Cellar Favorite: A Landmark Vintage – Henschke 2021

BY
ANGUS HUGHSON | APRIL 7, 202

Henschke
is one of the most historic wineries in Australia, with a history stretching
back to 1868, when the first wines were sold under the family name. Henschke’s rise
to the head table of Australian wine is not a story of meteoric growth, but rather
more of a long, hard and deliberate slog for over 150 years. Like many of the
early Lutheran settlers to the Barossa Valley, the Henschkes were initially
mixed farmers, with grapes being only one of the many strands of the family
business. However, over time, the Henschkes focused on grapegrowing and wine
production, gradually adding to their land holdings. This led to the 1891
purchase of a small vineyard near the ​​Gnadenberg Church, which later became
known as the Hill of Grace, and the eventual acquisition of the mature Mount
Edelstone vineyard in 1974.

The
Henschke home is located in the Eden Valley, high up above the Barossa Valley
floor at an altitude of 400-500 meters. Estate vineyards fan out from the
original winery, which remains in the spot where it was originally established
in 1862. Importantly, Eden Valley is a subregion of the wider Barossa and differs
markedly in both conditions and wine styles from its more famous neighbour.
While the Barossa is home to robust and hearty wines, Eden Valley delivers a much
more reserved expression of Shiraz. Eden Valley wines often have more in common
with other parts of Australia than the classic Barossa style. In addition, the
timing of key events during the growing season is quite different between the
two regions, i.e., poor weather at flowering or hot spells in the Barossa may
not be a problem later in the season in the Eden Valley, and vice versa.

There
is always a traditional feel at Henschke—unforced wines that showcase their
various terroirs. According to fifth-generation winemaker Stephen Henschke,
“Henschke is about individual sites. We want to show the expression of our
vineyards. There is not a lot of new oak for that reason. It’s about the
vineyard flavours. It’s about the soils and the character of the region.” This
transparent winemaking style, combined with a strong focus on sustainability,
makes the annual Henschke release a true vintage snapshot of Eden Valley.

A
key and highly necessary part of the pursuit of sustainability at Henschke has
been the management of soil health, driven by Prue Henschke. The Eden Valley
can be a harsh environment for vines due to unpredictable rainfall,
particularly in hot, dry summers. The team focuses on building resilience in
their vineyards to avoid the hard tannins and the baked characteristics that
can emerge in the wines. There is a common misconception that old vines are
less vigorous. But Stephen Henschke finds the opposite on their Mount Edelstone
site, planted in 1912, where they utilise Scott-Henry training, albeit on a
cooler east-facing site. “You would not believe the vigour in 100-year-old
vines. The shoots cross over the rows. It just makes a difference, all those
leaves working for us, producing flavour and colour. But there’s a catch: much
more work in the vineyard and higher costs.”<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1744034685529-Prue+and+Stephen+Henschke_Open+Top+Fermenters_Vinous.jpg">Prue and Stephen Henschke with their open top fermenters. Exploring Eden Valley

Henschke
uses three quite different sites in the Eden Valley for top Shiraz and Cabernet
Sauvignon. The historic, own-rooted Hill of Grace Vineyard was first planted in
the 1860s, with additional parcels planted in 1910, 1951, 1952, 1956 and 1965.
The vineyard sits at 400 meters of elevation in a fertile valley and on a very
gentle slope with various aspects. On average, it is the driest of the Henschke
estate vineyard, with sandy loam soils over clay. Of the lineup of Henschke Shiraz,
Hill of Grace is typically the most powerful and tannic, which was certainly on
display in the 2021 vintage.

Mount
Edelstone Vineyard is quite different. Also situated at 400 meters, it was planted
in 1912 on its own roots, using vinestock material that likely came from the
first Shiraz clones brought to Australia from Hermitage in 1832. A gentle east-facing
slope with clay soils over schist yields a more ethereal expression of Shiraz. While
Hill of Grace is often more highly regarded, the difference in quality between
these wines is negligible.

Planted
by Cyril Henschke in 1968, the lesser-known Eden Valley Vineyard is deeper into
the Mount Lofty ranges at a higher 500-meter elevation with greater rainfall. The
Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon and Wheelwright Shiraz both come from this
site. Historically, there were a number of vineyards in the area at the time of
planting, but many have now been uprooted due to the challenging growing
conditions and low yields, particularly in the cooler vintages that were
prevalent before the 1980s. Undoubtedly, the northerly aspect of the Henschke
Eden Valley Vineyard has been its saving grace.

Prue
and Stephen Henschke added to the Eden Valley Vineyard in 1988, planting
predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, although Merlot and Cabernet Franc make up
one-third of plantings and are used interchangeably for blending depending on
vintage conditions. Occasionally, in less favourable vintages, Henschke does
not bottle any wine off this site. For many years, Shiraz from this vineyard
was a key component of the Keyneton Estate blend, but it has been bottled
separately as The Wheelwright Shiraz since 2015. This year, I tasted
mini-verticals of The Wheelwright (back to the inaugural vintage, 2015) and and
the Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon (back to 2009). These wines offer a
fascinating counterpoint against the Mount Edelstone and Hill of Grace, clearly
showcasing the significance of vine age, but especially the character of the
higher-altitude site. More than Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone, the success
of the Wheelwright Shiraz and Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon hinges on a
kind season, due simply to the marginality of the site. In particular, Cyril
Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that can be truly outstanding when the
weather plays dice, as occurred in the 2021 vintage. Its graceful, long-lived
style and similarities with fine European Cabernet Sauvignon will surprise
many.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1744034872420-Henscke+Bottle+Shot_Vinous.jpg">The 2021 Growing Season 

Two
thousand twenty-one was set up well from the start, with a hot 2020 providing
plenty of sunlight and supercharging buds for the following season. Flowering
took place under placid conditions for most varieties, with only Mataro and
Grenache affected by strong winds. Frost in September helped to control yields
in some vineyards. However, in the lead-up to veraison, the vineyards were
still carrying generous crop loads, with some significant heat in November and
December providing a solid base of fruit development. The real key to the
vintage was green harvesting, which Henschke undertook around the same time in
all the vineyards. The process lent greater concentration to the resulting wines
but also set the vines up for what was to come: the coolest Summer in 20 years.
During this period, there were only five days over 30°C and none over 35°C,
keeping the vines stress-free up until harvest, which took place for Hill of
Grace on March 30 and 31. Without green harvesting, it is unlikely that the
wines would have reached optimal ripeness in 2021. In summary, a placid but
cool vintage combined with moderate yields helped to craft some of Henschke’s
best in recent memory.

I
tasted the wines for this report at the winery in February 2025. While the
focus was on the new single-vineyard releases, the tasting also included an array
of wines from Eden Valley, Barossa and Adelaide Hills.© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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