Henschke wines are celebrating 150 years of family winemaking with the launch of a new single-vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz, which pays tribute to founder Johann Christian Henschke.
The Wheelwright will be launched in September as the family marks 150 years since its first commercial vintage. The 2015 vintage wine, will be launched alongside the 2013 vintage of the family’s prized wine Hill of Grace.
Speaking of the new wines the family said: “The 2013 vintage of Henschke Hill of Grace is one of the smaller vintages in recent years, from a dry year which delivered beautiful though tiny yields from the dry-grown, 153-year-old ‘Grandfather vines’ nurtured by viticulturist Prue Henschke.
“From the Henschke Eden Valley vineyard on Cranes Range Road, The Wheelwright is crafted from low-yielding, ungrafted, biodynamically-grown shiraz. At 50 years of age these vines, planted in 1968 by Johann Christian’s great-grandson and fourth-generation Henschke winemaker, Cyril are designated ‘Old Vine’.
“This vineyard, on ancient red-brown earths, is located at 500m altitude, south of the highly regarded Henschke vineyards of Mount Edelstone and Hill of Grace, and overlooks the village of Eden Valley.”
The Wheelwright Shiraz has been cool-fermented in traditional, open-top submerged cap fermenters for seven to 10 days on skins before being matured in five per cent new and 95 per cent seasoned (75 per cent French, 25 per cent American) oak hogsheads for 20 months prior to blending and bottling.
Both wines will be available for on-premise and independent retailers from 3 September 2018, with the Wheelwright Shiraz having a $130 RRP.