Tony Love

94 $68 A 65% Shiraz to 33% Cabernet Sauvignon blend with just a 2% splash of Cabernet Franc to round out this red blend sourced from both the Barossa Valley (31%) and 69% Eden Valley, matured as separate parcels in French oak hogshead barrels for 17 months, only 10% of those new. It’s got the full Austral blend package, attractive black fruits and bushland aromatics to start, the Cabernet components playing a strong game here with some pretty bold Shiraz working its magic in tandem.

Sourced from historical German/Silesian grape growers’ vineyards in both the Light Pass (north-eastern Barossa Valley) and Tappa Pass (northern Eden Valley) districts, there’s a richness and depth of bouquet and flavour here that reflects those older vines and their resilience and elder wisdom.

The Eden Valley based Henschke crew have been connected to the Adelaide Hills for a range of cooler climate varieties out of their Lenswood vineyard for more than four decades. For this Pinot Gris they have been sourcing from another in the Littlehampton district farmed by the Innes family.