Henschke single-vineyard wines: A Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Masterclass

It was a full house for the much-anticipated final masterclass of the day at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Singapore, showcasing iconic single-vineyard wines from Henschke, one of Australia’s oldest and most revered wineries.

And to make the experience even more special, masterclass guests were guided through the tasting of eight wines, including mini-verticals of Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, by the family’s sixth-generation winemaker, Johann Henschke.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for all eight wines from the Henschke masterclass

Established in 1868, Henschke is one of Australia’s oldest wineries, founded by Johann Christian Henschke who fled German-speaking Silesia with his family in 1841 due to persecution against their Old Lutheran religion by the Prussian state.

By the time he docked in Adelaide, after the four-month journey by cargo ship, he had lost his wife and two of their four children.

Johann Christian eventually moved to the Barossa, where many German-speaking immigrants had settled, and in 1860 set up his home in the town of Keyneton where six subsequent generations of his Henschke descendants have called home.

The current custodians are fifth-generation Stephen and Prue Henschke, winemaker and viticulturalist respectively.

Since the 1980s, this trailblazing husband-and-wife team have built on the visionary work of Stephen’s father, Cyril Henschke, the fourth-generation winemaker, who pioneered single-vineyard wines.

Location, location, location

The Barossa wine region comprises the Barossa Valley in the west – the fertile bank of an old river, with elevations of about 300m – and the Eden Valley to the east.

Despite its name, the Eden Valley is actually a series of valleys formed within an ancient mountain range that climbs past 600m and has a far more extreme continental climate than the Barossa Valley, with limited areas suitable to plant vines.

But recognising the importance of site isn’t the only legacy the Henschke ancestors have passed down.

South Australia is blessed with ancient, own-rooted vineyards free from phylloxera, with the world’s largest surface area of old-vine plantings found in the Barossa.

Henschke owns several of these, which contribute to their wines’ extraordinary complexity.

This includes a parcel of the 16ha Mount Edelstone vineyard, planted in 1912, and a few rows of vines in the 4ha Hill of Grace vineyard, planted in 1860.

These ancient soils and their vines are nourished and tended by Prue Henschke, who farms organically and biodynamically, and is internationally recognised for her innovations in sustainable grape growing and vineyard management.

While both Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone sit at 380m to 400m above sea level, the former lies about 4km further north and has a mainly northerly aspect, while the latter faces east.

Both the neighbouring Cyril Henschke (planted 1988) and Wheelwright (1968) vineyards are about 10km further south, but in a cooler, rainier site between 445m and 470m.

All have free-draining sandy loam soils over various types of clay, but with different bedrocks: blue slate (Hill of Grace), micaceous schist (Mount Edelstone) and weathering gneiss/micaceous schist.

Single-site immersion

A unique aspect of this Henschke masterclass was the fact it was both a horizontal tasting (tasting different wines across the same vintage) and a vertical tasting (the same wine across different vintages).

Keen golfer Johann likened it to standing on a putting green, with the tasters having the opportunity to look at the wines from several angles – both single vineyards and vintages – and observing the various terrains and altitudes.

The big drawcard was undoubtedly the mini vertical tastings (the new-release 2021s as well as the 2015 and 2005 vintages) of Henschke’s two most famous single-vineyard Shirazes.

Mount Edelstone is arguably Australia’s longest consecutively produced single-vineyard wine, first released in 1952 by Cyril Henschke with the vineyard name proudly on the label.

Cyril made the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace Shiraz in 1958, when the original vines were already almost 100 years old, planted by a Henschke ancestor in 1860.

Tasting terroir

When asked what the biggest difference between the two iconic wines was, Johann’s reply was simple.

‘It’s just the location of the vineyard. That’s what it boils down to,’ he said.

‘Hill of Grace is at the same altitude as Mount Edelstone, but we’re in a warmer place, with a different aspect, and slightly different soils.

‘So there’s a different shape and feel to Hill of Grace. It almost feels like it is not part of the Eden Valley.

‘And if you’ve tasted Shiraz widely across the Barossa Valley you might find some of those characters, but I can guarantee you there are no Barossa Valley grapes in there!’

The Wheelwright Shiraz, launched in 2015, has a different shape and feel again – much more Pinotesque – coming from a vineyard planted at a higher altitude and in contours by Cyril, 100 years after the winery’s founding.

A single-site Cabernet Sauvignon has been made from what is now known as the Cyril Henschke vineyard since 1978.

When a virus struck, Prue and Stephen replanted it in 1988, adding some Cabernet Franc (0.4ha) and Merlot (0.7ha) to join the 2.1ha of Cabernet Sauvignon.

‘My grandfather Cyril never left the Barossa,’ Johann told the audience.

‘He’d never tasted great Burgundies or knew what terroir was, but it’s clear he understood that there was a uniqueness and a distinct character that came from these individual vineyards.’

‘When you’re on your putting green and you’re looking at the wines in different ways, hopefully you can identify that unique vineyard character clearly too.’

Watch the video highlights from the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Singapore featuring Johann Henschke

Henschke masterclass: tasting the single-vineyard wines

(Wines are listed in the order they were tasted)

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