Henschke Mount Edelstone 2017

Wine Pilot
98/100 punten
Terrific to see both the Mount Edelstone and the Hill of Grace finally released from the same vintage. For too long, Hill of Grace has held pole position (as one of this country’s great wines, no surprise there), but I suspect that many might be surprised when they compare the two. Mount Edelstone really deserves just as many accolades, and this is a cracking vintage for this wine. Very dark maroon. This is coiled and tight – coming back to it the next day, it had opened up, was far more approachable, and screamed elegance. It really does need time – in glass and bottle. If you drink shortly after opening at this stage, expect a tight, taut, powerful style with serious concentration. Flavours move through red berries/cherries, coffee beans, chocolate, animal hide, dry herbs and mulberries. Beautifully balanced, there is good acidity. A cracking Mount Edelstone, one which exceeds expectations imposed by the perception of the vintage. It has a long future ahead of it.

Decanter Magazine
98/100 punten
Kaleidoscopic, this glorious vintage is terroir translucent, transporting you to the vineyard with its signature aromas of dried sage, Eucalyptus olida (aka Strawberry Gum), wild mint, wattleseed, nutmeg and tinder. Soaring and super-expressive, these scents bring compelling dimension and meld exquisitely on the sweet, juicy plum and bramble palate, with its cocoa nib and earthy hints. Graceful, willowy tannins and mineral acidity make for a long, fluid, markedly perfumed finish. Irresistible already! 

James Halliday
97/100 punten
Form a single vineyard of 105yo shiraz vines on Mount Edelstone in the Eden Valley, farmed according to organic and biodynamic practices. Aged in 86/14% French and American oak (26% new) for 18 months. I was lucky enough to live next door to the Mount Edelstone vineyard for 8 years and have consumed a fair amount of Cooper's Green on the bench at the summit; I have seen the amount of fastidious work Henschke put into the vineyard. It's a special place. Bright, intense blackberry and blackcurrant fruits mesh with hints of Asian spice, tar, turned earth, rosehip, sage and high-cocoa dark chocolate. Displaying a beautiful, pure, dark fruit flow, it's a wonderfully complex wine with ripe long-grain tannins and sprightly mineral acid drive, finishing very long and graceful with a core of cassis and spice. Will cellar magnificently.

Andrew Caillard MW
97/100 punten
Medium deep crimson. Fresh blackcurrant pastille, chinotto, sage, herb garden aromas with vanilla cacao notes. Richly concentrated blackcurrant, blackberry fruits, lovely fine chalky al dente tannins, beautifully integrated mocha notes and fresh linear crisp acidity. Finishes claret-firm with pure cassis fruits. Lovely density and torque. 18 months maturation in 26% new & 74% seasoned (86% French, 14% American) oak hogsheads.

Huon Hooke
96/100 punten
Deep, dark-red to brick-red colour, with an intense bouquet featuring strong notes of 'eucalypt forest floor'. The wine is soft and sinewy in mouth-feel, just full-bodied and quite elegant but for the kick of alcohol at the finish. The dried-herb aromas are complex and there's a dominant note of sage. The finish has a touch of bitterness that demands just a little more time will resolve. It's concentrated and super-powerful and the structure is impressive.

Robert Parker
95+/100 punten
Hung deli meat, star anise and blackberry adorn the nose of the 2017 Mount Edelstone Vineyard Shiraz. Discerning this is akin to peering over the counter at an Italian deli, with meat, cheeses and garlic hanging from the ceiling: it's enveloping and welcome. On the palate, the wine is bright and concentrated, with layers of salted blueberry, licorice and staunch (yet fine) tannins. It has flexibility and pliability, but it also has shape and form—all of it encased in a medium-bodied shell. It is savory and lean above all else, with bacon fat adorning all edges.