a tough vinatge. Seeing mixed reports on everyone else. Would you agree?

Alontin said...

yes, but avoid producers who tend to pick very late