2021 Henschke, Mount Edelstone Shiraz, Eden Valley, Australia

Even though the vines are over 100 years old, Prue reports they are still vigorous and profound.   East-facing and lapping up the morning sun, Mount Edlestone is fabulously expressive and uncommonly aromatic in 2021, and I swear the colour is a couple of pantones darker than usual, too.  You are presented with an ostentatious bunch of flowers on the nose, and it takes a few heartbeats for a deep red wine experience to occur.  While you find your bearings, the thrum of a throaty engine kicks in, and while the tannins seem imperceptible to the taste, you can see them pulsating on the finish.  This is an action-packed silent movie of a wine and while the volume of flavour is tremendous, there is a keen chalkiness and degree of athletic refinement that tethers the whole experience to the ground.  Calm, deliberate, detailed and celestial, Prue knows when to pick this wine, and I feel she has nailed each bunch with Swiss precision in 2021 because every sip has effortless grace despite the scale and directness of the flavour.  This wine has a thrilling future ahead of it, and it is another horizon-expanding example of what this incredible vineyard is capable of.

Mid-depth hue and still quite crimson. Really savoury, nuanced, rewarding nose. So dense and concentrated as it hits the palate! Yet it's cool and refreshing on the finish. It already seems quite expressive, and richer than The Wheelwright. This is a real charmer. The density of fruit obscures the tannin which is just hinted at on the very end with discernible evidence of a framework. This just goes on and on … Surely those with a prejudice against Australian Shiraz could be wooed by this? Some may be shocked by the start of my suggested drinking window but I stand by it.

Deep colour with a good tint of purple in the rim; there are raspberry and mulberry aromas coupled with sage and dried thyme herbal notes, the palate full bodied and firm with ample tannins and a note of oak char. The tannins are ample and well-married to the flavour and structure of the wine. Good length and balanced throughout. A superb shiraz, more peppery with airing: a stellar vintage for this wine.