Henschke wines: a greatest hits of rieslings
A 20-year tasting of Henschke Julius rieslings reveals a varied range of beautiful wines.
Henschke took the opportunity of its spring new release tasting to launch its Julius Room and present a 20-year vertical tasting of Julius Riesling from 1996 to 2015. And arrange helicopter transfer from Adelaide Airport to the winery. And provide a four-course lunch created by Mark McNamara of Food Luddite. As one does.
Stephen Henschke is the first person I had heard talking about the taste of cork in unoaked white wines in the same way that one talks about the taste of oak. So it was that he bottled Julius between 1996 and 2000 under Stelcap, a forerunner of the screwcap.
It is usual to start vertical tastings of red wines with the oldest vintages, and white verticals with the youngest. In this instance we started with the five Stelcap wines and proceeded from that point. Henschke knew that the five oldest wines had developed ullage (airspace between the cap and the wine when stood upright), that the colours varied between yellow-gold and deep yellow-gold, and the flavours varied, extending through honey, toast, marmalade and peach. The common denominator was very good acidity.
They were beautiful old rieslings, each with its own special characteristics and only one (the ’98) showing signs of tiredness. By the 2001, green-gold replaced yellow-gold and flowery; the bouquet was fragrant in lieu of honey, toast and marmalade; the palate vibrant citrus with a sheen of acidity in lieu of a complex web of flavours. From this point on it was one beautiful wine after another, almost impossible to differentiate by points. The only wine out of Olympian class was the 2008.
The best of the 11 new releases (other than Julius) were 2015 Green’s Hill Riesling, 2013 Tappa Pass Shiraz, 2012 Abbotts Prayer Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2012 Marble Angel Cabernet Sauvignon.
2015 Henschke Julius Eden Valley Riesling
A celebration of Eden Valley riesling, starting with the fragrant, perfumed flowery bouquet, finishing with mouthwatering acidity. In between, lemon, lime and green apple make a flavour mosaic, its patterns joining seamlessly. Prodigious length. 11.5% alc, screwcap. 97 points, drink to 2030, $33
2012 Henschke Marble Angel Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
From a 40yo vineyard in the Light Pass district of the Barossa Valley; matured in French hogsheads (40% new) for 18 months. Pays homage to the sculpture skills of Julius Henschke. This is a striking cabernet reflecting the great vintage and what must be a very special vineyard, for its varietal expression is bell clear and juicily seductive. 14.5% alc, Vino-Lok. 97 points, drink to 2042, $84
2013 Henschke Tappa Pass Vineyard Selection Eden Valley Shiraz
100yo shiraz from the Eden and Barossa Valleys, matured in French hogsheads (61% new) for 18 months. Vibrant crimson-purple; highly perfumed red berries, spice and pepper bouquet; a silky, supple medium-bodied palate, the oak integrated, the tannins fine. 14.5% alc, Vino-Lok. 96 points, drink to 2038, $100
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