Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
It always blow my mind how calm and composed Henschke wines come across in the glass. The 2019 vintage was low-yielding but the quality is excellent. This edition of the Tappa Pass shows wonderful fruit weight and palate presence. Blackberry, black cherry and satsuma plum fruit combine with spice, earth and a delightful floral flicker. Cascading ripe tannin and bright mineral-like framework steers the pure fruit nicely and the finish is long and enduring.
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James Suckling
This is a strong edition of Tappa Pass with aromas of red plums, blackberries and baking spice-laced earth, making for a compellingly complex yet very pure and fresh nose. There’s richness to the palate, with intense red-plum and sweetly ripe blackberry flavors taking center stage. Pliable and supple tannins hold long and smooth. Drink over the next decade or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged in 16% new French oak, the 2019 Tappa Pass Shiraz reveals little of the oak influence on the nose, which features notes of allspice, mint, sage, black cherries and blackberries, perhaps just a touch of mocha. It's complex and savory, medium to full-bodied and sturdily constructed on the palate, with firm but ripe tannins, ample concentration and a long, dusty finish. In short, it's a terrific wine, just a step behind the super 2018 in opulence but maybe a step ahead in terms of longevity.
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.”
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.