Winemaker Notes
Deep crimson with violet hues. Fragrant, spicy aromas of black pepper, sage, bay leaf and anise are interwoven with vibrant Satsuma plum, blackberry and blueberry, and gentle tarragon and cedar notes. The palate is complex and textured with rich and concentrated flavours of mulberry, blackberry and Satsuma plum, layered with sage, black pepper and star anise. The finish is beautifully balanced, with long, velvety tannins and excellent depth.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has intense spice and sage, as well as bay-leaf aromas with intense, vivid blackberries and red plums. Blueberry notes, too. There’s so much spice, violet and bergamot, together with black tea-like notes. The palate has an immaculately framed tannin structure with rich blackberries and blueberries, as well as plum notes. This layers up so nicely on the palate. Very intense and powerful yet fine texture. An exceptional vintage for Mt. Edelstone. From vines planted in 1912. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz leads with pastille and cassis, blackberry, mulberry and raspberry. It is powerfully fruit-driven, bolstered by a flow of abundant tannin. While this remains true to its savory profile, the core of fruit here is sweet and polished. I like/appreciate the interplay between the acidity and the tannins here. This is a very smart wine indeed. It has a pH of 3.48, 6.57 grams per liter of total acidity and 14.5% alcohol.
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Wine Enthusiast
Mount Edelstone may not get the glory Hill of Grace receives, but its place in Barossa history as a 110-year-old vineyard and the quality of resulting wines is no less illustrious. The '16 is a deep well of aromas from ripe cherry to wild strawberry; from licorice to cracked pepper; from violet to vanilla bean. After the heady perfume, the power on the palate comes almost as a surprise. The concentrated fruit is held in a firm grip of spicy, fine, charcoal-textured tannins, the oak tucked neatly away. This is a beautifully crafted wine—expressive of both Eden Valley and Henschke—that should cellar well into the 2040s.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Aromatic and elegant, but definitely not shy, showing rich, pure wild blackberry puree, huckleberry and blueberry pie flavors on a silky frame, with details of Earl Grey tea, palo santo, cigar box and salted dark chocolate. Ends with a tremendous finish that goes on and on. Drink now through 2046.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Higher in elevation and topographically more dramatic than the Barossa Valley floor, Eden Valley abuts it to its south and east. While it is a bit of an extension of Barossa, Eden Valley is topographically different than the pastoral Barossa Valley, and is composed of rocky hills and eucalyptus groves.
Recognizing Eden Valley’s potential with Riesling in the 1960s and 70s, producers started to move their Riesling production from Barossa to these better sites where schist soils on hilltops would produce more steely, tart and age-worthy examples. A most famous site, planted by Colin Gramp, called Steingarten, today produces one of the most outstanding Australian Rieslings. Youthful Eden Valley Rieslings express floral, grapefruit and mineral, while with time in the bottle, they become increasingly toasty and complex.
Riesling isn’t the only grape the region can grow; undeniably at lower altitudes Shiraz does very well. Mount Edelstone is a notable vineyard as well as the Hill of Grace, which boasts healthy Shiraz vines well over 100 years old. This is the only Australian region where Merlot has a made a name for itself and Chardonnay can be spectacular, particularly from the High Eden subregion in the southern valley.